Saturday Stories - Postage Stamps 11-11-17

I was thinking about this story today because I bought a roll of first class (forever) stamps for $49.00.  It reminded me of a long ago tale when postage was three cents for first class (until 1958).  An interesting listing of postal rates is at:
. https://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/economics/postal-rates.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Diane was about 12 years old she took the bus into town to do some shopping and have her hair cut.  Her family went almost everywhere on the bus, since their mother didn't drive and the bus was very convenient and cheap.  Only ten cents during the day and increasing to twenty cents after a certain time - maybe 4pm.  It was a fun day, alone in downtown, looking in the store windows and wandering through several department stores.  She even had lunch at the Buttermilk Corner, her favorite diner.  But she dawdled too long and missed the last ten cent bus home.  By that time she had spent almost all her money and only had about thirteen cents left in her pocketbook.   What to do?  She tried to talk the driver of the next bus into letting her ride for a dime, but no luck.  Her almost last source was going to the post office (the huge building with marble floors and high marble counters) and waiting in line to see if the postal clerk would buy back some stamps.  No luck.  She tried several people in line, but they just dismissed her.  Until a lady standing in another line called her over and asked what the problem was.  After Diane explained the lady just gave her a dime!  She didn't want the stamps.  And Diane was able to take the bus home and have a few cents left over.  In 2017 we would call that "paying it forward".  She was a nice lady - ten cents would mail three and a third letters.   Diane learned a life time lesson and has never since been down to thirteen cents.

#   #   #