Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-11-26

the clerks were chatting socially or
reading the morning papers.
The girl at the general delivery win
dow was startled by the sudden in
quiry: Say, is they anything for the
Jenners?"
Looking through the window she saw
a boy, with big, brown eyes, just on
level with the shelf outside.
She took down the package of let
tiers remaining in the general delivery
box, looked all through them, then
shook her head, and the boy turned
away with a disappointed look.
In the afternoon, after the crowd had
left the office, he came again and called
up the girl: us they anything for the
Jenners yet?"
The girl shook her head, but he was
not convinced. Look for Bobby Jen-
ner," he said. Maybe you didn't look
for that name"
She knew there was no such name in
the package of letters, but to humor
the little fellow, she looked carefully
through them and answered, kind
ly: mot yet; perhaps it will come to-
morrow"
In the days that followed the boy
came twice day, and the question:
SIS they anything for the Jenners p"
came to be familiar sound in the post
office, and the clerks listened for it
with much amusement, but the girl
at the window came to dread it.
She was haunted by the mournful
look that came into his eyes every time
she shook her head, and tried to con-
sole him one dayby saying: Your
letter will surely come soon; you have
be IN expecting it so long"
Letter" he said, scornfully, 81 never
said l wanted a letter: want bundle
and | want it pretty soon, too. I've
been speeding it long time, and-and
Pm just tired of you shaking your
head, l am" The defiant little voice
ended with something very like Sob
The girl at the office window was ac-
customed to hearing complaints from
people larger than Bobby, who wanted
their mail and wanted it pretty soon,
too; but none of them had ever affected
her as this one did.
She came through the door into the
outer office, and taking Bobby's hand
asked. kindly: Had you written to
someone to send you something's"
Seeing the look of sympathy on
her face, he told her all about it
You see, it's this way: Mamma used
to let me write to Santa Claus and
tell him what l wanted Christmas
time, and | always got something
that was when l was a little Teller"
Strengthening back his shoulders) J.
my teacher has been telling me
about the man that runs Thanksgiv-
irg, and she read a letter he had in
the papers telling the people when
to Thanksgive and all that, and l
asked her was he a real sure-enough
man or if he was just a put-up lob
like Santa Claus. She just laughed
and laughed, and then she showed
me his picture in the paper, and he
was a man 'thout no white beard
like Santa's, and she said they call
him guv'nor. He looked so kind and
good out of his eyes, l just thought
maybe he would help us a little if he
knew how hard up we was this fall.
Mamma can't wash as much as she
used ", and 1 can't help much vet,
so l wrote letter to the guv'nor one
day when mamma had gone to the
judges to help clean house. 1 made
my en-vrup out of paper like 1 wrote
my letter on; the teacher in the FIRST
room showed me how, but it didn't
stick good, and I'm afraid it lost my
letter out and the guv'nor didn't get