Show da I 1 now me ow he christmas 1 moll fau xa OST things thing do deacon took nn 1 I they came and with mat great calmness of spirit lor for he be was an own even tempered old imme horse who whose disposition a dozen de years year filled with N the file usual fien I 1 allotment all otmen t of equine adversity L had ad thoroughly seasoned yet BOW he pawing mol and stamping as impatiently as any IT fourbear tour cearold old at intervals be would stretch hla his neck k thrust forward his old white whit nose it la izi bulge d u d a in 1 a t whinny there that wid rason tor for don aca con a restless matles a more than an hour ago go he aalde slit tc have boo been on the move but bill cere or he we was still waiting in the post office shelf shed and never a sign or word w r from bis h driver 11 er deacon iou on bleche under understand pulled p ab ed uncle sim a 3 mail over rural kural free delivery route no ho i 2 havertown Haver town P 0 he ere had pulled it tor three years and he was fairly welt well versed d 1 in the blis business inesm at noy any rate lie he knew that tt it was waa past his star starting time L long cog before had the way eway back sorrel up on route root no 0 o 1 taken the road mad the pert little bay mare on no iso 3 had followed a few minutes later yet let here was deacon do with the favl h tivi est eat and longest route of them all still standing kill in the shed inside in the Fler town post office were ere a number ef cf men chose has frame of mind we was worse than deacon a one isla of IS I 1 XI I 1 silt but deacon would not turn of them was the postmaster himself in 1 the fact place the arrival of a three fout foot snowfall and the bulk of true the Chree tume mail vas had bad enough text next mine came the disabling of one of his best beat drivers driver and the da dl l erv that two substitute carriers se were re out of town well the Pos postmaster truest or sold bald things dan sweeney driver of wo no 2 route mute was disabled db lid beyond doubt there he was sitting on a pile of mail sacks aults hla his back a steam radiator his ace ice white and drawn out of shape lisp by bainge of rheumatism he ere had dragged himself down to the fie office but that was nil all he ha could do now although he should have been sent back to bod bed he be was wai sorting the mail cail for his route the christmas mull mail too groaned dan he had 4 a conscience g ahme do dan had bad alg ej and ld his heart v was I 1 his work it we was a sight eight of the great pill pile of packages which made danny groan green they were were laore to him from simply z BO 0 roch r och florid class mail wintter r these string t r g tied boxes and bundles they were worsted invested with something besides the statute guarded sanctity ot 1 the th united states late mall mail for or dan daa sweeney had bad no light respect he new that each bob one ot of them the carried not at only merchandise but a subtle freightage of too ira goodly holiday spirit the joynes sentiment of christmastide and to think thick joel because her of this rheumatism of hla his omy nany of them the might not lot be delivered until unit the file holiday was one 0 ocr er with w hen they the would old come a lagging BOOE M 1 stale let BH as fir en cn the ath of jull I 1 bo be imley there I 1 bau dome danay S att last 1 to ohp be ym office clerk who be was to attempt the task peek yon stow the packages in just that beder and do your best beat to und had where they KO go old deacon Dea 11 take you over the route all right it if you give him his bead lie he know kiowa it uke like a book so the christi christinas as mall mail we wai finally started out oer route no Z 2 deacon turned au an inquiring eye on the new man as a much as a if to ask what we wan the matter biffi dafiny no had bad they touched jool joel I 1 road where the route finite began than deacon realized the inexperience c ol of the new wan loan why lie he was soundly actually going to drive right P past the powers sst place dace wild and the P powers war almost at always lad had mall mail of some kind even if it sent t more than a p poultry Y mehm magazine sho or a seed aced catalogue after one or two wa such mistakes take deacon took charge of things himself brain house to boue e lue he w went el nt stopping stepping wherever he limae b had d b beai e an in the habit of calling watte arc until the new carrier found who liv alvea edth there and had looked through 1 t ter era and ad parcels parcel to see if he As had any thing for them all the for forenoon con and ull on the art after noon this went 0 on but u t when th the red sun went dw down 1 in th the f frosty west there still remained remu ined nil a hundred letters letter and more than a peck of peck packages ages to be ie delivered the new to miu was nun hun gly and tired but he was no me quitter so he begged some hay buy and oats tor for deacon borrowed a lantern and together they started to the route As aa fo tor deacon his old ell knees wre we re than ever his shoulder muscles achoo his flanks flank heaved like a pair 0 ot blacksmiths blacksmith a bel bellows loons but he plunged plunge on ae neler er skipping shipping a single house houie never hesitating at a roundabout hall half ralle mile doing his whole duty quite full as a thoroughly ug h ay as a it if there bad bus been some dinst one b h to urge him on instead ot a cold numbed alc cherb who had no ion longer jr r even touched the file rel reins at last ad only one letter was left a thick bulky one in a blue waterproof envelope beiring bearing a foren postmark install braisted Er Br alsted esq I 1 was the address braisted ell eh muttered the clerk IN under bonder if the old hose horse knows where he lives Eil evidently dently deacon did for or I 1 re was wan plowing through a tig drift heading straight out n the boston road read into the dax daares res far ahead on the top of a long lull hill the clerk could se the lights of a big hose T there ere were no other light between bet we miles behind he could make mt at the glow ot of the ell city ch che talk clerk wished he be could be back bach there where one could be warm again iwuc and ad get some something h g hot L of to eat WRIN with numb fingers he be poll pulled ad out his watch half past nine I 1 why it would take az them a good two ho hous hou s to till artre bulk bach now v braisted bracq Br alsted d be lia imaged liged I 1 he could X get of it his is letter after christmas so he grabbed the rem reins and ad will indi bated led to deacon a desire to turn ar around d but deacon ion would old not of fit turn doz pull poll on the ml rein as be might deacon B until only swing his head bred about kaiping g his leg legs moving sir gh head ahead by much shouting and ad naming being on the reins rein deacon wai as stopped then the im new driver wadad out to his head took him by the bits and tried to point the hor horse the ther other way D deacon I 1 a refused to budge the those lights on the the top of too long hill bill marked the slid end ot of the route bud and deals imi hia w it t A and d to those the lights light the went i josiah lost all asked the dver dilver burtey bartly of L the woman wo ain answered bis ring chu oh its mine come its Hs tome timm she be about shouted to someone within as she Blie held out cut her land hand eagerly for far the letter no neer her before bad he be seen no go much excitement e at c caused all used by the delivery ot of a letter in a moment there were three or of tour four pomona persons in the th front hall all 1 I 1 talking at once A do you think it will save sale him 4 doctor docter asked the anxious faced old ludy lady who had fIll followed owed the th girl to the dir it will if anything wip will I 1 guess answered a feet b girded man and he mounted the stairs to see flee the pa tient tent in the u upper per room then they insisted that the half frozen clerk cone con e inside and have cometh something 1 ng to eat at do deacon oh 01 they would take care of deacon they did all tills this and more it seemed that till athla letter had been long expected bud and wa was sadly needed for tt it came tron from a prod IS ig asun il son to a very sick father it had bad its ita effect too of course the fie derk clerk told them of deacon a heroic stubbornness of how the old horse home tied nud insisted on gow going to the wry very end of the runt route ahe bcd he had tried to ta ter turn him hid back jih J ih braisted Br alsted esq heard beard the story during his convalescence I 1 must at tell my a son about that w u he hen he home I 1 he be would repeat as they told him of tl it e part done played in the story we ought to do something let for that 1111 old imme horse lie he said old they did too she office clerk who will first how you a handsome gold 1111 watch tells 01 the story beat Is end ing with jtb and old deacon why lie be ches IN out there them on the Brid braisted isted piece like a thoroughbred idea he la in clover he hels Is well dan sweeney will add it if no more mom n he deserves old deacon wa was a mighty good horse home in his day and ad mighty ith I th til loile linda e s democrat |