Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-06-12
HOW fife POSTAL BILL
 WAS CARRIED
fOrigiiiai.


 -1S39, the second year after the good Queen Victoria ascended the throne 1 of England the postOftice was very different bureau from what it is today. i The mail was ail carried on coaches, and the charges on letters were In pro- portion to the distance they were trans ] mitted, ranging from 16 to 40 cents 1 for a letter weighing an ounce, anG were collected when the letter was de ,iyered. Since tue value of a shilling was proportionately much greater then than now tue cost of postage, especially ou 8 letter sent from one extremity of the Kingdom to another, was, to the poor, prohibitive.
 Sir Roderick stepped up to the de livery window and, finding a young ! woman, a maidservant, there, waited. The clerk had handed her letter, and sAe was looking at the superediption. Presently she sighed and turned to ! leave. The clerk called her back.
 "This is the third time this week you've been here to ask for letters, and, though I've had one for you every time you've called"
 "Whats the matter, lassie?" asked Sir Roderick. Cant you pay for yonr letter."
 T haven't the money, sir"
 Whom is 1t from?"
 "My young man, sir
 "What is the postage?" asked the baronet of the clerk. "A shilling fourpence." replied the clerk.
 Sir Roderick took the amount from his wallet and laid it before the clerk. Glancng at the grl to see how pleased she would be to read the letter from her lover he noticed a peculiar expression on her face, while she shook her head, as much as to say, Don't do it. But it was too late. The clerk had taken the money, and the lettex was in the haronet's hand. He gave it 1 to the girl. and the two walked out of the postoifice together. When they req ched the street Sir Roderick took out an eyeglass and read the super scription on the letter.
 The name was Beth T. E. R. Perk. y Sir Roflerick was puzzled. He had never seen 80 many initials in the name of ono in hcr class. You are Beth Perk, suppose he said.
 "Yes, sir; on that letter Sometimes I'm Bess, Elizabeth Betsy or one O the other names as belongs to Eliza beth
 The good man looked at her wonder inHly. And you seem to have good many other names. judging from the initials"
 "The letters. sir Them differs. Sometimes there's three. like this hnc sometimes two, and once there was i've, but that was only once and was necessary"
 Sir Roderick took the glass out of his eye and surveyed the girl from head 10 foot. What could she mean: He was too we'll bred to ask even one so far be- meath him to explain matter in which he could not possibly be expected te have an interest, so he simply looked at her.
 well here's your letter." he said. handing 1t to her.
 Please, sir, don't want it."
 Don't want it.
 'No, sir There's nothing in it, sir"
 Nothing in 1t? Then why He paused.
 T tried to stop you payin' for 1t, sir. It's this way. sir My young mans valet to a laird in the north O Scot land, sir. The postage on letter from him is one and four. sir. so we has a way O writin' on the back O the letter as we both knows what it means. h. side there's nothin' but sheet O pa per. with nothin' on it. l goes to the postoffice and calls for the letter and knows what it says by the writin' on the outside Then l hands it back to the clerk and pays nothin'. l won't mind tellin' you what this one says if you won't look at me. Beth means sweetheart T. means time. B. R. means one month-that is, it's one month before we're to be married"
 Sir Roderick, who was a statesman, stood looking down upon the girl think ing. The postal laws enabled him as one of the nations rich men and legis- lators to send a piano through the mails free, if he chose, but the poor must pay for an ounce of paper. The next day Rowland HilIs bill for uniform inland penny postage was to come up in the house of commons and Sir Roderick had proposed to kill 1t It now occurred to him that the gov ernment was carrying this girls love letters free, whereas the charge of penny might be paid not only by her but by thousan nds of others who coulc not pay the high rates.
 "Beth." he said. tearing open the let ter and glancing at piece Of blanl paper within, when you want to senG another letter to your lover come tt me-" he handed her card. "and r shall cost you nothing; I'll frank it fol l vor, And bore'S a wedding present fO]