The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1892-07-16
THE STAMP CLERKS LOT,
9asss oTds~ tie IL Required To NJ
while serving Cseie sam.

: c"se' "'~eV ne - Required To 11ll
while serving Cssi- sam.
Il should think you have a pretty
easy lime IN here"
Well, pretty easy"
You don't have much 10 do. Just
stand al tbs window, count out stamps
and take IN the Mooney
That's all, save the little item Of
shaking correct change every time"
oh. OF course. But that isn't
much"
No, no, much. though sometimes
half a dozen P.sople. all III IA hurry.
want stamps al the saino moment"
"fes, ~ b- sure. You must bc busy
nj times, say early Ia the day, or al
Christmas and Faster But most isso-
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 made d mistake in
counting out a small number Of one
cent stamp, S,iil. practice is u gr-a,
| thing"
We'll. should Xix. Ia have your
| place, that's ali II cant bc very hard
I 10 sell POSTAGE stamps"
u wish you had II, as you think il
! Is 81 easy. But. should YOU try IL a
day. you might think diifcrvn,ly"
! This conversation between two ac.
! quaintanc-s occurred ia city p,siof
iicn s5ine time ago The change which
brought about new administration
, removed the old Yssioiiico clerk and
Installed another man ia has place
The u.w clerk cn,rryxi upon his du
lies with feeling tina, selling STAMPS
@as a diversion suii~i la his genial
temperament lie hsdn', bren a, tho
aud a " mr. man.
A woman came up and wanted
thirteen cents worth o! ,wos and
ones. halt and half. seven postal
cards and a package al two cen,
wrapp-rr ShS had nothing smaller
than "a - ball
When the clerk lad uncovered from
tho temporary SLOW fever into which
this rpisc-in thrrw ham ,hcrr MAS n
crowd waiting out>id-. aud all he
could hear was.
''Tweniy hso orut,' worth Of twos.
please. Package postal caris I"
Dollars worth STAMPS. quick How
much II that tabrt Com Ia tanady."
"Sa6 stamp on that. hryT' Gimme
two isos and ,hrrc "ncs, will your !
am Ia hurry"
The young man ncrvouAly counted
out stamps, weighed packages, con
sui,cd tho printed shccduic for rates
IN forrigu countries aud r~picd
freely. Cold ch,lls ry,n down has back.
for he had vague idea Of giving
somebody seventy ,iyc cents worth OF
STAMPS for fifty ccntN. and nf s~lling a
package Of postal ca~is for half pricc.
Tho cropd at tho window did not di.
nintsh, but grow.
A man finally came up IN great
hurry and threw down u handful Of
loose SILVER aud n,rkrls aud coppcr
and askcd for
Twenty seven ones sixteen cents
worth Of iwos. two and half pack.
ages Of postal carls, and the rcs, in
tNns and one cen, Wrappers
Tho new clerk checked down a big
word or two. moppcd his brow ncrv
ously with a shcc, OF STAMPS. and bc
gan counting out a package Of stamp
ell envelopes, government official size.
How many did you ayl"
How many wha,f
"Envclopcs,
"EnvcloIrsi don't want any en-.
vclopcx Twenty seven ones, sixteen
cents worth OF twos, two and one half
packages Of postal cards and the rest
in ,wos and one cent wrappcrs That's
what | wan, and IN a big hurry, too.
Go, Ia catch a train.
sixteen cents worth OF twosi"
Yes. Raid ~,
"Oh, we'll. all--all right There you
are. And-and how many oncsT
Twenty seven. Come, hurry up"
Twenty seven; twenty seven. Five
times Eve il twenty i've and two Is
cven--twcnty- seven. Twenty seven.
And now. tho rcss in envelopes, did
you sayt
"Envclopcsi | don't want any en-.
vclopcS One cent wrappers Is what l
want"
How manyi"
How manyt Well. give me just
one. Perhaps you can count that out
straight" tsarcasticallyl.
"a one cent wrapper is two cents. "
"All right can stand It IL you
can"
"IIow many packages OF postal
carlsf"
Never mind. can't wait here all
day. Besides. there's a crowd out hero
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, nj the window.
"Ah. YOU scem 10 bc having pleas
ant time in here. Please let me have
~ worth Of twos aud skies, 81 worth
Of each. Aud just weigh that little
bundle. Going to Honduras. Needs
two more stamps, | think. Should
think you would have good time in
here. Not much To do but To stand up
aud sell stamps and give back the
right change. heyi You must enjoy
YOUR place here. or course, II will be
a little busy early in the morning or
nj Christmas or Faster times. Most
people could do il with a little prac'
lice. )" United States Mail.