The San Francisco call., 1899-10-01

merry lot. They work like men, as I
learned before we came upon tie next
day, and there's not a man in the employ
Of our GoVernn. ent who better earns every
red penny that it pays him.
Cupid sank a blue cap afar down his
head and what part of him was visible
behind his mustaChe looked misChievous.
I heard him mutter anxiously from be-
hind it, Il hope Larkey's not, going to
serve you the trick he served himself
once-tip over on the hills"
Then the breezy voice Of the cookbook
ing extra Joined IN: These trips are
pretty dangerous after the city gets dark.
One of the boys drove into a pile Of lum
Der one night-didn't see it comm. We
often have breakdowns. The roads are
bad places in the night"
And / forgave them all right generously
for their sinful intentions, for they had to
bear the disappointment Of my not scar
ing worth a cept
The three of us, started first. for our
way was long and Topsy's' speed Is not
what 1t might be. The boys saw us Off
Don't you think you'll get tredY
Better wrap that around you tighter" ="
Can you keep awake till 2:30?'
well, good luck to the trip
The wind raced down Market street
that night and we drove straight in its
face. Topsy bent his head lower than
ever. The street was at its gayest, but
Topsy noticed nothing. He is sadly used
to 1t all. The terrified Shrek Of a fire
whistle did not startle him, and he
glanced soberly at the hook and ladder
as 1t crashed onward toward him as If it
were part of the collecting business. The
hook and ladder turned an unexpected
Topsy logged gently in front Of 1t, in time,
heaven knows how, to miss it.
You won't find any part Of the trip
much colder than this Mr.. Larkey en-
couraged. The climate is diff' rent over n
the Mission" The swooping wings OF the
air struck us, and the dark we were driv-
ing into made it feel colder. There were
six hours still ahead.
There was no stop to be made until we
reached Twenty-fourth and Church
streets; There We were due to collect
on time, and ten minutes over, during
which we grew warm and drowsy in the
corner drugstore. The drugstore made
outdoors much colder than before, and the
air that crept in even above a three-inch
collar, made me bundle myself heavily.
In that far-away part Of the town red
long while there is one altogether empty
and the few letters found are more vari-
Gus than in the commercial district. Some
are addressed in ungainly foreign char
acters and some writings CULVER with old
age and some are copper-plate labors on
pink or blue squares that bespeak ruled
note paper within.
Then Of a sudden we came upon the
hills. Uncompromising clay under foot
boded i'll for winter trips Topsy cast a
despairing glance ahead. | blushed with
shame at what I had blindly undertaken;
to add one hundred and nine and one-half
pounds to his .back-breaking burden: I
was sl2NQSDeO lot lue DISl tlIUS 70 IDluA
of the half-pound 1 have diminished of
The Carrier jumped from the cart. 1
looked for a, box at first and wondered
swung his arms for relief and started
bravely up the hill beside his weary little
companion, I understood.
1T makes it easier for him when we
come to these hills he said And de-
precatingly: II don't mind any. it's a
Change from ridin.'" It was said as If to
relieve Topsy's mind; 1t was like your
mother when she used. to tell you to take
the only help Of currant Jelly left-she
really didn't care for currant jelly. In
my eight hours of comradeship with Mr..
Larkey I came to the conclusion that he
is a good man If ever there was one. He
has the open blue eye that Jack says
hasn't a cross word nor a headache in it.
The lines had been dropped long since.
and Topsy was left to zigzag the hills at
his own discretion. l watched him turn
corners when they should be turned at
the guidance of naught but his own wise
head, and l marveied. Among the 127
boxes collected between 6:30 p. m. OF
Friday and 2:S0 a. m. of Saturday he
never erred but once. That was when we
returned by way of st. Lukes Hospital.
There against the white wall and below
the shiny green terrace hangs a new red
box The whole might be page from a