The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-17
QGte, 70.

in the papers an account of now a
young postmistress had been caught
robbing the mails. A man said to me
the other day:
'EThat is an item of news, but there
is more connected to it than is at first
noticed. Here is a young girl hand
ling a sack of mail, and a package of
cloth is broken open when the stuff is
dumped out on the floor. The mark
is half gone, possibly entirely gone.
She shuffles and tumbles it around
until all the marked mail is distributed
and consigned to its proper place and
she looks this package over. I wonder
where it goes, and wonder how it would
do to keep that comes into her mind.
Oh, no such thing ever came into any
body's mind, but that of the little girl
as she rustled there alone on that cold
morning.
Now there is the name, but 7 can
not tell where it goes, is very tempt
ing. She turns it and tumbles it
around awhile, and there are the very
things in sight the child needs and
wants She has been unable to get
them. 1T can't get very far before half
of these things will be lost, any way,
ever if I fix them up and start them
as best 1 cam never 5Hould have en-
tered anybody's mind but that of the
girl Oh, no, After awhile she goes
up to the house and looks some Of her
old clothing over, and wonders why it
would be harm to take that old bursued
package down in the office. 1t would
make that collar look much bet
ter and the lace would look
we'll in another place. How cruel
of the child and what a de-
PRAYED mind that must have been that
created such evil intent! After awhile,
the train comes in and the pacake is
not ready to be sent ON its way, if,
indeed, there was any way for 1T to 60,
and the train moves out without it.
mo one but this little wicked girl
would ever have permitted the train
to start out of town until that bursted
package was rewrapped and marked
somewhere, just anywhere, to get it
Started. That must be a positively
tremendously wicked child, with "a to-
tally depraved heart! After awhile,
she goes back down to the office and
the package is there, right where she
left it, Where was there anything
connected with that old shanty Of
nostoffice. with its ragged walls and
dirty furniture and its decayed sur
roundings that would say to the little
girl: Now, child, it is not right for
Won TO take that lace; it belongs to
someone. somewhere, even if you can
mott tell who or where. and besides
there is a great alstere man over
across the way hoping that you vii
he tempted strong enough to take it
Enough to make a man st'al
Alone in a dark, dirty room half
clad, probably hungry, a trap set fol-
bar that was so easily sprung. An,
that was a dirty, evil heart tnat
handled the mail that rnorningi Peep
inc. ont of the window across the
etraet were two noble eyes, a stout
,,,on1v 1o,eart. a. great manly frame, q
wish and a purpose No evil ever
touched that makeup. over IN Ihe
roztofice turks the criminal. and Il
ons trap fails we will get her I'M an
o+,,or The train has passed far ovel
tro,, mountain into THE valley Tine
.+,.,o,etli7,qc caller mas received his
mail and no one calls for the oursreC
naoLaqe. 1t would be a wicked heart
iodae5 that would suggest keeping tina
sniff The day begins TO close, and th'
cbild gets things in readiness for nome
The package IS once again looked over
0That isn't mine came to her, no douoI
Ias often and as strongly as it woult
have come to the setter of that trap.
FINALLY, the time for retiring ma
come. and going to the door the ehll(
starts out leaving the package on tn
desk. She faiters and returns. Here
a ditch hard to cross: On, no; no on
would find it difficult but this uttt
Ichild-thief!
The shawl is thrown carefully over. i
land she goes home. She has stolen tn
articles, and is thief.
/ How self-satfsfled, now importan
must the strong men feel who tempted
a weak child and gloried in her down
fall, a descent from which she ma,
never recover. For a few pa,try cents
taken in a moment of temptation, tn
life of child who might have de
Iveloped into one Of the best womel
that ever met the approval of Sod
wrecked.
| I may be beyond redemption; it ma.
be that am little too quick to judge
but it does seem to me, at this writing
that I would just as soon be the 1ittl
child-thief as the great, big virtuou
man who caught her in the act.
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