Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-11-13
A POSTAL DELIVERY
AN INCIDENT OF REVOLUTIONARY
DAYS IN CONNECTICUT.

AN INCIDENT OF REVOLUTIONARY
DAYS IN CONNECTICUT.
and Went and Came Again to Stay.
The First Rural Free Delivery In
Mansfield Town.
The arrival of the first batch of let
ters after the establishment of rural
free delivery in Mansfield, Conn, re-
called to an aged lady of that town q
postal incident remembered In her
family for 100 years. my mother al
| ways cried when she told the story"
she said.
When my mother was little girl,
the narrator went on, to have ones let
ters regularly brought and handed in
Mt the door would have seemed O
miracle of privilege, and to get them
without paying postage would have
been another. Mails were SO slow and
uncertain that the safe arrival of an
expected letter by any means was an
event in a country family, with the
postoftice miles away.
Sometimes the delivery was helped
along by volunteer carriers-a farmer
going home from the grist mill, a
housewife returning from market town
with her bargains of lamp oil, West
India molasses and green tea, or even
passing peddler with his load Of tin
ware and corn brooms. In the old war
time the army had post riders, but
they were few and far between.
My grandfather was soldier of the
Revolution, and grandmother kept the
home fire burning here, and provided
for their three children as well as she
could while he was at the front. All
summer she had heard no word of him,
and when one autumn day man in a
military cloak rode to the door on a
white horse her heart beat quick.
"Does Ruth Fuller live here?" he
says, holding thick letter in his hand.
Eyes, am Ruth tuller," and grand
mother reached eagerly for the letter,
for she saw the address in her hus-
bands handwriting.
"The postage is shillin's."
Grandmother's countenance fell, for
there wasn't SO much money in the
house.
"Guess you don't know me-" remark
ed the man, opening his cape and tip
ping back his cooked hat, but still hold
ing the letter. She knew him then-an
enemy capable Of u mean revenge.
"Ah, yes, you remember Tom Turner
and how he asked you to marry him
and you give him No, I thankee,' and
took John Fuller. wasn't good enough
to marry ye, but I'm good enough now
to bring ye letters from the man that
did, and Pm good enough to charge ye
steep price for goin' out O. my way.
So hand over your 2 shillin's and take
your letter."
The poor woman told him she had no
money. 10 be held up in this heartless
and insulting way was a bitter hurt to
her. Her grief was deeper than her
resentment, but she was too proud to
let the cruel fellow see her weep.
II will get you a good dinner" she
said, "and feed your horse and give
you n pair Of nice long stockings"
1t was humiliation to plead with
Tom Turner, but she could do no less.
Money or nothin'," he says, and he
put the letter in his pocket and rode
| away.
Grandmother went into the house
ana sat down and cried, and her chill
oren, clinging about her. cried too.
during her long months of waiting, at
odd hours she had spun and woven
cloth ana sewed garments and knitted
"oolen stockings FOR Johns winter
comfort trusting to ind some way to
senu theh 10 hlm' NOW the messenger
nao come ana gone VINO could at least
nave carried "oru, ana ne had refused
esen a " give her her nusoanus letter.
,,,u Ma' Iou KNOWS wnat the pad man
.M ",q, soppeu one VI Tue niue ones.
~ Ano"s nnas m,ee .hinss you We
aaN. s.e .. ~ pa' anu ne - seiiu d sooo ilai'
I'M. n,.. u LIZ,
-. sao;. s ., An. ~ ~ 81 .ne ino.n-
nrarad % nnd a ,na,taa Ia se ans, .oneiy nea, ~, %
nnayt t,,nn w. y 49, naa a,,aa sy a. III ene
horse pallopinr toward tbe bouse .Ha,s
brought the letter back,n thov nj, cr,ed
| o,+ +,..,+,,.,, e.. a, u,