Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-23
The Throng of Humans Who
Weekly Call to Get Them.
A MissrvE FROM OVER THE SEA.
The Genus Bum. the Colorcd Gentle-
man and His Communication,
and the other Callers for
Epistles From the
World Over.
The Omaha Sunday Delivery.

| sand whose emaciated purses forbid the
| luxury Of locl-box, can get their mail.
AS a consequence, the crowd that is
| gathered there when the windows are
| thrown open is as Heterogeneous mass
| Of humanity as may be found anywhere.
| Its members are drawn nearly entirely
| from the common herd" although
| there are exceptional cases when peo-
| pie filing more pretentious part in
| the caste of life can be seen standing
| apart from the rest, looking upon their
| less fortunate fellows with a Phariseci-
cal gaze.
1t is not an orderly crowd. Men
and women, young boys and girls jostle
and elbow each other in desire
| to get near the windows In
order to be among the first
to receive attention from the clerks
when the apertures shall be opened.
Chivalry is unknown to this crowd and
the weaker, including the women, soon
| find themselves in the rear.
AS early as II o'clock many persons
are already gathered in the lobby, watt
| ing stolidly for the windows to he
| opened. Leaning lazily against the
| walls meanwhile, or else amusing them
| selves by gazing through the window
AT the passers by. The crowd swell
and grows until, at noon, it mum Der
two or three hundred people.
The windows are finally opened with
bang, and Immediately there is u
| crush from the rear, and those nearest
the windows feel themselves jammed
| against the partitions. Two young
| ladies stand behind the delivery wait
ing to serve the motley crowd. They
try their best to look pleasant, but their
success is only partial. This hour, at
| noon, is perpetual bugbear to them,
| looked forward to during all
the week with dread A ma
jority of those who await their
turn before the windows are not
much given to courtesy, and il the de-
sired and long-eXpected letter is not
forthcoming, they are very liable to un-
bottle the Walls OF their wrath and pour
the contents upon the devoted heads of
the clerks.
Out of curiosity, reporter walked
down to the postofice last Sunday at
noon and took position near the win
| dows, where he could see and hear
what transpired and still escape the
jostling of the crowd Of inpatient peo-
pie. Finding it a physical impossibility
to watch both windows, he devoted his
attention entirely to the one nearest
him.
OThe first person to demand the atten-
ton of the clerk was buxom Irish
matron, whose two hundred pounds of
solid avcirdupois had been solidly
n Huted directly in front of the window
a half hour or more before, and
had proven as unassailable as
the rocks of Gibraltar and
successfully resisted the efforts
of the crowd to send their possessor to a
less advantageous position.
"An' shure, would loike to know If
We have ony letthers here for Misthress
Mary Mccarthy" said she.
The clerk turned, seized a package of
letters. and ran hastily over them.
'None to-day, "she said, as she placed
the package back in its proper place.
A look of disappointment passed over
the homely, honest face of the woman,
as she slowly turned and elbowed her
way through the crowd. The reporter
could not but watch her as she passed
through the door and INTO the street,
and conjecture as to whom the longed =
for letter was expected to come from.
One of "the childer," perhaps, left
behind upon the ''ould SON." or, per-
chance, an aged mother or faith er
across the seas on the dear isle.
While these tohughts were fit
ting through the mind OF tho
news man, several persons had put
the momentous question to the clerk
and either received letters or the dis
heartening shake of the head.
When he again directed his attention
to the window a specimen of the genus
bum was leering through the aperture
at the young lady as she ran over the
letters. The man was actually filthy.
Great streams of tobacco juice orna-
mented his chin and shirt front, and he
had about him the odor peculiar alone
to the police station. The reporter did
not catch his name, but it is safe to say
that it was but one of many under which
the fellow had been known at different
times. There were no letters for him,
but there was no disappointment writ
ten upon his face when ne was told so.
That he expected mail is doubtful,
but men Of his class have a penchant
for calling for letters several times Il
day, in the hopes perhaps that one
might come and some unexpected piece
of good luck be disclosed, from someone,
from somewhere.
He was followed by three or four
ordinary looking persons, without any
distinct characteristics, and then there
presented itself before the window one
| VI bHOSt Suuully hEtoSCu. DihHSH-ihCCo
women, whose calling is only too appar-
ent. She callcd~a number of differ
ent names, not all of which the reporter
could catch, hut they evidently had
been taken by the owner or owners from
some cheap novel and adopted without
ceremony.
She was followed by a dandiiied ne
gro. His low cut vest revealed some
thing less than IA yard OF glistenng shirt
front.
HAS yoh any communications heah
for Mister Chawles Montgomery" he
inquired, as he stroked his salmon col
ored kids.
Mr.. Montgomery received letter adj
dressed in red ink and with many
fourishes. He retired to one corner TO
peruse its contents and was still there
when the win dows closed n half hour
later, deeply engrossed spelling out the
contents Of his communication"
And then came two or three monde
script characters that shuflicd stolidly
up TO the window, gave their names, but
received only shake OF the head,
The next seeker after mail was q
fussy, pompous individual, who looked
like Cheap John drummer. He gave