Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-04-20
ONE EASTER SUNDAY.

sChrist the Lord is risen to-day,
sons of men and angels say,
Raise your ,ys and triumphs high,
Sing We rCayens, and earth reply"
"Ne have never lost letter beforel
neverI'
.I mean to send John telegram in
the morning. but don't worry mother.
He'll come all right"
The small house in Washington was
still as sleep itself. The noises on the
street were growing less and less. The
clock on the mantel was striking twelve.
A young ri looked out the window to-
ward the Capitol. The marble walls,
and steps, gllttered in the moonlight.
She locked the door, and turned to her
mo her, wit a pretence OF smile.
Pain and trouble had darkened the
fine lines about her eyes, and aDx-
ious thoughts seemed to lie on her
lips, unspo&en.
The little mother was helpless in
valid, and John her only son and sup
port, was in business In New York.
he had better offer, than in Wash
ington, where his father had died some
years before. But 1t was hard for hu-
man love to be patient with circum
stances like these. The weekly lette-
and remittance had failed to come,
bills were due, and money needed.
II know one little woman who must
be asleep in Just fifteen minutes, letters
or no letters!"
eyes dear, sighed the mother 'John
has never forgotten, and we'll hear In
the morning"
William Baxter had loved Julia
Holmes ever since he could remember.
After her falher's death, his devotion
to her family was entire. He loved
them with loyalty and unselishness,
and when a fine business was opened
to him in Denver, lie accepted 1t as a
speedy way to claim them for his own.
His love was direct, simple and sincere
In its devotion. Tomorrow he was to
say goodbye, and tomorrow Johns
letter was to come. The rent was due,
the bills must be paid. The intensity OF
the girls thoughts kept her eyes from
sleep, and her heart from rest, but the
morrow came; with WEAKNESS and
keen sense of pain, she saw the sun
rise, and the new day begin. Her
lover thought he had never seen her SO
beautiful. The scarlet spots on her
cheeks, and the intense light In her
brown eyes, but her hands were hot as
she held them, and her scarlets lips
were so tremulous. Better oh better
to love her a thousand miles away, than
to be unable to give her a good home,
and help care for the little motherl
1t was the best! The going was bestl
His undying love, his help, his cour-
age, his strength, his life for her and
hers-spaces -sllences s-distances-all
would melt away in love for her, and
30 they said goodbye.
1t seemed to the young girl, that
life was too hard, but then God was
very strong, and and His promises to
the widow and the fatherless very faith
full.
Holmes? Holmes? They must have
moved away; used to live here, said
the old postman to the new; "Mother
and daughter. Fine people, too.
But that was long ago"
The Dead Letter Office is a queer
old place and full of interest. A large
room is surrounded by wide gallery,
supported by spiral columns An open
staircase connects it with the lower
office. Women work in this narrow
place and are sadly crowded. In the
large room below sit elderly men,
opening dead letters, which they are to
redirect. They are the most honest
and reliable men to be found. Every
year nearly 1000, 900 dead letters are
received, and IN one year 5000 letters
came in without one mark on the en-
velopel 5000 blank lettersl All day
long, Summer and Winter, immense
bags are tossed off the elevator, filed
with treasures gone astray." If pos
sible to trace the owners after the as
sorting, they are returned. but vast
piles accumulate, until once IN four
years they are sold at auction.
The proceeds are deposited In the
United States Treasury. There is nc
other place in our country SO curious
as these large closets, filed to the cell
ing with precious keepsakes from the
rich and poor, young and old: love
tokens from over the seas, tiny packages
from far off lands, coming only to tind
the dear one-dead or gone with nc
clue. Everybody attends these auctions,
sadly, cur1ously and with a strange
in crest. Whole wardrobes for some
dainty baby, precious tokens from
mothers to wandering boys and girls,
beautiful gifts for some Happy bride,
jewels of every description, with no end
of dolls quilts, slippers, caps and
robes. One great book lies on table,
filed with photographs of soldiers.
During and after the war ones heart
would break to see the pale, sorrowful
women, searching this book for their
own.
But this day, the auction went on anj
on. In the corner of the sitting, crowded
room, a man stood leaning against
the wall, watching the sales. He was
slightly gray and his broad shoulders
stopped trifle. He studied the faces
of the buyers, and looked at the old
photo 3raphs as If he might have lost
some one. Deity and quickly, the
packages were tossed about as the
names were called, and the buyers
paid for them. He had listened for an
hour-all strange names.
Julia Holmesl Miss Julia HolmesP'
Did his ears deceive him? He sprang
forward, as if struck. He stepped
close to the auctioneer. "Starts at q