Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-11-21
NO. rs.
TRAITS OF NATIONS.
DISPLAYED BY PEOPLE WHO SEND
REGISTERED LETTERS.

The Chinese and the rtaissns the Most
Agreeable of All writsrs--RussIan stu
pIdity--Forg.t g.tfainess--Rsturned Lsve
Letters---yaiuabics and Money Packages.
The registry department of the Chicago
postoiiice is a little coop OF place, but you
will never know what quaint blending OF
nationalities Ii takes 10 make up big hamlet
like Chicago unless you visit the coop some
day, The fun commences about 8 o'clock
Monday morning. At that hour the pale,
shadowy clerk with the dark, mou-nfuf eyes
looks out of his little window at Il long line
Of men, in which there are Cinnamon, ne-
groes, Germans, Frenchmen, and goodness
knows what all This particular morning
the Chinaman happens to be the first cus-
toner. He has his letter properly addressed
10 some person In Shanghai who wears
large portion Of his anatomy In his name
The amanuensis has, however, neglected 10
properly indorse the letter writer's own name
on the envelope.
You'll have to put your own name and
address there, John,- the clerk says
The Chinaman smiles like one OF these
wooden josses and answers; Hip Lung,
Shanghai
mo, no, John; yonree ownee name, alice
same, the clerk explains.
The Chinaman smiles innocently again,
points his long finger at the envelope, and
says; Hip Lung, Shanghai"
The clerk, 10, rafsin
After the Chinaman has gone the clerk
says: "They ARE usually very easy to deal
with, because they come here with their
letters properly addressed, indorsed and
stamped Nine out OF ten OF them know the
may be tartar, as this one was The Ital-
ians next after the Cinnamon have to be leo
tured least, and that's because they know
they're not smart enough to direct their let
tiers right, and they get somebody who can
write well to do II for them The Germans
are different They hand In envelopes that
look like dress pattern supplements, and they
think there's nothing in copybook to equal
their writing But for stupidity a Rus
sian"---
And it SO happened that just as the clerk s
about to make some startling assertion re-
garding the ohtuscness Of the Russian a man
with n staked and ridered beard comes in
and furnishes burning example of the SUBJ
iect under discussion. He is Russian with
low brow, small eyes, and one of those
funny looking peaked caps that you see in
the Union depot after an emigrant train has
and not indorsed at all
whats that manner asks the clerk.
The Russian grins like tho Lincoln park
hear when peanut hits him on tho nose, and
he blankly replies; Don't know.n
Il would like To find out where they got
that trick" says the clerk, motioning tho
Russian away. "rhey all have il. They
don't know anything Must have picked up
t.sa habit in Russia
Nearly everybody who comes To the win
dow has forgotten something-the stamp or
the address or the Endorsement One busy
man darts in, throws out an envelope that
hasn't mark on it, and hurries away before
the clerk can stop him Several people hand
in the stamps ard the letters, and expect tho
clerk 10 put the stamps ON the letter. He
declines. because one of the rules of the Office
Is that letters must be properly stamped be-
fore they are handed In Mt ALL
There used 10 be a clerk here who
wouldn't stand that he says "one day q
big German roughly told him 10 put on the
stamps. This clerk said: Put out your
tongue The German stuck out his tongue
and the clerk mopped it with the stamp till
he was tired. We can't always get even
with people that way though. just for the
sake Of accommodating the public we used to
| buy stamps and keep them for sale here
When we'd run out OF any particular denom-
nation how would get roasted
bright young man puts a stop to the
clerks remarks by dumping large package
| on the desk
Anything valuablef' asks the clerk
"Naluablei | shd say not. Sending back
her letters, that's all Cold shake last week.
and the young man goes away whistllng.
The clerk resumes. Lots of people tell mo
hat a
| to know how many Tilted young men there
are In Chicago Great Scottl there're hum
drcds Of en-, and they nearly all use tha re-
gistered mail to send the letters back Then
they know they have arrived safe Most OF
them tell me to be sure and see them through
| quickly, but that's common suggestion.
| Nearly everybody does that as though had
charge Of the running of all the trains and
steamboats, between here and Connaught.
/ The people who send small sums TO friends
or relatives abroad are the most anxious and
/ | remember one poor chap who was intrust-
ing with the government the money to bring
| his a mother from some forlorn cabin in
ireland could hardly be induced 10 leave
the window, he was so much afraid that the
letter might be lost
People who send big sums and valuahles
are not 30 particular. They're not afraid to
trust the government. Now here lpicking up
/ small brown paper parceD is $40 worth of
| diamonds. | wasn't asked To keep my eye on
that One day we had $4,000 worth of
bonds from the snb-treasury. They were
bound for Washington. and the government
had to pay ten cents for stamp TO carry
them through Funny, isn't iti Uncle Sam
carrying bonds TO himself and charging him
self ten cents for doing 80, chr
And the clerk turned 10 wait and smile on
n pretty woman, who broke all the regula-
tious Of the office, and was rs pleasantly re-
ceived as though her letter had been as cor
rect her Parisian gown.-Chicago Times
Few Fresh PartingsenIxms.
/ arss has .4,@ IL. xFms..