The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-07-02
LOVE BY TELEGRAPH.


point of communication, with nothing
but the distance to prevent their init
macy. They had never met, however.
except electrically, and were total
strangers to each other till one New
Years morning, when it occurred to
Miss Pearl to send the following teIe-
gram to her nearest neighSor and fell
lOw-laborer To Lucy LorilIard-A
happy New Year. Pearl Silverly"-
partly because. she was idle, as hers was
branch rOute, with very little business
and less pay, and partly because she
was IN need of friend and a friendly
word. She had lately been in the habit
of amusing herself wondering If this
Lucy Lorillard found life pleasant, had
father, mother, lovers and friends. and
was like herself in nothing but In being
telegraph operator.
The answer returned promptly
Thanks. The same to you. aud more
also. If wishes were horses. etc"
Rather slangy," Thought Pearl.
" but gOod-natUred. / guess she has q
brother at home" And so the ice. once
thawed, had no chance to stifTen again
after this. There was little business.
as L said, going over the lines from
Jones Station to Nineveh. and, as the
operator at HE last named place seemed
likewise to have unlimited leisure on
hand, the two held frequent electrical
tete-d-teteS, and Pearl began TO feel as
If she had Known Lucy LOriIlard from
infancy-as if they had gone TO school
arm IN arm and learned their lessons
from the same book.
Pearls home, if it deserved the name,
was IN her uncle's family. where there
were three cousins and an aunt, but no
uncle now; home where she hardly
teIt at home, where she enjoyed no com
panlonship, where she was pprpetuaIIv
harassed and annoyed, where her opin-
ions were rldIculed, and her sentiments
and tastes. received no sympathy; a
home where there was no room for ez-
panslon except in the way of "long-
suffering and bearing all things. She
always ha65a dread of returning TO this
root-tree atnight, a sort of ecstasy at
leaving 1t IN the morning, especially
after this new friendship had begun to
coruscate across her days. To be sure,
she ate her daily bread and slept
the sleep of the Just at Aunt
Hlddens, but she hoped and as
pred and lived at the telegraph
office, since friendship is as much a
necessity to the human being as good
dinners and soft touches. She could
never exactly tell how it came aboT1t.
but gradually, from exchanging pretty
cIvllltles and pleasantries and the news
OF the day across the wires. she found
herself presently telling this Lucy I,or-
lizard, upon whom she had never set
eyes, almost everything she knew and
telt and suffered or enjoyed, and receiv-
ing experiences and condolences and
words OF comfort in return from said
Lucy Lorlllard. Nothing was too
trivial and nothing too great for the two
to discuss across the lines between
Jones Station and NineVeh, which had
suddenly sprung into remarkable activ
lty, and which at one time caused Lucy
to remark, Geographically, "Our lines
have fallen IN pleasant places :" while
l,earl answered: "When l am here at
the office, and can rap out a message to
you, L forget who | am, end feel no
longer homeslck for home that doesn't
exist, and alone in the world. You are
IN my thoughts, sleeping or waking. If
1t weren't for you, dear Lucy, think
my heart would break. No one can tell
how grateful / am for your friendship. "
Lucy: "You silly puss grateful 70
me, indeed 1 receive great deal
more than l give. am so happy that
you think of me sometimes. Keep
thinking. To live in your thoughts is
kind of Immortality"
Come who's silly now? Anybody
would think we were lovers"
Lucy So we are, aren't we? Il
wonder If we should know each other if
we were to meet by accident"
L should know you, of course-see
n L wouldn't. You've got great, dark,
liquid eyes, such as poets rave over,
with dark curling lashes, and a flicker
ing color on your cheek, and thick
waves of light brown hair; you're tall
and slender, and have fatal dimpIe in
your chin. There !"
You've ON tied my principal feature.
otherwise you flatter my poor face and
figure"
"Oh, an aquiline nose; and, let me
and, you are fond of perfumes and Jew
g / am fond of one Pearl, certainly"
Now 1t is your turn to portrav.l
Lucy: " Well, your eyes are large and
blue, like forget mel Ots."
=" Aunt Hidden says they're ike
burned holes in blanket. Don't de-
ceive yourself"
Your nose is Grecian."
A', N''iH'A me Tue name OF rug
at hon e, hoWever-not willing TO con.
tradict such Daniel as yourself. /"
Your complexion is ike the IiIy."
Pad, by your leave"
1our hair is a skein of yellow floss, "
Pardon me they call it uumitigated
red Mt Jones' Station; but no doubt they
are color blind"
Sometimes they cOnversed in this novel |
manner about the books they had read |
and the Journeys they would take when |
ther ships came in; about the music |
they thirsted to hear; about row and |
hereafter.
=" 1t struck me oddly the other dav."
telegraphed Pearl, "that / had never
heard your voice Wonder if I should |
recognize it. When l listened to the
'Ir6'D1erCi,' which somebody PLAYS
next door, L seem to hear YOU speak
ing to me-"
Lucy: lyon shall hear some day
to some purpose"
hope so. Would anyone believe
that companionship between two vino
had never seen each other could be so
sweet ? l sometimes fear that it's too
good TO last"
Don't you ever come to Nineveh,
shopping
NO m too poor. L don't mind
telling it, because 1 suspect you of the
same intirmIty. Don't you ever come to
Jones Station ?"
Often-in spirit
l used to be so miserable before I
knew you'll 1 used to think there
couldn't be anybody so unhappy. The
beggar-woman had her child, the old |
crones at the work-hOuse were friendly
with each other, the humpback girl in
the alley had a sister and now I-have
q friend :"
g Friendship is love without the
wing the poet says. Wouldn't you
rather say: have a loyer?'"
Now you're teasing. There's no
love worth having without friendship
for foundation"
" Amen"
Later
I'm going to confde to you how
foolish I've been. l was invited to
ball-a county ball. Cousins Liz,
Ra1la aD1 Eau accounted made their !