The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-02-27
THE STAMP CLERK.
An Interesting Study of Character In
City poHtOOicp,

| wen, pretty easy"
You DON'T have much to DO Just
stand at the window, count out stamps,
and take in the money"
"Thet's all, save the little item of
making correct change every time"
20, of course. But it isn't much"
| mo, not much, though sometimes
half dozen people, all in hurry,
want stamps at the same moment"
| Yes, TO be sure. You must be busy
at times, say early in the day, or at
| Christmas and Easter. But most
people could do the work, with little
| practice"
Yes, practice is q great thing, but
| I've been u stamp clerk for ten years,
and yet yesterday made mistake
in counting out small number of one
cent stamps. Still, practice is great
thing"
"Well, Il should like to have your
place, that's all. 1t can't be very hard
to sell postage stamps"
II wish you had it, as you think it is
so easy, But, should you try it o day,
you might think differently"
The conversation between two &C
| quaintances occurred III a city post
office year ago. The change which
| has brought about new administers
tlon removed about month ago the
old postoffice clerk and installed an
| other man in his place
The new clerk entered upon his du-
ties the first day with IL feeling that
selling stamps was diversion suited
to his genial temperament. He hadn't
been at the window un hour before he
| was sadder and wiser man.
| ~ woman came up and wanted thir-
| teen cents worth OF two S and ones,
hall and half, seven postal cards and
a package of two cent wrappers.
She had nothing smaller than So
| bill.
When the clerk had recovered from
| the temporary slow fever iuto which
| this episode threw him, thore was a
crowd waiting outside, and all he could
| hear was:
Twenty-Five cents worth Of twos,
please" "Packagc postal carks ""Dol-
lars worth stamps, quick" How
much'll that take? Goln' to Canady."
'NuH stamps OH that, hey?" Gimme
two twos aud three ones, will YOU? I'm
in a hurry.'
| The young uan nervously counted
out stamps, weighed packages, consult
ed the printed schedule, for rates in
foreign countries, and pcrspired freely.
| Cold chiils ran down his back, for he
had q vague idea Of giving somebody
seVenty-HVc cents worth Of Stamps for
ility cents, and of selling n package Of
Tostals cards for half price.
| The crowd as the window did not
| diminish, but grew.
| 4 man finally came UP in a hurry
| AID threw down handful of loose
| silver and nickels and coppers aud
| asked Il
| IWenty-seVeG ones, sixteen cents
| worth OF twos, two and Il half pack
ages Of postal cards, and the rest in
| CWoS and one cent Wrapper5.n
| The new clerk chokcd down u big
word or two, mopped his brow ncr-
YouSly with sheet oGSt0mps, and be.
gan counting out a package of stamped
envelopes, government official size.
"How many did you say?"
| "HoW many what?''
"Envelopes.n
| "Envelope? l don't want any envo,-
| opes. Twenty-seVen ones. sixteen
cents worth Of twos, two and one half
packages ofpostal cards and the rest
in tWos and one-Cent wrappers. That's
what want, and in big hurry, too.
Got 10 catch trai1.n
sixteen cents worth Of tWos?"
eyes, said so.n
ooh, well, all--all right! There you
are. And-and how many ones?"
| TWenty-seVen. Come, hurry up.n
"TwHnty seven; twenty-seYcn. Five
| times five is twenty-five and two is
seven-tWenty- seven. Twenty seven
And now, the rest in envelopes did you
say"
"Envelopes2 don't want any eli
| velopes. One cent wrappers is what
! want"
How many"
Glow many? Well, give me just one
Perhaps you can count that out
straight" (Sarc0stically.)
"a one. cent wrapper is two cents.n
"All right! can stand it if you
can"
How many packages Of postal
cards?"
"NeVer mind. [ can't wait here oil
day. Besides, there's a crowd out
here stretching way around the cor
| ncr. Just give me my change and I'll
get out Of here"
| When the clerb: Iad recovered from
the syncOpe into which this little trans
action had cast him, he spied the Did
| acquaintance, the former stamp clerk
at the window.
| 'Ah, you seem to be having a pleas.
ant time in here. Please let me have
| 50 worth of twos and skies, 81 worth of
each. And just weigh that little bun
die. Going to Honduras. Needs two
more stamps, l think. Should think
you would have good time in here.
Not much to do but stand up and sell
stamps, and give back the right change
hey? You must enjoy your place here.
OF course, it will be Il little busy early
in the morning, or Gt Christmas or
Easter times. Most people could do it
with little practice. .'-Unjtcd States
| Mail.
The Damage by an Explosion
RALEIGH, n. c., Feb. 19.-A boiler
at saw mill at Ahosbic, Chowan
county, exploded, instantly killing the
colored fireman and putting out the
eyes of Wright Pocll and iniuring
another man. Poell is very seriously
injured, and it is believed will not
recover
New Orleans is to be thoroughly
cleaned up for the SUNNI + and put in