Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-05-15
THE OLD POSTWAR OF THE
VOSGES.
Hoping Always for the Letter Which
Never Comes,

lie is poor old fellow, very poor, very
feeble, with. shaking head and trembling
hands, his back is bent and his skeleton
frame is perchcd upon two long thin
legs like those of "A stork. y few locks
of white hair straggle from under the old
brown felt hat, which has been
scJrched by the sun of many summer
and washed by the rain of many Il win
ter lie must ~ quite 50, but none of US
know his real age. When / was little
boy, he seemed already an aged man.
His forehead is bald and his little eyes
blink under their red lids his face is
very pale. but his look is gentle, his smile
sad. OFTEN as he goes along he talks
to himself, and his long sharp chin wags
i'm "A cOmCal manner between the points
of his high collar He is very neat, al
ways cleanshaVcd, and his clothes,
though very coarse worn theadbare and
shiny at knees and elbows, and patched
in many a place, are without stain, or
trace OF ancient dust
He is the pustman of "A little village
high up in the NOsges. a village of so
little Importance that the government
has not degncd to supply 1t with uni
formed official postman. and so old
Franz goes down every day to the near
est town to fetch the mail The way is
long-siX miles at least to go, as many
to return. without taking into account the
many drtours he must make to deliver
letters at outlying chalets and farms scat
tered along the sides of the valley. Hap
PLY his load II very light one; one does
not read much iu those parts. and the
postbag which the old man brings back
i'm the evening. is generally nearly fiat.
For parcels Franz uses queer sort of car
which he has contrived out Of a plank
fastened on a couple of wheels, and to
which he has attached a long handle.
This he pushes along with one hand,
while he supports himself on a heavy
STAR held in the other
For 80 wears the old man has earned
his bread in this manner; summer and
winter he comes and. goes puuctual as
the sun passing at the same hours be-
fore the same houses: he is perambu-
lating clock. But | can see that lately
he is aging rapidly: every day he seems
a little older; his step heavier and slow
er; his stick is wearing out at the point.
and Yesterday for the first time. | saw
him stop and rest at IN. ton of a steep
hill This road he follows is a long.
winding one. between two barriers OF
pasture lands and the wandering of a
mountain stream. He distributes his
letters. receiving i'm exchange. now
smile or a happv Thank Won. Franz.
sometimes a scowl or fltempered word.
as If he were RESPONSIBLE. for the news h..
brings n. il good or bad I'm here far
from the movement of cities "A letter is
almost an event: one opens IL ON the
spot. on the door-step. i'm the street. as
If one felt the desire To have a witness
of ones iov or sorrow Moreover Franz
secs every day ths driver of the mail
cart and the nost-of,ice clerk. ne knows
what il going on in the world. ne can
give good advice. Besides all this he
Mil take back the answer when he de-
scends tomorrow morning. can it be
surprising that he knows everybody's
business the love affairs of the millers
prettv daughter the difficulties of the
farmer to whom the sight of stamped
nanar Is Incoming too familiar Rut old
Franz is discreet. taciturn by nature he
,ev.r a1loUs himself tn h. drawn into
cossin and H.. is a match for the most
inoutsitiya woman in the village
az onIv nm. hing viii tn old man
sneak freely. of the son who has gone to
America. and who promised 4, write as
snnr as he reached tho other side of the
ocean Rut the news did not come. and
tho mail which has brought So many
1.ttars for others has brought none for
him Every morning when he goes to
the town. he homes to find the letter
waiting for him hon. lends strength to
his old limbs. he hastens his step. his
owes plist.n. and as he nears the post
office. his heart begins to beat more
nu,cktv Sometimes he stops over
In hv enotion. IF If shouid not be
,bar.,. Rut il cannot fail: so many
IN, ,,ontbs have passed II has had
,J.,7t, nf tipa Ia arrive. ana treasured
al,,ost i,,f,I1v he enters the little low
room whera the clerk. behind a wooden
rail. is making out his accounts to the
ac,nmpa niment of the ticking of a tele-
pranh
..tnnd ,norripg Father Franz, Here
is vour nack.t. look IL over"
~ ,lJ man ,,alar than usual nuts