OLD HOMESTEAD 



see her pen the sweet epistle, or permitted to take the same to 

 the post-office. Of course, no one but herself and myself ever 

 knew his name. 



And this reminds me of a serious mishap and financial 

 embarrassment I had on her account. One evening when I 

 reached the office with her letter, I found I had lost the little 

 silver sixpence given me to prepay the postage. I was in great 

 distress. The letter must go by the next mail. She had told 

 me that he would expect it Sunday. I felt both grieved and 

 guilty and did not know what to do, but hung about the office 

 and store for nearly an hour, hoping to see somebody I knew, 

 or that something would turn up to help me out of my trouble. 



The postmaster, Elihu Gillett, saw my embarrassment and 

 asked me what was the matter. I told him of my loss and 

 showed him the letter which I wished to mail. He said, ''No 

 matter, boy; I will send it 'collect.' " That meant twelve cents 

 to pa}^ at the other end. I realized this would never do, and 

 told him I did not want it to go that way. He asked whose 

 letter it was, and I told him that I did not wish to tell. Then 

 he asked my name and whose boy I was, and having looked 

 very serious for a minute, which to me was a most anxious one, 

 he said, "You look like an honest boy. Will you pay me if I 

 mark the letter prepaid ? " I promised most faithfully and 

 gladly that I would. 



I worried over it going home, and could see no way to get 

 out of it without confessing the loss and my carelessness to the 

 school-ma'am; then, perhaps, I would lose her confidence and 

 some other boy would become her favorite — a thing I could 

 not bear to contemplate. I had no sixpence to make good the 

 loss, and the next morning confided the trouble to my mother, 

 who helped me out of the difficulty without getting the name of 



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