Show dr w wI wJ I J Deacon W y JIe e Ibok k kELM Out Y 2 ELM C Foi OST things Deacon took as ns ash h they came carne and with great grent I t w calmness of spirit for he lie was an nn tempered even old 1 I horse whose hose disposition a n dozen years filled with t the usual i allotment of j equine adversity had thoroughly seasoned Yet A now he was pawing and stamping as ns Impatiently as any year four At intervals intervals in In- he would stretch his neck thrust forward his old white nose ld t Indulge In tn- in a n c complaining whinny There W woo J tl reason son for Deacons Deacon's Deacons Deacon's Dea Deu- cons con's More than an nn hour ago ego he o Q ild have been on the move sere nere ere he was waB still sUll waiting in the post office shed and never a n sign or word from his driver Deacon you understand pulled Uncle Sams Sam's mail mall over Rural Free Delivery Route No 2 A Havertown P. P O. 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 war past his starting time Long before had the swayback swayback swayback sway- sway back sorrel on Route No 1 taken the road The pert pert little little bay mare on No 3 had followed a n few minutes later Yet here bere was Deacon with the heaviest heaviest est and longest route of them all nU still standing idly in the shed Inside in the Havertown post office were a number cf of men whose frame of mind was worse than Deacons One t i c 1 1 I 9 9 I i But Deacon Would Not Turn of them was the the postmaster himself In the first place the simultaneous arrIval arrival arrival ar ar- ar- ar rival of a n three-foot three snowfall and the bulk of the Christmas mail was bad enough Next came the disabling of one of his best drivers and the discovery discovery discovery ery that two substitute carriers were out of town Well the postmaster ster s said ld things Dan Sweeney driver of No 2 route wits was disabled beyond he was sitting on a doubt There re pile of mall sacks his back against a steam radiator his face white and f by twinges of drawn out of shape rheumatism He had dragged himself down to the office but that was all he could do Now although he should have been tent sent back to bed he a was sorting the rail call x ail for his route The Christmas mail mall too 1 groaned Dan He had a conscience Dan Dun had and his heart was in his work of the great pile of It was was- wasa a n sight made Danny groan which packages more to him bin than deepest They were simply so much nuch uch fourth-class fourth on matter these tied string-tied boxes and bundles Invested with something They were sanctity statute-guarded statute b besides the of the United States mail for which respect He light Sweeney had no Dan Tt that each each one of them carried but a subtle merchandise only not of the goodly holiday spirit ot of Christmastide e. e sentiment the because of this think just And to or of rheumatism of his many until the might not be them they holiday was over with when stale as along as lagging would come of July So the firecrackers ers cn en groaned Danny at last las to the theoffice theoffice There I said Danny to attempt the who was office cle deck k packages In just task yea yO stow the best to find do your and that order take Old they go give v route all rIght If yoU you over the It like a knoWS hi him his head He book mall mail was finally So the Christmas Route No Deacon cOn started out over on the new eye e inquiring turned nn an ask what was I If to ns as m much as till ht matter with Danny ny I No i had they leached Joel road rond where the tine route began than tha Deacon realized the Inexperience In erl nce o ot 01 the new man Why he was actually going to drive right past the Powers' Powers place and the Powers alm almost st always had mall mail an of some som kind even if it wasn't more than a poultry magazine or a n seed catalogue After one or two such mistakes Deacon took charge of U things himself From house to house he went stopping wherever he had hud been in the habit of calling waiting wait wait- in ing n until the new carrier found who lived there and had looked through letters letters letters let let- and parcels to see if he had anythIng any any- anything thing for them All AU the forenoon and all nU the afternoon afternoon after after- noon this went on but when the red sun went down in the frosty west there still remained half a n hundred letters and more than a n peck of l' l packages to tobe tobe tobe be delivered The new man was hungry hungry hungry hun hun- gry and tired but he was no quitter So he begged some hay and oats for Deacon borrowed a n lantern and together together together to to- gether they started to finish the route As for Deacon his bIs old knees were stiffer than ever his shoulder muscles ached his this flanks heaved like eke a pair of blacksmiths blacksmith's s bellows but he be plunged on never skipping a n single house never hesitating at nt a n roundabout half half- mile doing his whole duty quite as ns thoroughly as if there had been someone someone someone some some- one behind to urge him on Instead of ot ofa ofa ota a numbed cold-numbed clerk who had no longer even touched the reins At last only one letter was left a n thick bulky one In a n blu blue blua waterproof envelope bearing a foreign fore n postmark Josiah Braisted Esq was the address Braisted eh muttered the clerk Wonder V onder If the old horse knows where he lives Evidently Deacon did for he was plowing through a n Big tig drift heading straight out ont on a the Boston road into the T dI ess Far th ahead ad on the top of ot a n long hill the clerk could see tho the lights of a big house There were no other lights between Miles Mlles behind he could make nake out the glow of the city The clork clerk wished he ho could be back there where one could be warm again and get something hot to eat With numb fingers he pulled out his watch past Half-past nine I Why it would take them a n good two hours to drive back now I 1 Braisted be hanged He co could ld get his letter after Christmas So he grabbed the reins and indicated Indicated indicated indi Indi- to Deacon a desire to turn around But Deacon would not turn Pull on the rein as be might Deacon would only swing his head about l keeping e 1 Ing his legs moving straight ahead By much shouting and sawing on the reins Deacon was stopped Then the new driver waded out to his ills head took tool him by the tho bits and tried to point the horse the other way Deacon Deacon Dea Dea- con refused to budge Those lights on the top of the long hill hilt marked marker the end of the route and Deacon Dear know knew w it And to those lights went J Josiah Braisted asked the driver drivel curtly of the young woman w who o answered his ring Oh its it's come I Ihs Ih's s 's come I she sho shouted to someone within as she held out her hand eagerly 1 for r the letter Never before had be he seen seea so much excitement caused by the delivery ofa ota of ot ofa a letter In a n moment there ere were three or four p persons In tb th front hall all nU talking at nt once Do you think it will save him doctor doctor doc doc- tor asked the faced anxious old ludy lady who had followed the girl to the I door It lilt will if anything will m u Ill I guess answered a stout bearded man And he mounted the stairs to see the patient patient pa pa- tient In the upper room Then they insisted that the half half- frozen clerk come inside and have Nava something to eat at Deacon Oh they would take care of Deacon They did all this and more It seemed th that t this letter Jetter had been long expected and was sadly needed for it came from a prodigal prod prod- prodigal igal son to a very sick father It had Its effect too Of course the clerk told them of Deacons Deacon's heroic stubbornness of how the old horse nod nad insisted on going to the very end o of the tho route when he lie had hud tried to turn him back Josiah Braisted Esq heard the story during hl his convalescence I I 1 must t tell ll my son about that when he comes home he would repeat as I they told him of the part Deacon played ed in the story We ought to do something for that old horse he said They did too loo The office clerk who will first show you a handsome gold watch tells the story best beat always s 's ending ending ending end end- ing ing with And old Deacon why ho lives out there on the Braisted place like a n thoroughbred Hes He's in clover he Is Well Dan Sw Sweeney eney will add its no moren he deserves Old Deacon was a mighty good horse hols In his day and mighty St. St. St St. Louis GIol eI e e- I Democrat II |