The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-11
YOUR LETTER CARRIER.
He Works Hard and das Anything
But a Picnic.


! There are people who think it a great
thing u hold public office. Lots Of men
who wear a letter carriers sui ara he OBJ
/ jects II great envy; those VINO do net de-
I serve u have places under [ lcls sam
/ frequently aspire 10 those places. Ilere IS
a pecular fascination 40 mt public Office
: IS hIch takes away from some people all
j considerations Il good feeling OF co nmOa
Z sense Many Young man With happy
{ au1 c7mtOrta le home VINE he sees a let
I ter carrier wlshss that be cll 4 have an
/ Office Of the same kind under Uacle sam.
/ II the same Kidd OF work at TIE same salary
4 were offered 10 MN by a prlvate firm, he
I would tIrl aEav from IL with DISCUS, but
tue fascination Of holding public Office Is
sironEer than any appreciation OF money
Ur cove .IeIee.
The letter carrier, although lie may be an
obJ ct OF envy, has no picnic. IL is ha d,
laoO.l0us walking from the time he dons
his suit until ne retires from the public
service. men he has obtlinsd several
years Of experience he IS well paid, but
uader the most favorable circumstances be
oug-t not 70 be an object of envy
70 any person able to offer SIX led lab r to
any man OF co npany. He ough. rather }
be an object Of pity. The Policeman gen
orally has time to provi ie for himself
against the incie nency of the weather, but
the letter carrier is always apt to be taken
d. surprise. Hen are chaep, but the govern
nent, while not caring much about the
welfare OF the carriers, is very anxious
that the mail in their posse Ssiol should not
come to any harm. Tat is one reason,
and the great reason, Why wagons have
been pro ,ided for the night collections of
mail matter
The ram falls on the just and tae unjust
alike, ana it falls on the letter carrier with
cruel force, whether he is prepared against
IL or not. Let err carriers must 90 their
rou ds, distributing or collecting mail,
without the slightest regard to the weather
Ihey are pieces Of the government machin-
cry, and their own convenience or health
can never be considered for a moment.
hurrylng and shiverilg bending under
heavy burden, as they very often are, il is
wonder that anybody ever envies
them their place, yet such situations as
they occupy are the occasion of continual
lighting and struggling. Yet the life of tue
letter carrier Is not without its bright and
humorous features. 1t has its tragical
features also, but they fortunately are not
SO common. The letter carrier in a short
time becomes acquainted with not only the
people in mis- district, but to large extent
he Knows the family history and the per-
sonal preferences Of many a young lady in
his dist let.
He knows what kind of letters she is ex-
pectlng, and he fee S almost as badly disap-
pointed as she does when he is not able to
give her the letter that she is looking, for.
From many house in his d strict he sees a
bright, happy, and pretty face peering from
the WINDOW, watching for him, expecting
that he will have a letter from some loved
ohe, and when he knows that he has no
such letter to give her he fe Is almost like a
guilty person, Decause he cannot give to the
watcher the 'ndly-anticipated message of
love and conStancy. There are many ladies
young or md1le-aged, who are not
at all ayerse TO alengthy con
Versatlon with a young ard fine.
looking letter carrier. There is,
perhaps, his greatest peril, for his time is
valuable, While chat of the lady iii this case
is not worth mucn, and she can afford to
stand at tie door for an hour or more,
while the carrier ought to be elsewhere.
Many pretty face responds quickly to
the letter carriers ring, aud when the re-
clplent Is not absorbed in interested thought,
Ia the possible or probable contents or the
letter ne brings, she sometimes has leisure
enoug to engage In an animated conversa-
tlon with the carrier. Some young ladies'
are lndlscreeU enough to tell him what Xxi I'd
OF letter they are expecting, and from
Whom they expect to receive 1t. The let
Ter carrier Is thus forced to become a CON
tidant of tender secrets. The letter is de-
10y Oo, ooAliutlliiSS Nl0dy II fatally TOO long.
ana While the young lady bewails the in
consta cy Of the man from whom the LET
ter Is expected her heart involu tarily slips
away lnro the possession Of some one else.
ana sometimes into the pos session of the
| letter carrier himself. Then follows an
excellent item for the newspapers, and q
| great sensation for society" fee for a
clergyman, and one weeks material for con-
| Versatlon for the world at large
Messages of love or friendship the epis-
ties which pass between sweetLearts or be-
| tween SCHOOLGIRL friends, are only a part of
| the letters which the postm IN carries
| Some OF them have an ominols black Dor
der, and sometimes tho purporU of the let
| ter from Its very exterior appearance is so
| plain that the carrier, ii he has a kind and
| honest, heart trembles within himseif
| Besides the back-bordered envelopes he
| frequently delivers those which have a
| legal aspect, the import of which is easily
| guessed, and very often he has postal
cards to deliver. He ought not to read
| them, but 1T is very easy and safe for him
to do go, and many history is revealed by
| those cards which would either bring forth
hearty laugh or make each particular
mar stand on end like quilts upon he fret
| ful porcuplne. There is one class of women
whom the letter carrier would like if he
could to take some desperate revenge upon.
| 1t l. those mlddle-agei ladies who have to
| answer the bel themselves, who distinctly
| hear the ring and know almost to a GER
talnty who Is at the door, Vet del berately
| 'prInk' before the mirror as if they
had all day in which to do it, and in fact
they have, while the letter carrier, furious
at his wasted time, is trying to make
her receive some useless message and
deliver those Of real Importance to people
who are anxiously expecting, them and vic
| VIII be at the door a lew seconds after the
| carrier rings.
The midnight collector has brought a
| new feature INTO the postal service. and
that Is tue letter carriers horse. Between
the man and the horse there soon arises
tn degree of affection and intimacy
which exists between the cavalry soldier
a ID his horse. The latter soon becomes SC
we'll trained that he lacks the power only
aud not the Intelligence to make the collec.
lions him elf The letter car Ter is forced
TO see at night, just as tho policeman is re-
| CURED to see, some very curious or STARTLING
O. lects The gray-coated poStman in his
little cart making his last collection is very
ofte the witness of strange sights. Sew
eral men, the majority of whom. AT least,