Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-07-16
LOTE BY TELEGRAPH.

tor at Jones's Station, and Lucy Lorillard
operator at Nineveh, the next point of
communication, with nothing but the dis
tance TO prevent their intimacy. They had
never met, however, except electrically,
ana W ere total strangers to each other till
one New Years morning, when it occur
red 10 Miss Pearl TO send the following tel
egram to her nearest neigbbor and fellow
laborer: "To Lucy Lorlllard-A happy
New Year: Pearl Siverly"-partly be-
cause she was idle, as hers was branch
route, with very little business and less
| pay, and partly because she was in need OF
a friend and a friendly word. She had
been lately in the habit Of amusing her
self wondering If this Lucy Lorilard
found life pleasant, had father, mother,
lovers and friends, and was like herself in
nothing but in being a telegraph operator.
Theanswor returned promptly: Thanks.
The same to you, and more al so. If wish
es were horses, etc."
Rather slangy," thought Pearl, "but
good natured. guess she has a 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's Station TO MIN
eveh, and as the operator at the last named
| place seemed to have unlimited leisure on
hand, the two held frequent electrical tete-
d-teteS, and Pearl began to feel as il she
had known Lucy Lorillard from infancy
as If they had gone TO school arm in arm,
aud learned their lessons from the same
| book.
PEARLS home, if il deserved the name,
was in her uncles family, where there
were three cousins and an aunt but no un-
Gle now q home where she hardly felt at
home, where she enjoyed no companion
ship, where she was perpetually harassed
and annoyed, where her opinions were rid
iculed, and her sentiments and tastes re-
ceived no sympathy; home where there
was no room for expansion except in the
way of "long-sufiering aud bearing all
things" Sho always had a dread of re-
turning TO this roof.tree at night, a sort Of
ecstasy at lea wing 1t in the morning, espe-
| cially 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 Hidden's, but she hoped
and aspired and lived at the telegraph Of
fee, since friendship Is as much a necessi-
| ty TO the human being as good dinners and
| son coaches. She could never exactly tell
how it came about, but gradually, from OK
changing pretty civiities and pleasantries
and the news OF the day across the wires,
she found herself presently telling this
Lucy Lorillard, upon whom she had new
er set eyes, almost everything she knew
and felt and suffered or enjoyed, and re-
| ceiving experiences and condolences and
words of comfort in return from said Lu-
| cy Lorillard. Nothing was too trivial and
nothing too great for the two to discuss
across the lines between Jones's Station
and Nineveh, which had suddenly sprung
into remarkable activity, and which at one
time caused Lucy 10 remark, telegraphic-
| ally, "our lines have fallen in pleasant
places;' while Pearl answered, "When
am here at the office, and can rap out a
message to you, l forget who 1 am, and
feel no longer homesick for home that
doesn't exist, and alone in the world. You
are in my thoughts, sleeping or waking.
If it 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 to me,
indeed receive great deal more than
give. I am so happy that you think of me
sometimes. Keep thinking. To live in
your thoughts is a kind OF Immortality"
"Come! who's silly nowH Anybody
would think we were lovers"
Lucy $50 We are, aren't we? l wonder
If We should know each other if we wore
to meet by accident"
81 should know you, OF course-see If
wouldn't. You've got great dark liquid
eyes, such as poets rave over with dark
curling lashes, and y Aickering color on
your cheeS, and thick waves of light
bro wn hair; you're tall and slender and
have fatal dimple in your chin. Therew
you've omitted my principal feature !;
otherwise you flatter my poor face and fig
ure."
"oh, an aquiline nose and, let me add,
you are fond of perfumes and Jewels"
'I am fond OF one Pearl, certainly"
snow it is your turn 10 portray"
Lucy: "Well, your eyes are large and
blue, like forget me-nots."
"Aunt Hidden says they're like burned
holes in a blanket. Don't deceive your
SELF"
"Your nose Is Greclan.'
at has earned me the name of Pug at
home, however-not willing to contradict
such Daniel as yourself"
"Your complexion is like the lily"
pad, by your leave"
"Your hair is a skein of yellow floss"
"Pardon me they call it unmitigated
red at Jones's 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 their
ships came in; about the music they
thirsted to hear; about Now and Hereaf-
ter.
at struck me oddly the other day." tel
egraphed Pearl, THAT had never heard
your voice. Wonder If l should recognize
it. When 1 listen TO the 'Irdumerei,'
which somebody plays next door, seem
to hear you speaking to me.'
Lucy "You shall hear me some day-to
some purpose"
81 hope so. Would any one believe that
a companlonshlp between two who have
never seen each other could be so sweet ?
1 sometimes fear that it's too good to last"
"Don't You ever come to Nineveh, shop
ping2"
"No; I'm too poor. 1 don't mind tell
ing II, because 1 suspect you of the same
infrmity. Don't you ever come 10 Jones's
Station ?"