In spite of the fact that postmen are seldom included in youthful Galleries of Supermen, their importance is early recognized as the bearers of occasional good tidings and gifts. During inclement weather a postal setup will often occupy youthful energies for a considerable period of time, provided there is someone to read and respond to the laboriously pasted letters or telegrams.

It is a simple matter to designate a pigeon-holed desk, or two table drawers as the Post Office, where outgoing or incoming mail can be collected or delivered every half-hour or so. To sustain interest, however, it is advisable to set up an individual mailbox which will reveal the presence of messages. For the city child, an empty carton cut as shown in A of Figure 6.13 will prove familiar. Of more interest, however, may be the horizontal, Rural Free Delivery type illustrated in B. Also, this style is desirable because of its little red flag which, when upright, indicates that there is outgoing mail in the box. The rules may be relaxed to permit the flag to indicate that answering, or incoming mail has been delivered.

The letters or messages may consist, to a great extent, of whole words or small cutout pictures from magazines or newspapers, pasted onto a slip of paper, which can be folded over, addressed, and stamped in crayon in the case of a letter. Telegrams are the easiest, as for example whole words cut out from a newspaper as follows:

More Milk Required Immediately Period Cat Has Kittens

Fig. 6.12. Fishpond fun.

In composing letters, it may be stipulated that as many pictures as possible be clipped from magazines, in order to prolong the game. As for example:

"Dear (cutout deer) Mother: I (cutout an eye) saw (cutout a saw) our cat (cutout) chase a bird (cutout) this morning (cutout sunrise), but the bird (cutout) flew into a high tree (cutout). I (cutout) think we should place the bird's (cutout) feeding dish (cutout dish) on a pole (cutout clothes pole) so the cat (cutout) cannot bother the birds (cutout). I (cutout) know that I (cutout) would not want to be afraid to eat my supper (cutout).

Your loving son Bob"

Fig. 6.13. Postman's equipment.

If there is a young "go-between" in residence, he or she can be outfitted with a postman's bag cut from the bottom of a large paper bag (C) and slung with a string over one shoulder. The end of another bag can be colored blue except for the official nameplate, and a black visor glued as indicated in D of the drawing.

Billets-Doux

Perhaps feminine letter writers would prefer to fold their missives or valentines into billets-doux, as their grandmothers folded their secret love letters without benefit of envelopes or sealing wax. The procedure is illustrated in Figure 6.14.

First cut or tear the notepaper so that it is about twice as long as it is wide. Fold it across the center of the long side into crease ab of 1 in Figure 6.14. Open up the paper and fold corner d down nearly to the center crease; and then fold up the lower comer c nearly to the center crease in like manner.

Fig. 6.14. How to fold a billet-doux.

Next fold up lower comer e until its right-hand edge coincides with ab, as in 2. Do the same with upper comer f. Then fold comer g upward along ab into a compact triangle and tuck it under the flap formed by folded-down corner f, to "seal" the letter.