Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-23

cat was no exception to their kind. In
her eyes no spacious box ever made. nor
the Softest excelsior ever shaved up. could
be compared with the dark corner in the
cellar, safe from inquisitive even though
admiring eyes, and the familiar odor of
the soft old leather mail bags.
But, for some reason. this proved rush
season, and the men had much to occupy
them. Thanksgiving mails are not. as a
rule, exceptionally heavy ones. but a larS-
er quantity than usual was going through
the Rochester Office just then
The night force of clerks had just come
in. and there was the usual hustle and
hustle of the exchange. Nobody thought
of Peggy, and Peggy was glad of it, for
she had little scheme to carry out. The
men were working rapidly upon the out
going eastern mail. for it would close in
ten minutes, and that meant quick work.
Here. Pete, set up another bag ior
Hartford, This one will bust if any more's
!ammed in. Don't like to send out a bag
with fifty or sixty letters in it. but there's
no help for it this time. so out she goes
and one of the men dropped a pile of let
ters into the pouch which Pete slurg
upon the supporting bars Swish, they
went Click went the clasp! Snap went
the lock. not to be opened again until it
was emptied in the Hartford post office
the next morning.
When Wilson came to the office next
morning, and went to his desk to bid
his family in the box good morning, Tom
my Post Office was missing. Peggy
meowed and tried to tell him what had
happened, but Wilson had never studied
cat-latin.
Hustle. boys hustle. hustle, Uncle Sam
doesn't often give his officials a half holt
day! Thanksgiving comes only once a
year. and my landlady has the prize tur-
key of the town waiting for me up yon-
der I know all about him. for bought
him for her and he's dandy" cried
Robert Weston, as he hustled about in his
quick energetic way, doing more in one
minute than the average man could COM
pass in ten. open up those bags, men,
ALTERED lot of them for Thanksgiving
mail. seems to me, Where do they come
from? Rochester? Wonder how the En-
pire state happens to have SO much to
tell about? Down, koko: wh@t's the use
of your trying to stick that snub nose in
this fuss? You Just keep yourself cool
and collected. We can attend to this
little business and not half try
The last words were spoken to a hand
ZONE little spaniel, who, perched high on
shelf which ran along one side of the
receiving room. about four feet above the
sorting table, was fussng and whining
10 be taken down. His master always put
him there for safe keeping" and there
he would remain for hours. watching all
that went on with his sharp, black eyes.
and waiting his ma ster's Come, koko"
| to spring six feet into his arms. confident
| that the arms outstretched to catch him
would not fail him.
| But kOkos ears were sharper than his
masters. and he had heard sound pro-
! Ceeding from one of the mail bags the
like of which he had never heard before.
| y second later there was shaken upon
| the mail table wee, squirting. half
| dead kitten, and koko stood not upon the
order of his going. One wild leap and he
| was on the table. licking and whining
| over poor little Tommy Post Office.
This story cannot stretch out long
| enough to tell YOU how Koko's master
| picked up the forlorn little mite how he
| sent one of the men out for milk and
warmed the milk and fed the little kitten,
with I\oko sitting close beside him and
watching intently, his head cooked know
| ingly to one side the while
| Tommy heartened up wonderfully under
| such care. and took his dinner like lit
| tie major. Wearied from his hustling
| about in the mail pouch he was only too
| glad to snuggle close under koko's pro-
| tecting silky fur, when koko's master
| laying his overeoet upon one corner OF
| tie big table, said
Here old man. you've got your hands
full now. Lie down there and take care
of your infant until We go home to our
| Thanksgiving dinner"
And I<oko was proud of his honors
| The kitten, smuggling close to his warn,
| side. soon went sound asleep, and neither
| animal stirred until. II o'clock striking
from the big clock nearby. the post Office
closed its doors for that day. and its Off
Gals went to their various homes to do
justice to our national gohbler. Then
the kitten took q journey in Robert Wes-
ton s pocket, and not long after was the
center of an admiring group in the big
boarding house where he lived. univer-
sal favorite with old and young anG
every animal upon the place.
An interchange of letters between Roch-
ester and the Hartford post offices
brought about explanations, and Tommy
Post Offices true name was learned.