The Huttig news. (Huttig, Ark.) 1907-1955, 1908-03-14


did not put in an appearance for days
at time. 1t was during these periods
and while sitting by a comfortable
fire, that l could picture to myself how
sturdily | would have gone over the
route every living day. How l scorned
at his delaying at any trif1e like wealth
er. How Cecile and I wondered at
his hardihood in drawing the salary
when he did not come around. Why
he might as we'll have been holding
down political job.
Yet in spite of all these manifest
shortcomings, our carrier was one of
the best fellows that ever lived. He
would accommodate you by bringing
a pitching team of "bronks" to
standstill and fumbling around in the
cold for two-cent postage stamp as
cheerily as though he was doing some
thing big in the syndicate line of busi.
ness, and even when there was moth.
ing at all in the world for you at the
office he gladdened your heart with
the poor guesse5 at the weather which
the government "sharps" had printed
on little pink slips of paper and scat
tered through the country.
These prophecies hit it just about
once out of II; l never knew them to
make a better average than that. And
even at that they beat the worlds
coming to an end" prophets all hollow.
When the representations said Cool
err, with showers" and the weather
had been hot, we always knew it
would be hotter, and absolutely dry.
When the slip said DRY, and hot
westerly Winds" we got in plenty of
wood. and set the various oxer.shoes
where they would be handy and saw
where the umbrellas had crawled
away to. 1t was a matter of ease to
simply go contrary to the predictions
and come out all right, and in this
way they were great help.
When the roads got very bad in our
particular district, the men got out |
just before a freeze, if they could time
it. and dragged the roads with split
logs or heavy planks. Then when 1T
froze up tight, the dragged spaces
were as hard and smooth as a boule-
ward, almost Then would the carrier
gayly dash along these thoroughfares
and deliver the mail betimes. If the
roads were hardly passable he simply
hitched and made a try, and then went
back to the barns.
About the time when the cold winds
came, and the promise of bitter wealth
er grew brighter every minute, there
was movement among the nelghbors
to chip in and get our carrier little
something in the way of an overcoat
and a pair of fur gloves to keep the
coop of canvas. So one of the farmers
a few miles away came to our house
to "tap" me for a contribution. 1t was
a memorable affair.
He knocked at the door and I adj
mitted him, and he took off his over
coat and heavy fur cap and squared
around comfortably to the stove.
brought pan of apples, he introduced
himself, and we sat and talked about
the crops, the weather, hunting and
fishing, and all sorts of topics. l knew
exactly what he had come for, he
knew I knew what his mission was,
and yet there was not the slightest
haste or precipitation. / should judge
we talked fully two hours, and finally
he approached with due deliberation
the subject on which he came to the
house about. l met his observations
with just as much deliberation as they
had been submitted, and after prop
er circumspection and circumlocution
I put up my overcoat "ante" and we
shook hands and he departed.
How many times we went to the
gate together, unlocked it or rather
lifted its latch, walked out on the
winding country road, looked eastward
to where the Illinois rolled between its
heavily timbered banks, and watched
for the little white-topped square of
the carriers buggy. Ship ahoy! How
many times the little square passed.
1t was refreshing, occasionally, to
get letters from eastern capitalists ex-
tolling the opportunities of purchas-
ing some of their gilt-edged securities,
particularly if you had just been out
and killed a mess of young squirrels
for supper.
Receiving and writing letters was one
of the joys of our life on the farm,
and even when we berated tagging
correspondents, and wondered why
people wouldn't write, the sight of the
well-known strip of canvas to the east
ward set our minds to guessing and
wondering what the lottery of life had
| for us in the approaching buggy, and
we shall always have a kindly corner
in our hearts for our rural delivery.
ERNEST MCCARTHY.