, 1890-02-22
THE STAMP CLERKS LOT.
Quser Orders He Il Required to I'M
While Serving Uncle san-

- ~ II
While Serving Uncle san-
81 should think you have a pretty
easy time in here"
well, pretty easy
You don't have much to do. Just
stand at the window, count out stamps
and take in the money"
That's all, ssve the little item of
making correct change every time"
much"
mo, not much, though sometimes
half a dozen people, all in a hurry,
want stamps at the same moment -
Yes, TO be sure. You must be busy
Christmas and Easter. But most peo-
pie could do the work with a little
practice"
YES, practice is a great thing, but
I've been a stamp clerk for ten years,
and yet yesterday 1 made a mistake in
counting out a small number of one
cent stamps. Still, practice is a great
thing"
well, 1 should like to have your
place, that's all. 1t can't be very hard
10 sell postage stamps"
II wish you had it, as you think it
y 5o easy. Dut, suOulu you Try IL u
day, you might think differently"
This conversation between two ac-
quaintances occurred in a city postof-
fee some time ago. The change which
brought about q new administration
removed the old ~postofice clerk and
installed another man in his place.
The new clerk entered upon his du-
ties with a feeling that selling stamps
was a diversion suited to his genial
temperament He hadn't been at the
window an hour before he was a sadder
and a wiser man.
A woman came up and wanted
thirteen cents worth of twos and
ones, half and half, seven postal
cards and a package of two cent
wrappers. She had nothing smaller
than a IS bill.
When the clerk had recovered from
the temporary slow fever into which
this episode threw him there was a
crowd waiting outside, and all he
could hear was:
twenty-five cents worth of twos,
please" Package postal cards"
Dollars worth stamps, quick" "How
much'n that take7 Coin to Canady."
huff stamps on that, heyf" Gimme
two twos and three ones, will your 1
am in a hurry"
The young man nervously counted
put stamps, weighed packages, con
suited the printed shcedule for rates
in foreign countries and perspired
freely. Cold chills ran down his back,
for he had a vague idea of giving
somebody seventy-hve cents worth OF
stamps for fifty cents, and of selling q
package of postal cards for half price.
The crowd at the window did not di-
minish, but grew.
A man finally came up in a great
hurry and threw down a handful of
loose silver and nickels and coppers
and asked for
"Twenty-seven ones, sixteen cents
worth of twos, two and a half pack
ages Of postal cards, and the rest in
twos and one cent wrappers"
The new clerk choked down a big
word or two, mopped his brow nerv-
ously with a sheet of stamps, and be-
gan counting out q package of stamp
ed envelopes, government official size.
How many did you say9"
How many what2"
Envelopes"
"Envelopes7 l don't want any en-
velopes. Twenty-seven ones, sixteen
cents worth Of twos, two and one-half
packages of postal cards and the rest
in twos and one cent wrappers. That's
what / want and in a big hurry, too.
Got to catch a train"
Sixteen cents worth of twos2"
Eyes, / said So"
ooh, well, all-all right There you
are. And-and how many ones2"
"Twenty-seven. Come, hurry up"
"Twenty-seven twenty seven. Five
times five is twenty-five and two is
seven-twenty-seven. Twenty-seven.
And now, the rest in envelopes, did
you say"
"Envelopesa 1 don't want any en-
velopes. One zen wrappers is what I
want"
How many2"
How manyf Well, give me just
one. Perhaps you a count that out
straight" (sarcastically)..
"a one cent wrapper is two cents"
"A1l right l can stand it if you
can"
How many packages of postal
cardsr
Never mind. l can't wait here all
day. Besides, there's a crowd out here
stretching way around the corner.
just give me my change and I'll get
out of here"
When the clerk had recovered from
the syncope into which this little
transaction had cast him, he spied his
old acquaintance, the former stamp
clerk, at the window.
"Ah, you seem to be having a pleas
ant time in here. Please let me have
81 worth of twos and skies, 81 worth
of each. And just weigh that little
bundle. Going to Honduras. Needs
two more stamps, l think. Should
think you would have a good time in
here. Not much to do but to stand up
and sell stamps and give back the
right change, hey2 You must enjoy
your place here. OF course, it will be
. little busy early in the morning or
at Christmas or Easter times. Most
people could do it with a little prac-