the mail must go through... F.E. Walker of Long Beach, Calif., recalls the days when mail arrived on the stage coaches. There were no sidewalks in Bedford then, and the driver of the coach would throw a sack containing all the mail on the ground. The postmaster would look over the contents of the sack and remove all mail addressed to Bedford. By the time the stage left most of the population of the town had gathered about the post office. The postmaster would gather the mail in his arms and carry it into the building. Then, looking over the letters, he would call off the names as he found them. The person to whom the letter was addressed would raise his or her hand in the air and cry, "here," much as if the postmaster was calling the roll. Yep, those were the good old days we hear so much about. The Times-Republican, Oct 8, 1925