The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-25
P0STOFF|CE men
HAVE HANDS FULL
Not Much Fun in Christmas
Packages When They're
Burying You.
WILL DELIVER TO-DAY
MissOula Office Keeps Open
to Handle Tremendous
Business.
WILL DELIVER TODAY


more provocative of curiosity than IA
package coming through the mail at
'"ristmas time" Perhaps it is a
small. neat package about the size
and shape of cigar box PERHAPS it
IS a smaller package wrapped i'm white
tissue paper and tied with a rod rib
hHn. Perhaps ii is large and bulky.
tut Whatever its nature, there is at
tached to that package an enchant-
mont, Il mystery. a charm. which never
falis to arouse in its victim curiosity.
oid or young. it matters not. every
ono Is 1iable-ereryone but the mail
man.
One Is Fun: Hundred. Work,
u 1t has ever been Your privilege to
-" bow W." Christmas mail is handled
in the Missoula postoffice YOU will
understand why this individual is an
exception to the rule. II is hard to
see the beautiful in the yellowja cket
That Just stung you, Perhaps for the
same reason the external charm of
me Christmas package is lost when It
is such packages that keeps a man
al the work of sorting and delivering.
stamping and classifying, 30 hours ont
Of the day.
Thirteen Trains Day.
There are thirteen trains which
each day bring mail to this city. At
Christmas time. about 40 wagon loads
OF plump canvas sacks are brought
from these trains to the postoffice
mere Is q CHATTER of wagon on the
pavement outside: sacks are dumped
in through the back door and the
work begins. 1t is long, monotopous
Work; monotonous even if in the
course Of carrying it out, several hun
dreds of Christmas packages ar.
handled. Here "A street number ha
been left out of the address. Here tn,
writing is all but unreadablc on this
package the rain has dimmed tho
writing and on this one the name
has been msspelled. When the enc
at last comes in sight. there comes
again the sound of wagon on the
pavement outside and more sacks are
dumped in through the back door.
What mail has been sorted must b,
delivered And mail delivered a
| Christmas means five or six eytr;
trips. Again. there is the outgoin.
mail. which is subject to the same cr
rors as is the incoming.
All the Joy Out Of Life.
But we don't mind it so much a
others might think" said one of tn
| clerks yesterday. I'VE have to wor
overtime, | know, and it would be fin
l lot,
selves. But it is all right so long. a
people don't complain. We feel tina
we are doing something for the com
| pletion of the happy season. and tina
| feeling clears away Il lot of threaten
| ing discomfort But when someon
!, Kicks because we are a little late,
does make it rather bad
To Deliver Mail Today
| The postoffice force has put up
| plucky fight to keep ahead of the cX
| cess Christmas mail. but yester,la
, they lost out. The increase was to
| much for the force which could b
| mustered. 1t is impossible to get an
extra help, and the regular force Ia
been working overtime for the las
| week. But the fight has not bee
abandoned The work will contint
! today. There will be one and pe1
haps two deliveries made despite tn
| fact that the day is Christmas Thos
who receive notices of registered pack
ages on packages too large to dclive
may obtain them this morning at II
delivery window. The mail is pilin
up and Postmaster j. w. Lister YES
tcrdaN expressed the hope that peop
will call and get waiting packages
| We're way under now. but befo,
| Christmas night we hope to see OF
| way out again said Mr.. Lister yestei
day. There is more mail in the OF
| flee now than there has ever been ;
u single time before. We want exit
men to help us. but can get none WI
know anything about the bushes
! With one or two deliveries on Chris
mas we will get back to our ou
again | think. This doubtless is Il
worst day. 1t has always been so
| the past