The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-20

cake tin, walking off "'Vell-may be-
The clerk by the window, who had
charge of all the little packages that
might be valuable, picked up a small
book from the floor at his feet.
do they take papers?" asked an old
man in an army coat.
Take anything" said a man running
by with a truck
Where can leave this?' asked the
old man, looking around But the
man with the truck ~
was gone. ~
for you," said a "A A\
fresh faced girl, ! 80 "
stretching out her * SNo
hand. ST01171 l
Thank you" he &rls[CalR'
]. !. !. !" ::
said, putting the pa ut
pers intoit They're I
not much to send ssz
but I wanted to |
send something and sS
wouldn't like to -
have them over s$ I'll
looked III w
The girl flushed a "
little. I'm sending
papers, too" she
said.
The old man
looked at her with
gentle eyes.
Its the thought that counts, my
dear" he said softly.
Yes" said the girl. smiling up at
him, II know
The man at the door drew a long
breath. It's about time" he said.
"Phew!"
Another depot for parcels going to
Manila had been opened over on Jes-
sic street. 645 Mission had as many as
could be handled there. The man at
the door had a new occupation-it was
directing people over there.
"Here," he said to a little sharp
woman stepping past him with a neat,
tight, trim, square little package in her
hand Here! You can't leave that
herei"
The little sharp woman stopped long
enough to fix him with a bright, black
glance like a birds. Then she stepped
off again.
I'D like to know why I can't she
said over her shoulder.
Because we can't take any more
parcels here to-day
Amt this 645 Mission street," asked
the little sharp woman, wheeling
around on him.
Yes madam, but"
Amt this the place that was ad-
vertised in the papers to bring parcels
tor"
YES. but
Didn't it say in the papers any time
between nine and five?"
Yes, only"
1T amt five yet, is it?"
I'VE can't take any more to-day"
said the man at the door, talking
against time, because we're full
Then mine can't go?" asked the
sharp little woman. clutching her
parcel to her breast. Then it can't go
at all?"
depot over on Jessie street, just above
Annie"
''Oh!' said the sharp little woman.
why didn't you say so?"
Look here he said, "aint that too
bad? That's dropped out of some
body's bundle"
1t was little Book of Common
Prayer. Written on the fly leaf was:
Bobby. From Mama"
And written under this in very, very
small letters was:
Don't Forget Dear"
I'm going to wrap that up myself
said the clerk, land address it, Bobby
and send it along with the valuables
Maybe he'll get it and if he don't may
be some other Bobby that's promised
his mother something will get it for
a reminder"
Have many things dropped out?" I
asked.
"Oh, Lord" said the clerk. Look
here"
He pointed to a corner of the big
window case, where a stack of bundles
bulged from ragged wrappings in a
maze of united strings.
See the jam oozing out of that one ?"
he said. THE cover was just stuck on
easy, as if it was going up on pantry
shelf. You wouldn't believe folks would
have so little sense. And the cake
that's come here just done up in paper
and tied with dinky little stringi The
rats wouldn't do thing to cake done
up that way before it got to Manila,
would they? And you can't help feel
ing sorry for some of 'em. He paused
thoughtfully- There was an old lady
in here yesterday. She had cake tied
up in a silk handkerchief-no wrap
pings, no directions, nothing. I says to
her. You can't send that cake that
way you know And she says: I
know 1 thought somebody going down
would take it for me- Well 1 says,