The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-14
QUEER HIEROGLYPHIOs.
Cost an Old Man Dime to Find Out
What They Meant.

Cost an Old Man a Dime to Find Out
What They Meant.
He was keen-faced shop messenger
boy in smart livery and attracted every
ones attention in the Broadway cable-car,
chiefly because he carried fiat straw board
box much bigger than himself. As it
rested on his lap it extended nearly across
the car aisle, and the conductor and every
one else who had to pass found the way
early blocked, which occasioned the boy
much amusement and satisfaction. One
after the other nearly every passenger be-
came interested in the inscription scrawled
in heavy black charcoal lines on the cover
of the box. The inscription was this:
25-154 :30-12G2-112-E II fths short.
w. Hurry. G. o. d.
Passengers craned their necks to de-
cipher this, and some audibly discussed
its possible meaning. An old gentleman
who sat opposite the boy, and whose
knees almost touched the box, became SO
mentally involved in his study of the in
scription that he grew pale and purple in
turn, and finally he took out 10-cent
piece, laid it on the box, and hoarsely
WHISPERED:
Little boy, that is for you if you'll tell
me what that marking means"
There was an intense silence in the car,
and every one strained his and her atten-
tiOll GOWdlo Vic 1uCSoCllSS1. ludG young
person eyed the old gentleman cautiously,
took the dime, examined it carefully,
pocketed it slowly, and then said, reading
the figures upside down:
''Twenty-five' is the day of the month"
''To be sure said the gentleman, with a
breath of relief. "To be sure, that is kew
to the puzzle which 1 should have OBJ
served''
The boy half closed his eyes and scruti-
nized the gentleman closely, as if to dis
cover whether or not he was being
"guyed," and then, observing everybody's
seriousness, continued:
"And 10 is me number See?"
He pointed to a metal badge on the lapel
of his jacket bearing those figures.
Several people said "ah' and .'of course
and ito be sure" and the boy went on:
"And '4:30' is the time the package was
given to me to chase with"
All the men and women in the car hast
lily consulted their watches and were de-
lighted to find that it was little after that
wonderful hour. The boy squinted at the
figures again and continued:
Twelve two is the delivery department
entry in the delivery book, see? and '112
E, II is easy-that's where I'm going
with it,
"Splendidl" exclaimed the old gentle
man. cts quite a relief" And the other
passengers smiled upon him approvingly.
The remark able boy resumed:
1.-TWO fths short means that there are
two more feathers what belongs to tn
goods what amt in the package; but tn
lady wanted it anyhow, and tn feathers
comes tomorrow"
All the women passengers became, if
possible, more interested than at first. The
boy gave another chapter:
I" W. is the initial of the delivery clerk
who gave me the package, and hurry
means | was to git me car fare, which l
got, instead O chasing meself on foot"
"And very proper" exclaimed the old
gentleman. Once more the boy:
1.-THE &C. O. d. means
"Oh, we know what that means" said
the old gentleman. And the other passen-
gers laughed with him IN friendly way.
as if they, had been acquainted for years.
New York Sun.