Evening star., 1938-01-30
HOLIDAY POST. TOLL
Regular Carriers Have New Routine in
Serving Public, but Are Not Under
Necessity of Carrying Loads.

lar occupation. Some applicants ar
range to get leave from their regular
Jobs during the pre-Christmas period,
for If they can get place as substi-
tute they will get from $50 to $40,
which is more than they would make
at their regular work.
They are called in some time in ad-
vance for a period of training, in
which the regular carrier on the route
to which they, will be assigned CO.
operates, for during the rush period
he seldom sees them. They usually do
very we'll at it. but once in a while
there are slip-ups. One substitute on
Bills route started his first day by
delivering each bundle Of mail to the
address on the top envelope in the
bundle. He never united the bundles
at ADJUST assumed that the whole
lot went to that one address, jammed
the bundle in the mail box or hung
it on the doorknob and walked on
OF course, he was through with his
delivery in no time, and returned to
the post Office feeling quite pleased
with himself. His supervisor, whose
suspicious were aroused by his phe-
nomenal speed, began to question
him-and the truth came to light. A
rescue squad was rushed out to pick
up the mail and deliver it to the cor
rect addresses and the substitute car
rier had very red face for some time.
DURING the holiday rush period
Bill loses contact with the people
on his route, which is pleasant fea-
ture OF his job. A postman in a resi-
dental neighborhood gets acquainted
with his customers and considers
many OF them as friends He also gets
to know good deal more about them
than they realize. The constant stream
Of bills and envelopes bearing the
names of collection agencies, which
come to the family living beyond its
means; the letters from children away
at school, which fond mothers look
for anxiously; the letters from rela-
tives back home, to get which lone
some Government employees await
Bills arrival at the corner, so that
they will receive them little sooner;
they all tell their story.
There is a young man living on
Bills route who is trying his hand as
writer Of fiction and whose mail is
correspondingly heavy He met Bill
on the street the other day and gave
him very black look.
you certainly fixed M up this
morning." he said accusingly. That
was a fine batch of mail you left.
Three rejected manuscripts and an
income tax blank"
Bill doesn't particularly enjoy bring
ing mail which he knows will depress
people. There is one kind of mail"
h' says, that certainly hate to
deliver. That is those envelopes with
the black border around the edges"
And he can tell stories of the reaction
OF people to those black-bo~dered en-
velopes, of women who have screamed
and almost tainted as they learned of
the death OF some loved one.
On the other side are the letters
with good news. Bill likes to remem-
Der the registered letter he delivered
just before Christmas to an old gentle
man whom he has come to know well.
The man is retired Government
accountant. struggling to make ends
meet on meager income. His wife is
ailing; he had to mortgage their little
house to provide money for the medical
bills. AS he signed for the registered
letter he talked to Bill about it. It
was bleak looking Christmas that he
was facing.
Next day he was waiting when Bill
came with the morning mail, and his
lace was beaming. The registered let
ter was from New York lawyer.
announcing bequest from a distant
relative-a sum large enough to nav
OF the mortgage and leave something
over
Il have seldom seen a man so
happy" Bill says. 1T made me feel
good to recall it for days afterward :"
THIS friendly contact with his GUS
toners is pretty much suspended
during the holidays. Between substi-
tute carriers and mail deliveries at
unusual hours, people get confused
and don't look for their regular car
rier. But they don't forget him: in
fact, another thing that makes Bill
feel good is the way they remembered
hlm this year. They gave him six or
seven neckties, several pairs of socks.
an assortment of cigars, a quart of
wine, a pint Of whisky and over $50
in cash.
Bill doesn't like to emphasize all
this, because he doesn't want to give
the impression that he or any mail
carrier is soliciting presents. They
are Government employees, and they
don't want or expect presents from the
people they serve. But they think of
many of them as friends, and when
your friends remember you at Christ
mas time it's only natural to appre-
ciate it.
Well. it's over for another wear
The Christmas tree is living in the
vacant lot, and Bill, like the people to
whom he brings mail, has gone back
TO his regular routine. He has his
presents, and the recollection OF a
week OF gruelling work, and his over
tlme money. most of which went to
pay holiday bills. It only comes once
year, and Bill Jones, like the rest
OF US, is rather glad of it.