The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-19
REMARKS BY
 THE POSTMASTER
BY HAYDEN CHURCH.

Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
 Moses Briggs, postmaster at Scotts- vile, stood in the back room of the post office sorting mail. Briggs was a tall man. and a thin angular one, whose clothes did not fit him. He looked wretchedly shabby as he stood there in his shirt-sleeves, with his faded waistcoat unbuttoned.
 From where he stood. behind the row of pigeonholes, each with It's initial letter Briggs could look through into the front room beyond. It originally had been fitted up as general shop but now the showcases were covered with a thick dust. and the cloth draperies which had shield ed the dry goods on the sic shelves hung moth-eaten and in tatters. No one ever came into the shop" now except to get his mail. The fireplace was filled with rubbish. and all that remained to show where a social cir cle of men had once poked and told stories was one ricketY chair. with broken leg. The place had gone to seed
 Moses Briggs was sorting the after noon mail. He worked mechanically, pausing only occasionally to puzzle over the superscription of a letter Soon there was only one left in his hand, and as ho read It's address he gave a start of surprise. ITO the Postmaster at Scottsville," he read aloud: then walked slowly into the hack part of the room and sat down at table. with his letter in front of him.
 As he sat there the light from a window at the side of the room shone full upon his face His forehead was furrowed with deep wrinkles. his eyes were bloodshot and had no luster in them. His nose was sharp and red, and on each side of 1t were tell-tale patches of tiny pink veinA
 The postmaster picked up the let ter and to it open slowly. using his long foreflnger as a paper-knife. In- side were a return envelope. stamped; a typewrittOn letter. and a printed slip with blank spaces. The letter was addressed: ITO the Postmaster" and it was signed. Briggs noticed, by 'The Golconda Life Insurance Com pany," New York.
 Dear Sir" 1t began. May we re- quest you to favor us by answering the few questions on the inclosed Inquiry sheet and returning 1t to us? The person named has just proposed 10 us for a policy of insurance. and as he lives In your neighborhood we think that you may be both able and willing to oblige us with the data re- quired in such cases"
 It was simply the ordinary inquiry which most insurance companies make regarding applicants who are un- known 10 them. Briggs had answered many such, so 1t was without any sur prise that he opened the accompany ing form to see which of his towns men had been fortifying against ad- versity. As his eye fell on the name. however, he laughed aloud. in his high cracked voice. The person inquired about was Moses Briggs. 40 years of age: occupation. shopkeeper; Scotts- vile; proposing for $1,000."
 Briggs knew how 1t had happened He remembered now signing a pro- posal for S1 .OOO in the "Golconda." but he had no idea of taking a policy. The local agent of the company had asked him to apply, explaining that. thougr his signature bound him to nothing, hls proposal would swell the agency's rec ord of business for the year. The agent had bought Briggs a drink that day. and then proposed his signing as a personal favor--mentioning that it would be better not to give his occu- patton as that of postmaster. So Briggs had signed and again accepted the agents courtesy. and the result was this set of questions
 To Briggs's mind there was some thing grimly humorous in the idea of writing about himself, and so he de-