Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1902-02-08


brought the good
sleighing of the preceding weeks to
an untimely end, and the gray clouds
Seemed to be weeping over the calam-
ity, thereby augmenting its dolorous-
mess, as undue liquid lamentation has
q way of doing. The old green and
yellow stage body had been trans
ferred from the runners on which it
had glded so gayly over the smooth
white road to the summer running
gear" with broad-tired chocolate-col-
ored wheels that labored along with
a subdued rattle and asthmatic
creaks, throwing such profuse
splotchcs and streaks of mud over
the dngy panels. and cracked win
dows that even the steady downpour
was unequal to washing them. There
were no passengers, so the battered
old mail pouch had one rep-cushioned
Seat to itself, which was fortunate,
perhaps, as it owned to several thin
spots that might have protected its
unusually abundant contents poorly
From the pelting drops had it been,
as usual, an outside passenger,
8 BY the way, the unusual bulginess of
tbe old mail bag may have had some
bling to do with a certain pleasant
tNyinkle in the old stage drivers gray
eyes, and the frequent whstled
snatches of kathleen Mayourneen"
and "Black-Eyed Susan" with which
be shortened the tedious way and
helped himself to ignore the small
but persistent rivulet that was trick
ling down his back through the aper-
tnre in the rear of his tarpauln's
brim.
| cannot say that the state of the
mai bag was not responsible also for
the pathetically hilarious flourish
with which Romulus and Remus (fa-
miliarly known as Rom" and
"Reem'O, the wiry veterans who had
Drawn the old stage for II years, took
the sharp ascent from the main road
and drew up before the unpainted
bulding that was village store and
posi- Office combined But | am in
clined to think that the latter phe-
nomenon was due to their apprccia-
tion of the fact that the remainder
of their road was short and down hill,
with a certainty of "scalt mash" lin
reference to their venerable grind
ers) and a warm stall at the end.
Caleb Skipp, selec'man, storekeeper
and postmaster, came out in the lat
tcr capacity with a friendly salute.
Keep yer settn Elb I'll take out
the mail, Git home an intew dry
duds quick az ye ken. Sairy'll be on
pins an needles till We devil Sho,
nov Qifting the mail bag); "heavy,
aint it?"
"Thank'ee, Gale. Heavy? Of
course! Thirteenth O. Febewary, We
know, Young folks will be young
folks-human natur' about the same
as twas 40 year ago"
"Jes' so! Dorry's been talllin'
vafntines all day"
.Guess she won't be disapp'intid,
Whoever else is" responded the old
stage driver, with a gallant touch of
his tarpaulin in the direction of Dor
ry Skipp, whose rosy face just then
appeared in the doorway, "Glang,
Rom! Git, Reem!" and with pro-
dlgious splash and clatter the stage
disappeared around wilkins Bend"
A goodly number of the village
young folk, well protected with wa
trrproofs, rubber coats and rubber
boots, were already waiting for their
mail around the rusty box stove.
q Owing to the one delivery day,
Meigs valentines always arrive on the
afternoon of the 18th; for it would,
of course be too much to expect that
the Meigs boys and girls could wait
until the last part of the day itself.
AT last, amid much laughter and
good-natured teasing, the merry
group dispersed and no reinforce
ments appeared, nor would they until
later in the evening; for the Meigs
supper hour had come, and of course
the postmaster and his family wished
to spend it undisturbed, as well as
other people. Mrs. Skipp was distrib-
uting the remnant of mail; and Dick
and Dorry, "the Skipp twins" occu
pied the long wooden settee and
talked alternately about skating and
snlcrtines valentines in general and
salentines in particular.
"Wall, now!" suddenly CALCULATED
Mr.. SlSipp from behind the tiers of
post Office boxes. "Ef here amt
letter fer old Miss Jerushy Dunlopl