Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-17
A VERY CLEVER WOMAN.
She Can Read the Worst Hero
 glyphics at a Glance.

She Can Read the Worst Hero
 glyphics at Glance. Som cthing About Mrs. r. l.. Collins, Who Is Said to Be tho Leading Chirograph-
 teal Expert of the Country-Won-
 derfully Written Addresses. Of the many million pieces of mail | matter which pass through the hands of | the post-office officials there are many | which are illegibly addressed, others have the wrong State or city, and others 1 possess nothing which can give clew l to aid in ascertaining the wishes of the 1 sender. To decipher the illegible addresses, to correct the addresses, and to start the letters or the right track for delivery is the task of one of the divisions of the Post-Office Department in this city, says the Washington Post. The results ac- complished are marvellous. Half mill ion letters misdirected and otherwise lacking in the address reach tho office annually. Of this amount from S5 to 95 per cent. have been delivered. The en- velopes are not opened, and to decipher the handwriting on some of them would puzzle an ordinary person for month. And yet there are chirographical ex- perts in tho Dead-Letter Office to whom the reading of all the modern languages, as expressed on envelopes, besides a good many of the dead ones, is 8 pecul- jar pleasure. ....
 They are ladies, of course. A man could not fill the position. He would take up letter with an indecipherable address on it and wrestle with it for about two minutes, and then in all like ihood he would swear for ten minutes or more, say that person who couldn't write any better had no business to be sending letters, and conclude by allow ing the letter to go to the Dead-Letter Office to be opened.
 But the ladies who look after this work are more patient. They have been at it so long and have acquired such ex- pertness in dealing with the foolishly l and illegibly directed letters that it does not require long to pass on each one. Mrs. P. l.. Collins is in charge of this work, and by years of experience in blind reading is entitled to be ranked as the leading chirographical expert of l the country.
 In all cases where the correct address | is ascertained and the letter delivered, a request is made for the envelope, and it is usually returned to the depart ment. Some of them arc curious sam pies of chirography and stupidity, while others show that the fool-killer has little hope for vacation for some time. Some people like to play jokes and think it funny to write the names | of parties with whom they are corre- spending backwards. To decipher these is easy, and the letter is de- livered. Other witty persons like to 1 show their smartness by writing pug zling addresses. The old chestnut of writing a name under another and over the address is common, and the ad- dress: "Wood, John, Mass.," each be- low the other, is so common that John Underwood, Andover, Mass, receives his mail as quickly as if the address was logibly and sensibly written.
 Mrs. Collins takes special pride in the | delivery of one letter, which was ad- dressed: "3 Calverly Parade, Tunbr-." The party had evidently been inter rupted in writing the last name. There was nothing in the envelope to give 8 clew as to where it should go. There was a five-cent stamp on the letter, and it was evidently intended for some foreign country. The expert remem- bered that Tunbridge Wells, Eng, was garrison town, and that, in all likelihood, it contained street such as the one named. The letter was for warded there, and delivered to the party for whom it was intended.
 Another letter addressed to Messrs. Lombard & Odier contained no other di- rection. A ten-cent stamp showed that it was foreign 1etter, and the expert happened to know that the firm were bankers at Geneva, Switzerland.
 The association of names led to the delivery of a letter addressed to Goose bay, N. C., to it's proper destination at Duck Bay, N. C., while by rapid reading letter addressed Man of York, Amer. ica," was made to read Manayunk, and properly delivered.
 The factthat Eargo is the only city in Dakota that possesses large mail-boS system led to tho delivery of letters ad dressed to box s93, Dakota.
 Another letter, which was delivered correctly, was addressed simply to St Francis River, Ark, in care of the bridge watchman. There is no such post-otfice in Arkansas, and as there are any mum Der of bridges across the St. Francis river it was pretty difficult matter te decide where it should go.
 Mrs. Collins was familiar with the country, and she knew that the Memphi: & Little Rock railroad crossed the rivel near village called Madison. The letter was thereupon sent to that place, and il turned out to be correct. Instances O. this kind are numerous, and many let ters that are insuficiently addressed reach the parties for whom they are in tended solely through the efforts O. these experts. A Singular Friendship.
 A remarkable example of strong at
 tachment between animals is constantly
 to be seen in Anna, Ill. The animal. are a marc and dog, and they are al
 ways in each others company, if it is a IL ~1~x x-l . T