The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08
In Getting Mail At The Punk
 vile PoStoffiCe
HE MISSES HIS TRAIN
Exasperatins Independence of Country Federal Official Wears Patience
 Out-Would Put Powdered | Glass in His Cider.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
 Met Up with a country postmaster the other day who-wel1, no, I won't say hankered to mix powdered glass in his hard cider. l won't say that, because I've got to go back to that neighborhood again sooner or later and I feel as If I've been spotted by enough country postmasters already" said a travelling salesman whose tours are all made in country districts.
 'I covered that county in about five days, dividing around from one general store to another in a blackboard that hired In the county seat town. On the day before ] finished the county I got a wire from my firm stating that check covering my expense account had been mailed to me at the Punkville postoffice. Why the pinheads in charge of drum mers' expense accounts for my firm had sent the check 10 Punkville instead of to the county seat town only four miles away, I don't know. except that I'd dated an order from Punkville. which probably caused 'en to suppose that I had an- chorded in Punkvile and made 1t my county headquarters.
 "So I had to drive out from the coun- ty seat town to Punkville on the morning Of the day I was due to get the check. I was to take the 12 30 train out of the county seat town. I pulled into Punk vile in my blackboard at 11:15 I'd been told that the mail was due there about that time, and l didn't have much mar gin to get my check and make the four mile return to catch the 12:3o train. And so I was In a heap of hurry and prob- ably looked it. But it's a mistake look ing like you're in hurry almost any where in the country, but particularly in the country district south of Mason and Dixon line where this happened If there's one thing they take particular delight in down there it's sdetracking hustling Yanks-especially drummers- who act as If they're in a rush
 "Punkville consists of the store in which the postoffice is located and the generally deserted blacksmith shop across the road therefrom It's one of those postoffices not yet rigged with rural de- livery. to which the farmers drive fin to get their mail-seed catalogs and the prize giving weeklies published in Maine every once in while when they hap pen to think of 1t and are not hayin or chopin fodder or harrowin' the 40 or smokin the hog meat or doin' suthin' else.
 T hooked my horse to the hitching rail out in front and trudged into the store humbly enough. It was one of those stores that smelt of salt mackerel mil dewed prunes. weary codfsh and hold over cheese and with coalscuttles and gloves and sunbonnets and halters and such like all strung together overhead on wires or ridge ropes. Five or six one gallus wool-hatters sat around on boxes and barrels. Two or three of them had stalled themselves to good cigars, two for nickel, upon getting in, and that added to the reek.
 T noticed 'em winking at each other when I stepped in. I looked like howl ing dude to them, you see, because I wore coat in warm weather and had on a pair of russet shoes and such frivolous gear; hence the winlks.
 ''The postmaster was doing up a quar- ter of a pound of tea when I arrived He was about 60 and he had whislkers in his ears and a wart on either side of his nose.
 i" Mornin,' sir I said to him in my normally polite tone. Mail in yet?'
 He didn't reply for about 20 seconds He was too busy gazing me over, up and down over the tops of his specs
 Air you all int t'usted in the Punk vile mail, suh" he asked me In a severe tone, as much as to say that I was slam ming ir and had no business there at all
 ." I've got a check coming here by this mornin's mail l said to him.
 Oh. yo' have?' said the postmaster, still severe in his tone. How d' yo' know yo' have?'
 "Well, I knew that it wouldn't get me anything if I told him that 1t was none of his dadbinged hankypank yapperino business how I knew 1t. although I sure ached to tell him that and lot more
 "'Because I've received advices to that effect I said.
 "Ain't no mail heah yit,' he chopped out then.
 Expecting 1t directly?' asked him.
 "'We all hain't mucn on the expec aroun' Punkville, suh,' replied the post master wittily, winking at the one-gal- Nluses clustered around on the boxes and
 Arres, and l could see their shoulders shaking over the postmaster's humor I sat
 "rThree or four minutes later a cart clattered up in front of the Punkville postoffice and a boy lugged in the eath- CT mail bag. l was glad to see him. It looked as If I might make my train after all.
 "The postmaster dumped the little bundle of mail In the bottom of the sack on to the gummy floor back of the coun- ter and then seating himself on an up- ended nail keg he began leisurely to sort out the newspapers first. When he came to a newspaper addressed to him nIf 1,a alf afo1xr Fnd thA