Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-09-11
An Unclaimed letter.


4 LETTER FOR THE "PnETTiE,T
GIRL IT sEDALIA,N BUT SIZE Is
TOO MODEST TO CLAN IT.
Recently letter came to the
Sedalia postoflice. says local pa
PER, addressed TO "the pFettiest
! girl in Sedalia."
The clerks didn Il know what to
| do with it-that is, each one OF
| them knew what to do with it,
but taken collectively they could
not agree as 10 what young lady
should rpceive.th letter.
Charlie Parker said: Il know
the cir It's intended for; let me
| take il 3"
Frauk schultz said; Charlie,
it's too thin! / know who the
best locking girl in town is. She
is so far ahead all the other girls
are distanced.'
Another clerk says: Neither
of you are judges OF beauty. /
know what girl it was intended
for"
just then Postmaster Parker
came in, and listening to the war
Ike racket for a moment, said;
Wen just set that letter up in the
window and let the girl who
thinks she is the best looking Of
any III this city take the letter.
The letter was set up among the
unclaimed letters.
Soon q dashing, aucy-looking
young miss fifteen years of age
came In, read the address, began
erinning, said 10 her companion.
II wonder why some one don't
come and take it?" then exam
ined the letter closely and left the
office, looking back at it with
longing eyes.
Then came in clerk who want
ed the postmaster to give it to
him for his girl, he voWing with
the most ferocious oaths that she
was the prettiest girl in the burg.
Then in came a sour-faced young
lady on whose face vinegar and
gall strove for mastery. She read
the inscription. The dawn of
smile was for an instant visible in
the wrinkles of her face, but it
hastily hid on the approach of an
old. time froWn, and she snapped
out, ut amt for me-" and went
wriggling out of the office.
An old lady read the the adj
dress and hurried out, saying:
'I'll just send my gal Harriet up
and let her gobble that letter; it's
her'n, l know. That's just like
some of her beaux to write to her
in that way
A young lady of about seventeen
years, with dark hair and eyes,
wearing small hat stuck on the
side of her head, looked at the let
ter and said: 81 know / am the
one intended, but I'll never give
myself away by asking. for that
letter. I've got too much 'culchah'
for that, and don't you forget it ~
A blue eyed, stylish-dressed
miss looked at the letter closely,
and said to the lady with her: "It
looks like his writing. / wish
he had just sent it to me, and
not stuck it up that way in pub
lie place. I'll never get it now"
And too tears, each about the size
of No. 4 bird shot, poked their
foreheads up above the lower eye
wiDker of each one Of her eyes,
and small,si sigh escaped
from her as with much agitation
she swept out Of the Office.
A beyy of young ladies came in,
and, reading the address, they
stood around under pretense of
reading the advertisements on the
wall for long time, each hoping
the others would leave, so she
could get the letter on the SLY.
They finally all departed together
in disgust.
Several hundred letters have
been received by the clerks from
divers young ladies, who request
ed the letter be sent to them many
of the letters containing stamps.
But the letter still stays there.
Hundreds of young ladies have
looked at it. None have asked
for it. Modesty always was
characteristic of Sedalia girls.
Ralph Hollands Diamonds.