The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1886-09-04
a yinage post omee in england.

tdlOWs ! u0 ScubSstlOuoA Nuyo w OuA
lpost- -ofHce were when the letters were
conveyed OFFICIALLY in a breaking old
\ cart from --, a distance Of eight
miles. The pony, had seen better
days than the cart, and always looked
as if 1t were just on the point Of suc-
eeedlng in running away from it..
Hooky Crewe was driver: so-called
because a long iron hook was his sub
stitute for right arm. The village
blacksmith made the hook and fitted it
in. Crewe suffered from rheumatism,
and when he felt 1t coming on he
stayed at home. Sometimes his. cart
came undone in a snow-drlft, when
Hooky, extrlcated from the debris by
some chance wayfarer, was deposited
with his mail bag tof which he always
kept a grip by the hook) IN farm
house. 1t was his boast that his letters
always reached their destination eventu-
ally. They might be a long time about
1t. but ''slow and sure'' was his motto.
Hockey emphasized his ''slow and sure''
by taking a snuff. He was a godsand
! to the postmistress, for to his int1rm-
tiles or the infrmities Of his gig were
charged all delays.
AT the time / write Of the posting OF
the letter took as long and was as
serious an undertaking as the writing.
That means good deal, for many of
our village letters were written to dc
tation by the school.master. He was
the one person in the community who
looked up IN the dispatch Of his letters
by tho postmistress as his right, and net
favor on her part. There was a long
standing feud between them accord.
ingly. f.,3n
After few tumblers Of Widow Sta
ble's treacle beer--ln tho concoction OF
which she was the acknowledged mis-
tress for miles around--the school-mas-
tor would sometimes 60 the length Of
hintlng that he could get the postnlis-
tress dismissed any day. This mighty
power seemed to rest on a knowledge Of
"steamed' letters.
The villagers had high respect for
the school master; but among them
selves they agreed that, even If he did
write to the government, Lizzie Harri-
son, the postmistress, would refuse
to transmit the letter. Tho more
shrewd ones among us kept friends
with both parties; for, unless you could
write ''writ-hand," you could not con-
coct a letter, without the, school-mas-
ter's assistance, and, unless Lizzie was
so courteous as to send tito lts destina-
ton, 1t might lie-or 80 we thought
much too long in the box. A letter
addressed by the schoolmaster found
great disfavor in Lizzis eyes. You
might explain to her that you had
merely Gale il his assistance because
you were "a poor hand at writing
YOURSELF" but that was held no excuse.
Some Of US addressed our, own enyel-
opes with much labor, and sought
to palm off the whole as our own handi-
work Itretiects on the postmistress
somewhat that she had generally
"lound us out" by next day, when, If
in a specially vixenish mood, she did
not hesitate to upbraid us for our
perfidy. BSHfRl{lf{S1 I IN 81 IL
To posta letter you do not merely
saunter to the post-office and drop ic
into the box. The cautious villager
first went into the shop and explained
to Lizzie how matters stood. She kept
what she called a booksellers shop as
we'll as the post-offlce, but the supply of
books corresponded exactly to the lack
Of demand for them, and her chief
trade was In 'tknick-knacks.'' from
marbles and money.boxes up to concer-
tinas II he found the postmlstress in
an amiable mood, which was only now
and then--the villager led up craftily to
the subject of his visit.
4 Having discussed the weather end
the potato disease, he eexplained that his
sister Mary, whom lizzie would
remember, had married a 'fishmonger in
London. The latter had lately
''started on himself'' and was ''doing
WE'LL" They had four children. The
youngest had had a severe attack
of measles. He (the villager) had not
heard from Mary for 12 months; and
Annie, his other sister, wholived in the
village, had been sat him" of late for
not writing. So he had written a few
lines; and, in fact, he had the letter
with him. The letter was then pro-
duced, and examined by the post
mistress. IF the address was In the
Icschool-master's handwriting, she ex-
pressed her inability to read 1t. Was
this a t or an ip was that a b or dl
This was a cruel revenge on Lizzie's
! rart; for the sender Of the letter was
completely at her mercy. The school
j masters name being tabooed in her