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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
284
CHAPTER
XXIII.
VARIOUS.
Superstition.
Superstition
rarely
stands
in
the
way
of
the
extension
of
postal
accommodation
or
convenience;
but
a
case
of
the
kind
occurred
some
time
ago
in
the
west
of
Ireland.
Application
was
made
for
the
erection
of
a
wall
letter-box,
and
authority
had
been
granted
for
setting
it
up;
but
when
arrangements
came
to
be
made
for
providing
for
the
collection
of
letters,
no
one
could
be
found
to
undertake
the
duty,
in
consequence
of
a
general
belief
among
the
poorer
people
in
the
neighbourhood
that,
at
that
particular
spot,
"a
ghost
went
out
nightly
on
parade."
The
ghost
was
stated
to
be
a
large
white
turkey
without
a
head.
Curious
Names.
Everything
that
departs
from
the
usual
mode
or
fashion
of
things
is
regarded
as
curious,
and
the
term
may
be
applied
also
to
the
incidence
of
names
and
professions,
either
in
regard
to
their
relative
fitness
of
relationship,
or
to
an
opposite
quality.
As
the
sight
of
two
or
three
individuals
with
wooden
legs
walking
in
company
would
be
sure
to
claim
our
attention,
if
it
did
not
excite
our
mirth,
so
the
coming
together
of
persons
having
similar
names
under
the
same
roof
by
mere
chance,
would
not
fail
to
attract
notice,
and
be
thought
a
peculiar
circumstance.
Of
the
first
class
the
following
cases
may
be
noted,--namely,
that
at
Torquay,
Devonshire,
there
used
to
be
a
butcher
called
Bovine;
in
the
east
of
London
there
is
a
James
Bull,
a
cow-keeper;
and
at
Birnam,
Perthshire,
a
gardener
and
strawberry-grower
called
John
Rake.
There
is
further,
we
are
informed,
at
Cork
a
person
carrying
on
the
pawnbroking
business
whose
name
is
Uncle,
than
which
there
could
be
nothing
more
appropriate.
Of
the
second
class
the
following
is
an
instance,
persons
of
the
names
given
having
been
employed
together
in
a
single
office
of
the
General
Post-office
some
years
ago:--
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
