Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-12-31
hItRocLYPHIcs On A BOX.
Passengers on "a Cable Car Relieved by Q
Sharp Messenger Boy.

He was n keen-faced shop messenger
boy in n smart livery, and attracted
every ones attention in the Broadway
cable car, chiefly because he carried q
Hat straw board box bigger than him.
self. AS it rested on his lap it extended
nearly across the car aisle, and the con-
ductor and every one else who had 10
pass found the way nearly blocked,
which occasioned the boy much amuse-
ment and satisfaction. One after ths
other, nearly every passenger became
Interested in the inscription scrawled in
heavy black charcoal lines OH the cover
OF the box. The inscription was this:
"25-1j-4:30-1. 202-ll2-E II
fths short. w. Hurry. c. o. D."
Passengers craned their necks to de-
cipher this, and some audib!s discussed
its possible meaning. An old gentle
man who sat opposite the boy, and
whose knees nearly touched the box,
became so mentally involved in his
study of the inscription that he grew
pale and purple in turn, and finally
took out a lO-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 tho
Car and every one strained his and her
attention toward the messenger. That
young person eyed the old gentleman
cautiously, took the dime. examined il
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. 40 be sure,
that is a key to the puzzle which /
should have observed"
The boy half closed his eyes and
scrutinized the gentleman closely, as if
to discover whether or not he was being
"guyed," and then, observing every
body's seriousness, resumed:
"And 10 is me number. Seep"
He pointed to n metal badge on the
lapel of his jacket bearing those figures.
Several people said "Ah!" and "Of
course" and "ro be sure" and the boy
went II
and 1880 is tho time the package
was given me to chase with"
All the men and women in the car
hastily consulted their watches, and
were delighted to find that it was a lit
tie after that wonderful hour. The boy
squinted at the figures again, and con-
tinued:
81, POP is the delivery department
entry in the delivery book, seeP And
'l12 L. II is easy-that's where I'm go-
ing with it,"
~"Splendid!" exclaimed the old gentle
man. Its quite "A relief" and the
other passengers smiled upon him APP
provingly. The remarkable boy re-
sumed:
"'2 fths short means that there is two
more feathers what belong to tn goods
what amt in tn package. but tn lady
wanted ii. anyhow, and tn feathers
comes Tomorrow"
All the M passengers became, if
possible, more interested than at first.
The boy gave another chapter:
"'W.' is the initial of the delivery
clerk who gave rue the package, and
Hurry means | was to get me c~arfare,
which got, instead of chasing meself
on foot"
And very proper" exclaimed IT,,
old gentleman. Once more the boy:
The G. O. D. means"
"Oh, we know what that means"
said the old gentleman. and the other
passengers laughed with him in q
friendly way, as If they had been 10
quaihted for years y Sun.