Evening star., 1934-05-30
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

OLD WAYBILLS. BY Alvin F. Har-
low. New York: D. Appleton
Century Co.
The romance of the express COM
panies, with all of the glamour and
the picturesque background which
the term implies, is the fascinating
subject of this third volume in the
series of chronicles by Alvin F. Har-
low of the vast interviewer spider
web of the transportation services
which have performed a major role
in the spectacular drama of the rapid
development of American civilization
In this volume, as In "Old Tow
paths" and in "Old Postbags," years
of patient research were required in
the collecting and tabulating of the
mass of documentary material upon
which such a comprehensive au-
thoritative work must be constructed
and Mr.. Harlow has achieved an
almost superhuman task in each OF
these enchanting histories. His
personal equipment has been ideal
for, in addition to his natural talent
for literary work, he was born in the
transportation world. His father was
an expressman, and a large part OF
his childhood was spent in and about
those majestic monsters of speed
which to every normal little boy
represent the utmost of thrills
trains. His first position was in an
express Office, and America is richer
in knowledge and in appreciation as
a result of the happy combination
of his inborn interest In the trans
portation services and his mastery OF
an artistic style of literary presenta-
ton.
1t is a far cry from those early
days when the matter of sending q
package from one town to another
was a difficult and hazard problem
which might require period of time
from a week to a month. to the
present day swift airplane service
which spans the breadth and length
Of the land In a steadily decreasing
number of hours. The process in
1928 is described by Mr.. Harlow as
being something like the following
imaginary story:
| n
John Dunkins, carpenter of South
Dewbury, Connecticut, is working on
new building at Bucksboro, some
forty miles from his home. Tht
weather has turned frosty and Mrs
Dunkins knows he will need his over
coat There are no parcels post
no express service and the cost OF
sending it by mail would be ruinous
Mrs. Dunkins, after no little worry or
the subject, ties the coat up in 9
newspaper and walks the two miles tc
the tavern where the stagecoacf
stops.
WAL, yes, I callate kin tend tt
it. Wes Tackett, the stage driver ad-
mits reluctantly (shrewd, close-flstec
chap, WesD, as If carrying parcel
weren't a cherished and lucrative
sideline with him. Course, I CANT
take it all the way to Bucksboro, but
1 kin leave it at the tave'n at Burn
tree Corners. and they kin send il
over from there by a wagon ol
| Suthin'.'"
Dear me, I'm so afraid it'll get
lostl worries Mrs Dunkins.
mot a mite O. danger Yves as.
sures her. 'Everybody'll take the best
o. care of it,
What do you charge?' asked Mrs
Dunkins.
WAL, eighteenpence-in advance
is the regular fee for that distance.
1 foltoro
kins, opening her fiat little purse anc
peering into it nervously. That's al
awful lot of money-and times 81
hard-and so many mouths u
feed
WAL, I'll tell ye,' says the driver
touched by the evident thinness o
the purse, wouldn't want ye TO men
ton it to anybody. but, jest as a spe
cial favor. I'll make it shillin'.'
Even that sum is heavy tax OF
the family exchequer, but Mrs. Dun
kins pays it, so overwhelmed by tn
magnitude of the transaction that sh
forgets to question whether she
paying for the whole distance.
Got anybody goin' over Bucksbort
way?' asks Yves two hours later Of tn
landlord Of the General Putnam Tav
ern at Burntree Corners.
"'Old Hec Potts goes up there will
his wagon a-Tuesdays,' says the land
lord.
Package for feller named Dun
kins up there says Yves, producing il
Carpenter workin' on a new buildin
Wife sendin' him his overcoat. M
charges is paid, but no more
Take this up to Bucksboro,' say
the landlord on the following Tues
day to old Hec Potts. Collect six
pence on it for me. The feller's
transient, a carpenter workin' on ;
new buildin' there
New Masonic Hall. callate,' sur
misses Hec. only buildin' going up II
town
LAS his terminus is beyond Bucks
boro and he has the belief that n
covers his route at high speed, b
hasn't the time to stop and look u
Mr.. DunkinS, so he leaves the pack
age at his regular stopping place Il
Bucksboro, the Sickle and Scyth
Tavern.
'Eighteenpence due on it, he in
forms the landlord, to which the lat
ter may add another sixpence for hi
own trouble. unless Dunkins happen
to be a good customer.
And so, supposing that the parce
doesn't get lost on the way, Dunkin
finally receives his overcoat afte
nearly a weeks delay and, unless h
can talk somebody out of it, the ex
penditure of a sum for carriage which
even in these gilded days would b
considered exorbitant."
X X \ \
OF course, that picturesque littl
yarn does not mean that every parce
was so handled, for there were man,
carriers of such precious possession
who accepted responsibility for tn
safe delivery of package as a cour
teous privilege and exacted n
charges. But the actual foundation
of the stupendous network of expires
services of today had its beginning II
the involved and undependable &C
commodation which was rendered
century ago by the coach driver
pictured in the fictitious character o
Yves Tackett.