The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-09-16
HUMAN NATURE.

"The talk about viewing the country
and studying human nature from the
window of a railroad car doesn't approach
results obtained from viewing the public
and studying human nature from the win
dow of large post office, said an employe
OF the Washington post office.
Not long ago woman hurried up to
the window, and l could see from the graft
fled expression on her face that she was dead
sure she would soon make another woman
feel unhappy, only in this case the other
woman happened to be a man.
oh, say, Mr.. Clerk, she cried, eagerly,
can feather beds be sent through%he mails p
Well, we don't encourage the practice,
miss l answered, frowning to save a
smile.
'ThereP she exclaimed, triumphantly,
to companion in a raglan, who had, in the
meantime, come up, Charlie will have to
pay me the box of candy. You see,' she ex-
planned to me, "a gentleman friend bet me a
box of candy against box of cigars that he
could send feather bed through the mails,
and bet him he couldn't, and now have
won. Oh, am so glad Charlie is so smart
He can send feather bed if he makes
it small enough, and it doesn't weigh over
four pounds, miss l resumed, or any other
article that is mailable, provided he does
not register it, as size cuts no ice so long as
it is to be delivered in the United States.
but if it is to go to foreign shores, then both
size and weight are very important. If he
brings the bed down, miss, we will send it
for him if properly packed and the postage
is prepaid. You have lost your bet
Well, he won't, she answered, mad
clear through, and / won't pay it, either,
and the looks those two women gave me
were as inky as jet as they swished out of
the building. 1t would have been a good
joke on her if her beau had had little
feather bed made up and mailed to her.
"The questions which are fired into us
would make the face of an eight-day clock
look troubled to find ready and satisfactory
answers. Men, as a rule, accept our state
ments, but women are inclined to doubt
and form conclusions of their own. The
men at the inquiry windows in the big rail
road stations have the same experience, but
that is what we and they are paid for.
1.-TWO women came in one day, and one
asked if she could send her pet canary to
Philadelphia in its cage. l said she could
If she first killed the canary, took the body
20 taxidermist's, had it thoroughly dried
and prepared, replaced it in the cage and
even included small box of birdseed to as
suage its hunger en- route, provided the
whole paraphernalia did not weigh over
four pounds, but that anything alive had
to be shipped by express.
Why, she said, very Indignantly, my
landlady told me at breakfast that could
send the canary. The ideal
60 tSha ga l. L. n
and it was stuffed-just like you were
stuffed, said her companion, with a smile.
But the other one didn't crack break in
the bloom on her fair cheek.
II have had well-dressed, and evidently
well-educated people ask me the rate of
postage to some foreign country, say Rus
sia, and when told that the United States
fve-cent stamp will carry half-ounce let
ter to practically all countries in the world,
big or little, near or far, from England to
the Niger coast protectorate, Afghanistan,
Abyssinia, the Pitcairn islands and other
places as remote, they say:
I know the rate to London and Paris.
but thought etc, and they had another
think coming
Nearly all of the different countries of
the world, and all of the principal ones, are
members of what is known as the Universal
Postal union, and most of those that are not.
the little fellows, have agreed upon the same
letter postage, five cents, though some out
side of the union vary as to weight and size
of the article mailed.
You can make your foreign relatives and
correspondents pay the postage on your let
tiers. Postage upon domestic first-class mail
matter must be prepaid at least one letter
rate OF two cents, else it will be held at the
post office where it is mailed. The addressee
is notified by card, and if he sends the re-
CURED amount IN stamps it is forwarded to
him, otherwise it ia sent to the dead letter
office
But you may drop letter destined for
foreign parts without prepayment of post
age. 1t will go forward to destination, and
the recipient will be required to pay double
rates for the privilege of reading it if he
values it that high. On packages, however.
intended for abroad, you must pay at least
part postage to have it go forward and the
deficiency will be collected and doubled
when delivery is made. If you fail to pre-
pay at least part of the postage upon pack.
ages, they go to the dead letter Office, and
the public do not seem to catch on to this
curve OF distinction in the two classes OF
matter. Always prepay postage in all in
stances, despite the privilege, on all classes
# matter intended for home or foreign de-
livery.
The Brooklyn woman who objected TO
her divorced husband paying her ali
nony in postage stamps and had recourse
70 the courts, saying that she did not mind
'eceiving it in two-cent stamps. but oh
ected to those of large denominations. as
The couldn't sell them, and that is the way
le got even with her, probably, reminds me
't man who came in one day and asked for
stamp of the ten-dollar denomination.
None are issued. The only denomina-
ions now issued are the /, 2, 8, 4, 8, q, 8. 10
nd the ten-cent special delivery; Is. 80 and
'0cent and the 81, 81 and IS stamps. There
$ slight call from all over the country for
Itamps over the l5-cent issue
"A woman rushed wildly in here one dav
aging that she wanted my letter back.
which she had posted few moments previ
'us. Of course, she thought my letter
ould be picked right out of million or SO
'ther letters.
We'll, she was able to get my letter
BECAUSE she was able to comply with the pos
al laws and regulations governing the
of mail after mailing and be
ore its dispatch. The utmost care is taken
o ascertain that the person desiring to