The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-09
The Story of
a Hap's Letter.

Goodness! but I've had tims OF 1t!
| believe I've had more ups and downs
and more frights than any letter ever did
have in the world, and so / am going to
tell about it, so that other letters will
know Just what they have to expect when
they start out into the world,
l was written by boy in a little town
we'll, if l haven't forgotten the name OF
it, No wonder, after all I've gone through
1t was far up in the country, though, and
the boy was n nice boy, who lived in a
pretty home with flowers growing around
1t. He had nice mother, too, and after
| was written the boy took Inc TO her and
asked her to read me, She put down her
sewing and read me with a very SWEEP
smile on her face so l was seen / was all
right. And she said | was, too, aud then
said: You must take it at once, SO that
it viii be in time for the postman to take
1t up"
l wondered what that meant, but |
found out soon enough. Dear me my hap
Ply life was over, and all my troubles began
when | was put into an envelope. The boy
took me, put his hat on and ran down the
street as If he was in a big hurry. Well,
it was pleasant enough for me being car
red through the fresh air and l was feel
ing very happy, when suddenly he dropped
me into a dark box. Oh, how scared /
was | lay perfectly still for a second
when another letter lying near me said;
Well you needn't drop on my stamp
like that"
I beg your pardon" / said. meekly
II did not mean to hurt you. The boy
dropped me very hurredly."
"oh, I'm not hurt much; I'll go all
right" he answered and thought he
seemed A liltle ashamed OF being so cross.
| asked him where we were, and he said he
knew no more than | did. that it was his
first journey into the world. He had hard
ly finished when there was a grating sound
and then clanking sound, an enormous
hand pushed into the box and pulled us
out. / was glad TO get out, but my Joy
did not last, for We were showed into a
leather pouch and off the man who owned
the hand started.
Well" grumbled my companion let
ter The might have given US chance to
look around
/ thought so. too but didn't say word,
for | wa $50 frightened | could not speak
for a few minutes and before / had time
to recover entirely the man, who had
walked along very briskly stopped and
pulled me with my grumbling friend and
lot of other letters out OF the pouch and
laid us on table,
We were in a large room, with nothing
but bare tables, few chairs and some
curious stands full OF small pigeon holes'
was looking around and wondering at the
ugly surroundings was not pic
ture nor a flower there and in my home
oh, would | ever see that home again! l
was thinking in this way when man
came 10 the table where we were lying.
and taking up small instrument lying
near. he took each one of US and stamped
on us as hard as he could. ! Thought
would die with fright, but found after It
was over that ] was not hurt at all
had hardly time to thank him for not
hurting me. when was seized and tied up
with other letters so tightly that was
glad hadn't thanked him, for was being
nearly squeezed to death, Then we were
pitched headlong into a big leather sack
and locked in. Dear, it was frightful!
NY grumbling friend was too scared to
speak for a while aud he had Just begun
well, IL that don't beat'-when we we're
shaken up and jolted along ana along
until / thought we never would stop we
were afraid to speak for tear OF worse
happening to us, and 1t seemed TO be years
that we were in that dark leather sack
Finally we were dumped out on long
table again and had hardly time to look
around before | was seized and stamped
on the other side OF my envelope but
wasn't 50 frightened this time, and as !
lay for minute on the table wondering
where we were saw that 1t was IN room
much larger than the other, fnli OF men,
who were just as busy as they eoulh DC
and more letters. / wondered where they
all came from.
I didn't have much time for wondering
for We were again grabbed up ana some
OF US thrown in one place, some In anotner,
] was piled up with big lot OF them ana
was pleased TO find my grumbllns irleh9
for although he was not very pleasant sun
he came from the same place ala ana
felt that he was almost like an old TREND
Well, away we went; no time to breathe,
but this trip was a very short one.