The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-06-18

friend o. mine out in Cohoe. / tell yer
aforehand i hain't got no collateral.
But | kinder guess you'd better trust
me, young feller." Here he laid his
hand significantly on his belt). "I'n
fetch it in ter morrow, ef it's conve-
nient."
/ hastened to say that the charges
could just as well be paid at the other end
by his friend.
=" Umph !" Plaguey little you'll get
o. Jim, / reckon. Howsumdever, per-
ceed."
"What is the message, and to whom is
it to goG"
81 want you to tell jim Fellers, of
Cohoe, that the bull quit her las night,
and the sheepIl be close on his heels" !"
AS he delivered this sentence he
looked at me as if he expected me to
be mystifed. But thought it best not
to appear so, and said carelessly:
" suppose you are dealer IN stock
and this is your partnerg All, sir, the
telegraph helps you fellows out OF many
sharp bargain" ;"
"Ya'as," he answered slowly, evident
ly pleased with the way Itookit. "Ya'as,
that's 'um. I'm sendin' down lot o
stock. Bought it dog cheap over in Gen
esee, yesterday. Purity lot as ever you
see.
was to be done9 Though ours was
railroad Office we often sent business
messages and if l did rs usual now L
should probably get rid of my unwel-
come visitor without further trouble.
But in the short conversation with him |
had somewhat recovered from my first
alarm, and / now conceived the idea
of attempting the capture of Tim Lynch.
was only a poor salaried operator,
trying to save enough to marry in the
spring. Five hundred dollars would do
me great deal of good just now-to say
nothing of the ecldt of the thing. But
how wos it to be accomplished Here /
was alone in the depot with a man big
enough to whip his weight III such little
men as / was, several times over. Any
attempt to secure him single-hanGed
was not to be thought of. But could l
not excuse myself, and, going out, fasten
him inl No well / knew from the dis
trustful look in his face that any pro-
posal of mine TO leave the room would
be peremptorily objected to by him.
What them
Why, simply this. / would telegraph
to the downtown station. But alas
That very day the connection between
the two offices had been cut for repairs.
1t was seldom used at any time, of course.
But what of that A! 1t was only ques-
ton of few seconds more time.
All these thoughts went through my
mind with the rapidity of lightning, as L
went to the battery. Lynch regarded
me from the corner OF his uncovered eye
with suspicion that made me shake in
my boots. As / sat down he arose and
came to my side.
"Look here, young feller," he Missed
in my ear, and his breath was sickening
from the fumes of liquor, perhaps you
mean fair enough hope yer do, for yer
own sake. But / don't understan' moth
in bout them tellygrams, and just
want TO tell We that yer'd better be Suar
for, by the eternal God eff We go back
on me I'll stretch you on this yere floor
as stiff as ever L did man yit" and
felt the cold muzzle of his revolver on
my cheek. Perhaps my voice trembled
a little, but / was still unmoved in my
reSOlutlOn, as replied
"Never fear, sir I'll tell him all
about the stock" He muttered some
thing to himself and still remained
standing over me.
Yeu have heard, perhaps, how much
character and expression telegraph op-
orator can put in his touch. Why, there
were dozens of different operators com
municating with our Office, and 1 could
tell at the instant, without ever making
mistake, who it was signaling. You
could tell If a man was nervous from his
telegraphing just as well as you could
from his handwriting. The call that [
sent hurrying across the State to Council
Bluffs must have rung on the ears of the
operator like a shrek.
&C. b. Are you there?" was what
asked and almost instantly came back a
reply in the affirmative. Then, with a
trembling hand ratified OFF my MESSAGE
-"For the love of God, telegraph to our
down town Office at once. Tell them that
Tim Lynch is within two feet of me and
they must send helpp'
A short pause as though my message
occasioned some surprise, and then came
the response: CAN right" which as
sured me / need not repeat.
"Wall," growled the deep voice of
Lynch, care you going to send my mes
sageS"
81 have sent it, sir.
"What! Does all that tickin' mean
what told youl"
Eyes, and if you will wait fifteen or
twenty minutes you will get an answer.
"Wall, dono as / want an answer.
Jim, he'll understan' its all right"
So Lynch reluctantly took his seat,
looking around at the doors and windows
once in while in an uneasy way. Twas
determined to take him now at any cost,
and i verify believe l should have planted
myself in his path had he insisted upon
going now."
"Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick - the battery
called out, and / listened to the message.
"Keep cool. Gould has gone for the po-
lice" Strange it was, wasn't it-that /
should sit there AID talk through $50
miles space with man not half mile
from met
whats that signerfyG" inquired my
companion, as the ticking ceased; and /
replied that the clerk at Cohoe had just