68 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



It passes comprehension what could have come to 

 Mr. Eodmell — the first postmaster appointed to Hull 

 in the nineteenth century — to select as a successor to 

 Sagg, who did the work of two postmen, a one-legged 

 man, John Stones, to struggle with it alone. Yet 

 there w^as nothing to complain of in the way in which 

 Stones comported himself, except, perhaps, that he 

 had a genial preference (as I should have) for persons 

 who called for their letters at his house in Dagger 

 Lane, rather than for those who put him to the incon- 

 venience of delivering the letters as addressed. To 

 facilitate business, he considerately wrote up over his 

 door the legend, ' The Postman lives here '; so that 

 really it could never be alleged with truth that the 

 postman w-as not to be found. All the same, Mr. 

 Stones distributed the letters vigorously throughout 

 the town ; and the stumping of his wooden leg was a 

 familiar sound in the streets. 



There was another postman of mark, who, like a 

 sensible Yorkshireman, took life as easily as possible — 

 Joseph Jarvis. He was in the habit of starting out 

 with the letters, then going home to breakfast at 

 eight o'clock, and beginning again at ten. Neigh- 

 bours expecting letters would call at his house to get 

 them, a proceeding which saved time, w^as quite 

 simple and easy, and had, as in Stones' case, and 

 from the postman's point of view, much to recom- 

 mend it. Jarvis was wise in his generation. He 

 ensured leisure and to spare for courting and marry- 

 ing Elizabeth, daughter of Kalph Darling, Mayor 



