Smyrna times., 1889-03-06
AT THE STAMP WINDOW.
QUEER STUDIES IN HUMAN NATURE
AT THE POSToFFlcE.

Those Who Know What They Want and
Those Who Don't-Inquiries Which Be-
long Properly to the Depot-Bother Over
the Special Delivery stamp.
There is a broad and fertile field in
the pOstottice for those who are given to
making character studies. A man has
only to stand near one of the stamp
windows for few minutes to see more
ODD specimens Of man perhaps than are
70 De found IN any other one place in the
city, and that means in the country. One
has only to watch the hurrying, nervous,
pushing line of people rushing in one
door and out another to realize what a
peculiar world this is. There is the
dapper young lawyers clerk. He knows
what he wants and how to get it with the
least trouble. He falls into line, impa-
uently tapping his foot until his turn
comes. Then he puts down a dollar, saws
shortly Fifty twos," snatches up his
stamps and darts through the crowd
Behind him, perhaps, is an old, bent,
gray haired man, dressed in a Jumper
and pair Of Overalls. He asks for one
stamp, and when this is laid down before
him on the thick pane of glass, he goes
down into his pocket and pulls forth a
greasy, dilapidated looking leather wal
let. He hunts around in this for a couple
OF pennies, and finally, when he has
found them, takes his stamp and goes of
to the side carefully to paste it on the
letter.
FOOD FOR THE WOMAN IATER.
The Oflice boy comes in like q flash.
buys great roll of the little green, hid
eous things, tears it rapidly into strips.
ana, sklltully running his tongue along
the under side of them, slaps them on to
a pie OF letters tearing each one from
the strip with quick, ripping sound.
some 8irl hOvers on the outskirts of
the crowd for while, and then. watch
ing Tor clear field, goes up to the win
dow. 'When does the next train leave
for farpingtonY she asks.
Don t know; this is a stamp window"
She bushes and begins to stammer.
Couldn't you find out for me?"
lime table over on the wall. grufllv:
and she goes over to look at the sched-
uie, which no living man could figure
out. Meanwhile the short man, in a silk
nat. with large glasses across his nose,
has been snOrting and fussing about
women. He makes his purchase. fol
lows her over to the wall, and, casting a
WIhcrEG look at her, grunts out.
'hum! He slams the door in a dis.
5uatcd manner behind him, still mutter-
mg about women"
In ten minutes the girl comes back to
Tie window and says timidly: Il can't
lind Pennington"
We'll, that amt my fault, is it," saws
the man sharply, peering over the cIass
at her She fees in dismav.
And so they come and 20, men. women |
and children, not more than half of them
showing how to buy stamps. and one |
slow one delaying a dozen more business
Ike end energetic people. The reporter
ashed the stamp clerk to tell him some |
OF the more amusing experiences hewent |
through III the course of q week.
AN ODD LITTLE NAN.
>, y week" he said grimly; Il couldn't |
ten you all that happened in q dav. Did |
You notice that little shufiing man. |
whose head scarcely comes uD to tbe |
window! He never comes here less than |
SIX tunes a day and he never buvs more
than one stamp at a time. ! asked him /
once why he did not get twenty or thirty
~ a lot. Oh he said. with shravd |
air, people hike to borrow them foo
much. lie IS the queerest one Of all the
queer ones who come here. His office |
Is several blocks away from the most
office, and yet he will hobble down here
again and again in a day rather than
-ake more than one stamp. have tried
20 get Lll to buy more, but he won't
-hlnk OF such thing. lie ALWAYS comes
g my window. l have seen him 20 Ia
he end Of line Of ten or twenty before
ny window when there were not five mt
he next one. If happen to be away 9f
INNER or Off duty when he wants q
lamp, he goes out and comes in apain
very minute or two until return. TTa
S a queer one, he is.
Then he went on, "there i, fba
peclal delivery stamp. That makes n
.ood deal OF trouble. Only one man in
en- can remember the name Of il. I
ave had it called the hurry up' stamn.
ne get there stamp, the quick, .rus6.'
3peclal, extra stamp, and a dozen other
ame5' but seldom the right one. while ,,
bout twenty times q day some funny
lan comes in and asks with a bio cri1n ,
Or q r. d. O. stamp. l have go3 SO
Ied of that stale old Joke that [ alwavs
fetend not to know what he means. I
an stand anything but that. Oh. YES
MS Is a good place to see strange Deonle
ut 1t ism worth your while to listen to
Il. just stand here and watch tbom :
II yourself. New YOrl, Tribuoo