Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-17
Tn Defense of the Mail < <
 By WALTER ". EGGINTON


 s~ A ADVENTURES? said the, rural
 A maiF carrier, reaching forward and lightly fecking a fly from the horse with his whip. 'Yes, have had them -even on this quiet, country route. recall one affair that happened on this road, and not far from where we are now''
 The rural mail carrier is a friend of mine, and sat beside him on the single seat of the wagon enjoying the glori- ous country drive which it is his busi- ness to take daily The scene was peace full and quiet in the extreme In the air there was only the hum of insects, the purling of hidden streamlets, the soft sound of waving foliage.
 The road at this point curved around hilL skirting the base of it, and there was not farmhouse in sight On one side was the hill, rising abruptly sky ward, we'll covered with thick growth of young trees and bushes, a wild, un- cultivated stretch of country; on the other side the ground fell away to a babbling creek beyond which the land was fenced off, showing here field of waving corn, there patch of potatoes, and farther on bit of pasture land with worn paths showing where the cows were accustomed to make their way to the water. The whole picture looked restful and prosperous, typical bit of "up York state" farm country.
 Farther on, on the other side of the hill and down in the valley, nestled the little town of Corning, which we had left some hours before in starting on the journey to Hornby Forks, a distance of some 25 miles.
 The wagon was light and contained besides ourselves only the huge leather bag filled with letters, papers and mail matter This lay at the carriers feet. between his knees, and from it he tossed letters and papers into the little boxes which the farmers had erected near the roadway to receive their mail, or, more frequently, handed 1t out to the men themselves who were stationed ex- pectantly beside the boxes.
 When began to work on this route. the carrier said, which I did for the sake of my health which had been inn paired, if not broken, by the too close confinement of a shop. carried gun, a revolver I mean, as most of us do, just to be on the safe side. There were registered letters containing money i'll that bag quite often. and parts of the road are rather lonely. Besides, am not big man and never was powerful one. So I'carried revolver in my hip pocket. and felt secure But as time went on and the quiet and peacefulness of this part of the country impressed me more and more, began to grow careless. Sometimes I had the gun with me. and sometimes not. Itwas or one of these latter occasions that the exciting incident have in mind oc- cured
 "It was a beautiful autumnsday, and had reached the top of Hornby hill and was about to take the road that leads down into the Forks, when old Farmer Grigger came hurrytng down the path from his house and hailed me, waving an envelope. pulled up and waited for him. &s,
 "He had letter, he told me, in which he wanted to inclose some money. As was my custom, in such cases Itold him he could give the amount to me to- gether with the price of a money order and the unsealed letter and I would give him a receipt forAthe amount, and on reaching the post office would see that the money order was inclosed and the letter sent on it's way.
 "'All right, sir, said he, in his hearty way. Here's the money!' Pulling out
 -A1 a1r l Twenty 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, and another dollar to pay for the money order and stamps, and bring me back the change when you come this way tomorrow
 ''I was surprised at the amount-the largest had ever had to take on that route, but Iaccepted 1t promptly, together with the letter, and placing both care fully in my breast pocket, drove on down the road. Before had gone ten yards passed a tramp sitting by the roadside hidden from the farmhouse by some foliage, and as his glance met mine, something in his eyes made me recall that the farmers voice had been loud as he had counted out the money. The fellow was big and evil-looking, as we'll as powerful, and my heart sank little. I remembered, with regret, that I was unarmed, helpless.
 ''I passed him, trying desperately hard to look unconcerned. and he made no movement nor did he accost me. I touched the horse with the whip and drove at an unusual pace into Hornby Forks, much relieved In mind, with the thought that had left him far behind.
 "As I left the Forks, however, after delivering large bundle of mail there, and started on the homeward road, new doubts and apprehensions assailed me.
 The road l was on, now remem- bered, curved back and ran for short