Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-23

straight in the eye. She was evidently
growing angry. Her eyes flashed and
her lips twitched, and il was evidently
only by supreme effort that she con-
trolled her temper. "There is no mail
sor you," she continued, and, conse-
quently, you'll get none"
II know better; there is mail in there
for me, shouted the unreasonable brute.
You're too smart, any"
Bangl went the window, shut in the
fellows face, and as several minutes
passed by and the young lady showed
no intention of opening it again, the
man finally gave way TO others and de-
parted, vowing vengeance on the clerk,
the postmaster, the postmaster-general
and the general government.
When he had loft the window was re-
opened and business resumed. Men,
women and children of the most varied
types passing up to the windows, paus-
ing minute and then going away,
either empty-handed or with a longed-
for missive clutched closely to the
breast. There is a strain OF sentiment
running through it all. An imagina-
tive man couldn't stand before those
windows for an hour on Sunday without
witnessing and hearing that which will
| make him more thoughtful and his
heart more sad.
A few types of those who call for
| mail have been given, but only few
| very few. There are many others
that might be written Of. A sad-eycd
woman, deserted perhaps by the one
who had promised long ago in the
morning of life to love and cherish,
comes there, hoping, trusting that 1T is
all Il mistake; that he has been swept
| away by uncomfortable circumstances
and watching, patiently waiting for the
letter that is to tell her that this is so.
A grey-haired mother totters up to the
window. There is n son out in the
world somewhere, and with what fever
ish anxiety does sho watch the deft fin
gers of the clerk as they fly through
the package, and what joy it will bring
her on this quiet Sunday morning if
there is hut few lines there from him.
And still there are others. An erring
daughter, longing for letter from
home, forgiving all and calling her back
and profligate son hoping that 'the
old man has sent him some stutf.n and
so on down through the whole category
of characters that go TO make up that
great portion of the earth's population
that stand on plane few steps loves
down the grade OF society than cur
aristocrats of the upper classes"
Sentiment? Yes, there is a strain of
sentiment running through it all.
Fragments of lives are thrown
carelessly together in q Kaleidoscope
mass at these windows, chapters from
volumes only.
And so the hour is consumed. The
crowd dwindles, and when the windows
close they have all been served and
have departed, but there still linger
about the place the odors of tobacco and
vile whisky, and the floor is covered with
tobacco juice. One can sympathize
with the lady clerks as they turn from
the window with IL sigh Of relief. A
most dreaded task has been done.
There are three of these general de-
livery clerks in the office, and they are
Miss Lena Nissen, Mrs. May Preston
and Miss Emma Krutll. Theirs is
work that would try the best of tenn
pers, but it is seldom indeed that these
young ladies become impatient. AS a
rule they are sunshine itself as they
stand back of those windows through
which daily pass stories of joy, sorrow,
death, disaster and crime.