The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-04-25
A PRETTY MAIL CARRIER.

i lne pOStman was late, Dut the ram
lilies along the rural free delivery
did not wonder. For a week it had
been raining steady downpour that
had turned the country roads into
bogs and meadows into ponds. When
he made his appearance at last. the
mud on the horses knees and the
mud-splashed vehicle told of the hard
journey.
Old Mr.. Daggett did not know that
the mail was so late. The old farm
house, as gray as its owner, stood
some distance back from the road,
and clump of trees shut off the
views from the windows. Mr.. Dag
gett waited till it was half an hour
after time for the mail and then,
slipping into his great-coat and dom
ming his rubber boots, he made his
way to the little wooden mail box,
which he had placed at the roadside,
the front in black letters. He raised
the lid and turned away with sigh.
mo mail today, MOTHER" he told
his old wife, as he splashed back
through the wet. ct was hoping to
get the paper. The days are kind of
long, with nothing to do but to sit
around and wait for it to clear"
"All l care about is your getting
cold," answered his wife. "If your
rheumatism amt worse for wading
through all that water, I'll put up
with not getting any mail" But she
could not help thinking how she
would have enjoyed letter on this
dismal day, when her neighbors were
all shut indoors.
Tessie, whose home was only a
couple of rods from the road, saw old
Mr.. Daggett shake his head over the
empty mail box and then retrace his
steps. Half an hour later the post
man came in view, and Tessie watched
him breathlessly as he halted at the
little wooden box.
"Oh, Mr.. Daggett's got lots of
mail y she cried. Cant take 1t
up to him ?"
Her mother looked doubtful.
You'll get wet.
"Ill change my clothes after l get
in.''
But that will take good deal Of
time. If you do that, Pm afraid it
will be too late to make molasses can
dy before supper"
Poor old Mr.. Daggett | Tessie re-
membered how he had shaken his
head over the empty box.
"I guess I'll take their mail up, "
Tessie decidedly slowly. "The candy
will be just as good tomorrow.
Old Mr.. Daggett was reading last
years almanac when Tessie's foot
step sounded on the piazza. The
mail was under her raincoat, and they
did not see it till Mrs. Daggett had
opened the door to the dripping
caller.
r }g gess5ta bebtSE dSs Sonfh n M e Ss
ss.-,~~... 80 as-.sss sIas .sseit And
there's lot of it. F"
QGIG WdS 1Ol VI ~ III IhO OAN
farmhouse. There was Mr.. Dag
gets paper, and sample number of
a fashion magazine addressed 10 Mrs.
Daggett, and letter from her grand
son in the west. Mrs. Daggett put
away her knitting, and Mr.. Daggett
threw the almanac into the cupboard,
and then they settled down to happy
afternoon.
Looks to me as if it were going to
clear, mother" said Mr.. Daggett. 1t
really seemed to him as if the sun
were trying to come out.
It took the self-appointed mail car
rier some time to repair damages.
She had to change her clothes and
hang the wet things where they would
dry, and clean her muddy shoes. Al
together it took more time than she
had expected. But she did not re-
gret what she had done when she
thought of the happy old faces that
had smiled down at her, and realized
that she had brought into the old
farmhouse little rainy-day sunshine