“To get extra postage.”
“Is it so? Explain. Tell me about the large T and the 40.
“It's short for Take 40—or as we postmen say, grab 40”
“Go on, please, while I think up some words to swear with.”
“Due 8 means, grab 8 more.”
“Continue.”
“The blue-pencil 3 was an afterthought. There aren't any stamps for afterthoughts; the sums vary, according to inspiration, and they whirl in the one that suggests itself at the last moment. Sometimes they go several times higher than this one. This one only means hog 3 cents more. And so if you've got 51 cents about you, or can borrow it—”
“Tell me: who gets this corruption?”
“Half of it goes to the man in England who ships the letter on short postage, and the other half goes to the P.O.D. to protect cheap postage from inaugurating a deficit.”
“—————————-”