The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1916-12-07

| Whinny. There was reason for Dea-
cons restlessness. More than an hour
ago he should have been on the move
but here he was still waiting in the
post Office shed, and never a sign or
word from his driver. Deacon, you
/ understand, pulled Uncle Sans mail
over Rural Free Delivery Route No. 2,
| Havertown 2. o. He had pulled it for
! three years, and he was fairly well
versed in the business. At any rate,
he knew that it was past his starting
time. Long before had the sway
back sorrel on Route No 1 taken the
road. The pert little bay mare on No.
8 had followed a few minutes later.
Yet here was Deacon, with the heavi-
est and longest route of them all, still
standing idly in the shed.
Inside, in the HavertOwn post office,
were number of men whose frame Of
mind was worse than Deacon's. One
of them was the postmaster himself.
In the first place, the simultaneous ar
rival of a three-foOt snowfall and the
bulk of the Christmas mail was bad
enough. Next came the disabling Of
one of his best drivers, and the discOv-
cry that two substitute carriers were
out of town. Well, the postmaster
said things. Dan Sweeney, driver of
No. route, was disabled beyond
doubt. There he was sitting on a
pile of mail sacks, his back against a
steam radiator, his face white and
drawn out of shape by twinges of
rheumatism. He had dragged himself
down to the office, but that was all
he could do. Now, although he should
have been sent back to bed, he was
sorting the mail for his route.
1.-THE Christmas mail, too :" groaned
Dan. He had a conscience, Dan had,
and his heart was in his work.
1t was a sight of the great pile of
packages which made Danny groan
deepest. They were more to him than
simply so much fOurth-class matter,
these struggled boxes and bundles.
They were invested with something
besides the statute-guarded sanctity
OF the United States mail, for which !
Dan Sweeney had no light respect. He |
knew that each one of them carried |
not only merchandise but a subtle |
freightage of the gOodly holiday spirit, |
the joyful sentiment of Christmastide. |
And to think, just because of this
plaguey rheumatism of his. many of
them might not be delivered until the
holiday was over with, when they
would come tagging along, as stale as
on the 9TH Of Julyl So
Danny groaned.
'There!" said Danny at last, to the
office clerk who was to attempt the
task, you stow the packages in just
that order and do your best to find
where they go. Old Deaconu take
you over the route all right if you give
him his head. He knows it like a
book"
So the Christmas mail was finally
started out over Route No. ., Deacon
turned an inquiring eye on the new
man. as much as if to ask what was
the matter with Danny.
No sooner had they reached JoePs
road, where the route began. than
Deacon realized the inexperience of
he new man. Why, he was actually
going to drive right past the Powers
place, and the Powers almost always
lad mail of some kind, even if it
wasn't more than a poultry magazine
II a seed catalogue. After one or
wO such mistakes Deacon took charge
# things himself. From house TO
house he went, stopping wherever he ,,
lud been in the habit of calling wait
ne until the new carrier found who
ived there and had looked through let
ers and parcels to see il he had any 4
hing for them.
All the forenoon and all the after
OOn this went on, but when the red
I'm went down in the frosty west there l
till remained half a hundred letters 5
s,1b ,s,fb ,,.sN .,sh ,s,s ,,s s, .n ,, ,n ,, -,