The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-08

her. We are soon convinced that she
is most truly an ''eXpert. " Her pleas
ant face betokens the quick intelligence
necessary to success in such perplexing
employment She retains in her mind
the names of post-oflices, the counties
and States in which they are situated,
and streets in the various cities to an
extent that is almost marvellous.
Thousands of these are at instant COM
mand, while for reference when neces-
sary, she has library of directories.
Before her is q pile of letters gone
astray for lack of legible Or sufficient
address.
''They call us the 'guessers,'" she
says, "but it isn't all guess work.
Every day thousand of these letters
come in for us to correct or decipher
the address. Let us look at some Of
those that have just been laid on my
table,
A FEW RIDDLES.
Here is one directed to ''Mount Isel-
Ia She glances at it for an instant,
picks up her pen and writes in red
ink, Monticello" There can't be
much question about that, she says, as
she losses it into the box ready for re-
mailing.
This is harder one. Let's see
what can be done with it." The post
Office is written Frank coalyoun. "
She looks intently for moment or
two, refers to directory and writes
''Franconia." THAT corresponds with
the State and county and | think it will
go"
"Now here is one that should not
have been sent here at all. Any post
master ought to be able to read that
1t is addressed ''Tuppke, Kance," I
venture the suggestion that the design
of the writer would DE carried out by
sending it to Topeka, Kansas. That
is undoubtedly right, says the lady,
and the letter properly addressed is
tossed into the box.
This one is directed to the Wood
County Sentinel, o. That paper is
published, l believe, at Bowling Green,
That is easily fixed
Here is one of q kind that some
times trouble us. 1t has the street and
number, but no city or State is given.
This is directed to '251S st. Mary's
Avenue, corner Twenty-sixth Street,
and that is all. [ look at the directories
and find that several cities have streets
so designated; but these streets cross
each other in Omaha. So ST. Mary S
Avenue, corner of Twenty-siXth Street,
must be there. It is strange how
thoughtless many people are in address
ing letters, and then they blame the
Post-Ollice Department because they do
not 90. There is more excuse for those
who make mistakes through ignorance.
We get good many so badly written
that we are utterly baiiied; we can't
make anything at all of them. Such
letters have to be opened, and if we get
no clew by that means they are de-
stroyed."
This letteris addressed 1876 Tchoupi-
toulas Street, and no city, county or
State is given. But we know that
street is in New Orleans and we send it
there. Here is another with nothing
but '210 Woodward Avenue;' that goes
to Detroit. If in an address of this
kind the name is a common one such
as Washington, or jackson, we are
at sea, for it may 90 to any one of
twenty cities. By opening such letters
we often find the full address, or some
thing that enables us to complete it.
"Hhis is a comical one. 1t was evil
IDENTITY written by an Englishman. He
wants it sent to 'Eyewood, Hillinoie,
but 'Highwood, H., will do better and
We'll send it there.
look at this: 'Norage, Conicut.'
We will mail that to Norwich, Conn. >
The writer hit very closely to the way
they pronounce it.
Here is q letter addressed as you
see, in a very plain business hand. to
'Crotty, La Sale County, HI The
nearest | can come to that in La Sale
County is Ottawa and presume that
was what he intended. Wen try it.
eve can't do anything with this
Mrs. Rose Story, Montana. That will
have to 90 to the openers.
This is pretty good: 'Pat O'Donnell,
State of West Sconsen, Oirentown. Sea
Co | think if l change that to Iron
ton, Sank Co., Wis., Patrick will get
his letter.
THE HARD ONES.
sin many cases it is not nearlya as diff
licultto solve these riddles as might at
first appear. If we can decipher the
writing we can almost always make out
in some way what the addresses are in
tended to be. Illiterate persons, who
have not mastered the intricacy of our
post-oilice photography, can only write
from the sound as they hear the names
pronounced 1t is painful to think of
the struggles such persons have with
many of our post-oflices, that often
bother the best of us. 1t is not strange
that people make a mess of such bar
barous words as Ypsilanti, Kalamazoo,
Oshkosh, Skowhegan, Waukesha and
hundreds more that might be men
toned.
"Now let me show you how compare
lively easy it is, sometimes, to correct
an address that at first sight seems ut
terly unreadable. Here is one | came
across q little while ago. If you can
tell at glance what that was intended
for"-covering the corrected address
81 will pronounce you first-class eX-
pert.
And it does seem as hard as the sfif-
teen puzzle" 1t is written "Ocreg,
ALA" Without hazarding a guess we
turn an inquiring eye to the lady.
''You give it up? Well, l don't won
der at it, We take word like that and
pronounce it in every possible way until
we hit upon something that suggests
hn iorIf L. Al. Al.