The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-14
THE LADY AND THE LETTER.

1t all happened. says the Philadel-
phia Ledger in the corridor of the
postoff1ce. She purchased a 2 cent
stamp, and carefully affixed it upside
down to the upper left hand corner
OF an envelope, where it would excite
the cancellation clerk to profanity. Be
cause her correspondent lived in Chi
cago she was about to slip the envel-
ope into a Slot plainly designated for
Boston mail, when her companion,
man, stopped her.
Seems to me-" he ventured to saw
that you letter looks bulky enough to
need more postage"
why, no" she said. smiling. IT put
cent stamp on it, don't you see?''
Yes, but l am certain it's too
heaVy," and he took the sealed mfssive
IN his hand. It's too heavy" he con-
unued. Il mail many letters a day,
ana have acquired the knack of guess
ing what Uncle Sam will demand for
his services as a carrier. I am positive
that this letter will require cents
postage. Get the stamp clerk to weigh
it for YOU
1 am sure you are wrong" she said
good-naturedly but we will test the
matter for an ice cream soda"
Done! If the letter goes with that
cent stamp I will treat. If you have
to put another stamp on it you treat"
She went to the stamp window and
the letter was weighed.
-Four cents said the clerk.
What? You must have made a mis-
take!" she exclaimed. There's not
much in it. Weigh it again."
The clerk gasped, but as there was
no one else waiting to reach the win
dow he weighed the letter again and
very carefully. One might have thought
he was weighing gold dust. -Four
cents exactly" he announced.
She pouted. Then the pout was sue
ceeded by a smile sweet enough to
overcome any one but a seller of
stamps.
"Well," she said, its all right any
how. 1 have a large correspondence,
and frequently send letters that are
not heavy enough for cent stamp,
and always put that kind of stamp
on them. So the government must
owe me some money, and this letter
That's business, isn't it?'
The clerk grasped the little ledge
in front of him to keep from falling.
But, madam"
Eyes. Only last week I sent a
teeny-weeny little bit of tissue paper
pa ttern-it was for a baby's cap-to
my cousin, the same one this letters
going to. and. put a cent stamp on
the envelope. Why, if this letter costs
"A cents, that one ought not to have
cost cent. This is ten times heavier.
And the week before last I sent Mar
tina a dress goods sample, and there
was only a half sheet of paper with
few words of writing in the envel-
ope, and l put 2 cent stamp on It,
1t hardly weighed anything. 1 think
it's real mean to overcharge me for
lightweight letters and then insist that
I pay full rates on all others. I NAV
drop this in may l not? The govern
ment will not lose anything, you see,
because it carries so many light let
tiers for me-"
Madam, if the other letters were
sealed, a 2 cent stamp was necessary
on each, no matter how light it was.
The government does not run ledger
accounts of debts and credits based
on mail weight with it's postal pa
irons"
my brother is a politician, and if
you let this letter go with one stamp,
mayheA"
1.-The postage on this letter will be 4
cents, madam"
and must really put another
stamp on it,"
you must, or the person receiving
it will have to pay the extra postage"
Dear me! Why did you not say
that at first? I knew one stamp would
carry it," and she turned from the
window and pushed the letter into the
plot reserved for foreign mails. Then
she faced the man who was with her.
''You men think you know every
thing. Come and buy me that soda, .
she said.
"But you did not win it,"
81 did. My letter will go to Chicago,
and did not put another stamp on it,"
George Owen Koch.