Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-11-20
Romance Comes to
Matte Lou
BY CHARLES s. REID
)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOC



MATTE LOU ARVEY was looking
ANA her prettiest, which was very
pretty indeed, as she appeared In her
new pink chambray dress which she
had made herself, for Matte Lou was
an exceptional seamstress for her
eighteen years. She had put third
of her last quarters pay into that
dress, for recently she had wanted to
be attractive, not that she thought
anything would ever come Of 1t.
Old Tench Arvey owned small
store at the flag station of "Arvey" on
the Saddle-back mountain. Tench was
sawmill logger, and his daughter
Matte Lou kept the store and the post
office. Once each day a small sack Of
mail was taken off, and one delivered
to the train going up the mountain.
1t was said that the construction
engineers of the railroad had made an
error in their calculations when the
roadbed was laid out up the mountain,
and had allowed the road to be graded
to percentage of incline almost twice
as heavy as had been intended. Ac-
cordlngly, trains stopped at Arvey. on
flag, only on the way down. They
dared not come to stop going up, as
1t would have been next to impossible
for them to get going again toward
the top of the mountain on such a
grade. Passengers going north were
compelled to board the south-bound
train, and catch an up-bound one at
junction at the foot Of the mountain.
The mail bags were delivered to the
trains from an arm which had been
prepared near the track.
Matte Lou had to climb small lad
der In order to hang the mail bag up
on the arm from which 1t might be
She had been standing on this lad
der, two rungs from the ground, when
romance came for her that day, four
months before. It was the morning
when the new mail clerk had gone up
the mountain on his first run on that
division. He was young fellow, with
laughing blue eyes, and crinlIly brown
hair. He had been looking ahead
from the car doorway when he espied
Matte Lou. Squatting on the door
plate, he had swung down upon the
lever Of the mail hook as the train
rolled by Matte LOUIS ladder; and he
had cried almost in the girls ear:
Gee; but you are a peach of a
girl"
Then he had waved back at her, as
the train slowly climbed the grade be-
yond. Since that morning Matte Lou
had been dreaming, although she knew
there was little chance of realization.
She told herself she was not in love
with the mail clerk, but 1t was nice
to think of him rs sweetheart.
Once he had dropped at her feet by
the railroad track a large box OF
candy. Matte Lou had never tasted
any candy that had been half so de.
hcious. The second day following
ills she had tied bouquet of noun.
tain wild flowers to the mail sack
which she hung on the arm. And this
time the mail clerk had kissed his
haH1 towards Matte Lou, as the train
Climbed the grade; and his eyes had
seemed TO be laughing with unusual
happiness. At another time he had
dropped off a whole box of oranges
with card attached.
"'ro Miss Postmistress," the card
lnd said, from Joe Perry. the mail
3cr!.."
The train on which he made his re-
tnin trip always went down at mid
night. 50 Matte Lou never had seer
him. except on moving train. His
days up the road were Mondays, Wed
hcS'lays and Fridays. Today was
Friday. Mattie Lou had done hei
hair after n most bewitching fashion
and had tied a ribbon about her neck
Also. she had gathered large bou
quet OF the choicest wild azaleas from
the mountainslde. and had tied then
to the mail bag. Then she had seat
ed herself little way up the track
so that she might see Joe Perry in tn,
| moment after he had caught the flow
ers.
Presently the long station sigma
| fell upon her ears, and her hear
lcapcd for Joy. Slowly the locomotive,
lahorcd up the track with its train
AS the mail car rounded little curv,
just below the station. a head an,
shout lers were thrust from the door
way. Instantly Matte Lou sprang t.
her feet. The man in the mail ca
was not Joe Perry, but big, middle
aged man with whiskers on his face
Like the wind Matte Lou flew I,
the ladder ScramblIng quickly I'm
ward she snatchad t,a fiowera from