The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-06-27
THE LADY AND THE LETTER.

THE LADY AND THE LETTER.
1t all happened in the corridor O
the postofice. She purchased two
cent stamp and carefully affixed it,
upside down to the upper 1eft-hand
corner of an envelope, where it would
excite the cancellation clerk to pro.
family. Because her correspondent
lived in Chicago she was about to
slip the envelope into a slot plainly
designated for Boston mail, when her
companion, man, stopped her.
"Seems to me-" he ventured to
say, ''that your letter looks bulky
enough to need more postage"
"Why, no." she said, smiling. II
put a two-cent stamp on it, don't
you see? 2"
eyes, but I am certain it's too
heavy" he continued. "I mail many
letters a day, and have acquired the
knack of guessing what Uncle Sam
will demand for his services as car
rier. l am positive that this letter
will require four cents postage. Get
the stamp clerk to weigh it for you."
II 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 two-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
mistake !" 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
succeeded by smile sweet enough
to overcome anyone but a seller of
stamps.
dehce, ice, and al frequently send letters that
are not heavy enough for two-cent
stamp, and 1 always put that kind of
stamp on them. So the Government
must owe me some money, and this
letter can go to help even up the ac-
count. 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
pattern-it was for a baby's cap-to
my cousin-the same one this letter S
going to-and I put two-cent stamp
on the envelope. Why, if this letter
costs four cents, that one ought not to
have cost a cent. This is 10 times
heavier. And the week before last I
sent Martha a dress goods sample,
and there was only half sheet of
paper with few words of writing in
the envelope, and put two-cent
stamp on it. 1t hardly weighed any
thing. 1 think it's real mean to over
charge me for weight letters and
then insist that pay full rates on all
others. 1 may drop this in, may I
not? The Government will not lose
anything, you see, because it carries
so many lightweight letters for me. +"
Madam, if the other letters were
sealed two-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 its postal pa
trons."
"My brother is politician, and il
you let this letter go with one stamp,
maybe"
"The postage on this letter will be
four cents, madam"
"And must I really put another
stamp on it?"
"You must, or the person receiv
ing it will have to pay the extra
postage"
"Dear me Why did you not say
that at first? / knew one stamp
would carry it," and she turned from
the window and pushed the letter
into the slot reserved for foreign mails
Then she faced the man who wa.
with her.
"You men think you know every
thing. Come and buy me that soda, ,
she said.
"But you did not win it..
"I did. My letter will go to Chi
cago, and I did not have to put an
other stamp on it"