The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-04-25
THE HEART OF a posrmAm.
Pathetic incident Involving = Nail Csr-
rier and Dying woman-

him down Hester street where there
are many tenement houses. And he
was wont TO stand In the doorway and
shout up the staircase. s.letter for Mis-
sus Mahonym or something OF tho
sort.
SO yesterday the pos,man blew on
his fingers-for there was a shrowd
wind from the Nor'west-and he called
up the staircase. letter for Mrs. No
Namara Three times he called.
Then little girl came down tho top
flight OF stairs and answered him In .
piping voice. She had wooden leg
that clumped down the dead steps In
the funniest way Imaginable. You
would have died with laughter had you
seen her stumping down the stairs
one little leg. half starved and shoe
less, and the other stick OF wood all
wrapped up In old rags. So this little
girl. who had II pug nose and red eyes
and dirty tow colored hair shouted
down: ''Wot dye want yer diyilp
Missers MacNemary Is dyin'. an We
don't want no gun-seeg"
And the postman said; There's a
letter for Mrs. Mcnamara IA registered
letter" And the girl with the wooden
leg said: Git move on We then,
and bring IL up here fur | amt no
accribet and the old woman 10 dyin'."
Then the postman went UP stairs and
many pairs Of them. Thereupon he
| came 10 "A doorway and pushed IL open.
IL was n grim little room with deal
boards on the floor and deal table
and three deal planks for bed and
deal OF everything except comfort
On the bed lay an old woman; thin,
white hair she had. and IA haggard face
and old wrinkled. kind eyes. And
hunger had pinched her. and she Wa,
wan and pale and the thin fingers
pecl<ing AT the bed clothes were knotted
and red, rs though they were knocking
at the hard door OF death. The man
said that he had letter for Mrs. Nc
Namara. Its registered letter"
he said; sign your name"
Then the old woman. who lay s-dy-
ing. said softly. but cannot write"
For al the time she was born. among
the round green hills of Donegal. there
were no schoolmasters. bar the hedge
men. and they taught nothing but
Latin. with Donegal accent
so she said 10 the man who delivered
letters. win you be afther putin me
name 10 itp' The little girl with ono
leg OF skin and bone and another log
of wood. spoke up saying; ''Wot's do
matter wild ye? Kent ye SEQ dc old
wummen's a-dying?" The postmsn
saw II and signed his blank making q
mark where the woman's name should
have been; then he started 10 go away.
but he did not go. for the old woman
stopped him.
IL can't read. she said; will you
read il TO mePn
Then as the man tore opon the en-
velope the woman continued: II
know It's from mydaughter--y'se see Mary
she went away 10 Kansas City. and
she's living with Mr.. Warowell. and no
run fur mayor. and she sends me
money 10 pay the rent an this Is the
day for paying the rent an there's
" To pay, an she always sends ti0.
Sewing dollars for rint an tree dol
lars mont ter live wild. I" said tho
girl with wooden leg. snuifing
1 through her small red rose
While all this was going on the post
man had looked over the paper that
was In the envelope. And he said;
"Iessum there amt no letter but
there are order fur $40 ON the post
Office and might as well cash II hero.
fur kin save you the trouble OF cali
in fur it," Then this postman took
ont OF his waistcoat pocket ti0 bill
which was half of his salary aud he
| gave this money "a the old woman
who lay a-dying. But the girl wlths
wooden leg grinned at him.
The letter carrier went down the
steep and dirty tenement steps. and
when he came TO the street he stood
aside for a moment and re-read the
paper. But Mary had never sent this
letter 10 her mother For II cana
from Kansas City. and the stamp Of
the Central Police" was on It. and IL
stated that Mary had been dragged out
dead from the Kaw river.
The postman went home, but what
his wife said when she got half OF biz
salary every married man knows.
This Is all. but the small girl lay on
the fiat OF her small back aud boat upon
the floor with her wooden log. And
she was right. for she had tho ten-dol-
lar bill tucked away In her waistbAnd.
Moreover the old woman was bAbbiing
In her slcep-and II was deaths slssb
of Mary and the green. small hiliS
OF Donegal. and OF Kit Murty. who died
long years ago.
And the odd part OF this story - shss