The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-01
A Mail Carriers Experience.


A great while ago-long before the
late war-there was young man VINO
carried the mail between Madison
and Macon, Georgia. He used his
eyes and ears pretty well, and never
fond as he was of good story
told lies. To say "Bob Lovic says
so" was to certify to the truth OF a
statement, which was certainly to his
credit; and, moreover, he was as
honest as the day, and could have
been entrusted with Untold gold and
uncounted diamonds. Morally you
could not find fault with Bob. Men
tally he was very well for an unedu-
Gated man but he had one great fail
ing-great particularly in the eyes oil
pretty Annie Wesley, who otherwise
esteemed Bob perfection. He had
allied himself with a certain class of
persons who termed themselves "free
thinkers"
This theological difference at last
led to little quarrel, and Bob tried
to get Annie out of his mind, but
failed to do it; and Annie was mis-
cradle, as we'll for the sake of Bob's
soul as for herself; for though she
had offers in plenty, not one-not
even rich John Grab, who had ever
so many acres of land-could be COM
pared for a moment in her mind 10
Bob, had Bob only held proper sen
tments.
So, though they kept apart for
whole month, at last one bright
morning as Bob rode along, slowly
and stupidity for him, he saw, sitting
under a tree, little figure in blue
dress that he couldn't pass to save his
life. So he stopped his horse and
called out
"Annie is that you?''
eyes, Bob" said Annie, showing a
pair of wet eyes. l came here on pur-
pose to see you. I've talked in my
poor, weak, womanish words, but
you talked so much better than /,
that of course it's of no use: and all
the while there is One who talks so
plainly to us, and the words are here;
and I've brought them to you and
please, dear Bob, to read them, and
perhaps"
She did not finish the sentence, but
placed pretty Bible in Bob's hand.
"I've had it bound very nicely for
you, and oh for my sake read tit
will teach you so much, Bob-so very
much ~
Bob took the book. For a moment
he felt annoyed, and much like sneer-
ing, but Annie was very dear to him;
so he kept his anger down for her
sake, thanked her for her present ,and
placed it in the breast pocket of his
coat.
GAS if were to be converted like
a sinner in a tract ~ said Bob, after
he had ridden on a little. "But wo-
men are not expected to have minds
like ours" And out of another pock-
ct he pulled an infidel tract, which a
friend, an unhelieving doctor, had
loaned him, and fell to reading.
1t was not very wise thing, as
the event proved, for the horse, left
to himself, stumbled over something
in the road and was lamed !; not bad
ly, it seemed, but it forced Bob to
dismount and stop at country store
to examine and bathe the limb, and
then he had to allow the beast to take
his own time afterwards, so that in
stead of trotting briskly into Macon
before sundown the young man found
himself belated on the lonely road
hours after the sun had quite vanish
ed-his horse growing lamer and his
hopes of supper quite gone.
"Hang the tract ~ growled Bob
"wbat did / bother with it for ?" And
he gave the paper toss into cIump
of bushes, and then his mind went to
Annie Wesley's Bible.
He felt for it. 1t was safe. He
wished that he was somehow better,
and he walked along with the bride
over his arm in quite a melancholy
mood.
Suddenly a shadow fell across the
road. Bob looked up. Straight be-
fore him sat a mounted man with a
black mask on his face and pistol
in his hand.
"Haltv commanded the individ-
ual ferociously, and Bob halted. "If
you are quiet, you will come to no