National Republican., 1885-09-09
He Did Not Forget.

81 found my head was OH, in fact had
been taken off before | arrived, and so |
politely bowed myself out of the presence
Of the first assistant postmaster general"
remarked an eX-postmaster of the fourth
class in giving an account of n call that he
had made upon that busy functonary, in
whose bands are the official lives and for
tunes Of many thousands of his country
men.
1t must be q scource Of satisfaction to
Republicans generally TO be assured that the
decapitated postmaster of the fourth class
did not forget, even under the peculiarly try
ing circumstances in which he was placed,
that lie was in the august presence Of one
only two degrees removed from the official
head of the republic.
He had entered the presence full OF hope
thct bis days would be long in the Office
that 'Dcoln gave him, and which no Re-
publican successor of Lincoln had taken
from hin. lie had in his pocket record
of fidelity to his trust, duly certified to by
all his neighbors, and in the same pocket he
had carefully bestowed copy of the famous
Christmas letter of the President-eect to
Geo. Wm. Curtis. Knowing that he had
been honest, faithful, and capable, and be-
licvlng In that Christmps letter, he thoug ght
away down in the serene depths Of his
simple soul that he had only to say TO the
first assistant postmaster general: ~ want
to hold on" and the first assistant postmas-
ter general would reply: "Of course you
are to hold on. This is reform admins
tratlon. You are the kind of postmaster
that we cannot spare"
Thus thinking, and wearing bland
smile upon his rubicund and joyous coun-
tenance, the postmaster of the fourth class
entered the Office Of the arbiter of fate.
Without any PREDATORY remarks he gave
his name, the name of his postollce, and
was about to proceed with gentle intima-
tion Of Il desire to continue in the service
OF his country, when he was interrupted
by the first assistant postmaster general
with the blunt announcement that his head
was off, had fallen on the previous day.
The blow was sudden, the shock severe,
but the victim was equal to the emergency.
He did not rend the air with vain waiting
for spilled milk nor in any way behave him
self unseemly. Although decapitatcd he
stood erect, and 'politely bowed himself
out"
1t would seem quite fitting for the first
assistant postmaster general, when he calls
at the white house, to give an account Of
the operations Of civil service reform dur
ing the absence Of the administration, to
make special mention Of the fortitude and
grace displayed by the beheaded fourth
class postmaster who retired with such
GcGerential courtesy. In describing the
scene the first assistant postmaster general
might appropriately borrow the lines Of
Pooh-Bah in "Mikado " descriptiv, of the
high breeding shown by Nanki-Poo on a
similar occasion:
"Now, though you'd have said that head was
dead
(For its owner dead was he),
II stood on its neck with Il smile well bred,
And bowed three times to my!
II was none Of your impudent oifhand n DDS,
But as humble ms could be;
For 1t clearly knew
The Difference due
To a man OF pedigree
And its oh, | vow,
Thisdcathly bow
Was II touching sight to sec;
Though trunkless, yet
It couldn't forget the Difference du2 10 mo."