The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-06-05

Should we be Christians tool"
Franks Of Telephones.
There is no silver lining without a
cloud; no blessing without bother.
All great inventions for the benefit or
improvement of mankind are accompa-
MED by train Of disasters. With the
introduction Of locomotives came rail-
way accidents, collisions. track-iump-
ing, bridge-breakiDg and host of mi
nor casualties. Complicated machinery
for manufacturing purposes has been
swelling the death and accident list of
the country ever since its inception, and
the marvellous triumphs in agricultural
implements are fast providing for us
one-legged, one-armed. fingerless, toe
less and otherwise mutilated yeomanry.
The use of the telephone in San Fran
cisco has been attended by series of
ludicrous, embarrassing and startling
complications. The hundreds of wires,
forming an aerial network above the
city, sometimes become strangely con-
fused and entangled. to the bewilder-
ment and amusement Of the human be-
ings at their various termini.
A prominent educational official whose
Office is on Sansome street, has been
somewhat troubled by the vagaries Of
his telephone wire, which has, during
the late stormy weather, acquired q
strange faculty for hobnobbing with all
sorts Of undesired and undesirable &C.
quaintances, or carrying . stream of
0oeaiu Tn ifn owuovsa oarl
els Mr.. -, member of the School
Board, therea" slowly and deliberately
asks the owner.
A muttered answer Is construed into
favorable response.
do You know Miss s., teacher
in the schools, recently thrown out by
consolidation of classese She has q
first-class certificate, and also q certif-
cate Of approval"
Genuine high-stepper; brown coatp"
comes the singular query.
tShe has dignifed gait, and now
you speak of it, think she wore brown
cloak. But think your langusge-ex-
cuse somewhat inappropriate. She
was in here this morning, and i think
she deserves the first vacancy"
"She'n beat them all and no mis-
take"
81 think you are wrong. She GER
tainly has reputation for good disci-
pline. but hardly think she would re-
sort to corporal punishment except in o
case of extreme necessity"
"And. by the way, Blikins, those
races 1t Sacramento next week ~
comes more distinctly to the ears of the
bewildered gentleman. Who begins to
suspect that he has been intervening .
conversation between two gentlemen of
jockeyish proclivities.
A signal reaches the ofice Of ! we'll
known physician.
my DEAR" comes Z musical, voice
over the wire. which he at once recog-
mixes ~ belonging to his wife, ssmeet
me at the Oakland boat at twelve
o'clock. We must be ON the other side
at = quarter to one, without l1ils'' The
doctor was just starting out for an i'm
portant round Of visits, but this. per-
emptory summons was not to be dfsre-
garded. There was little time to spare.
Giving some hasty directions to his as
sistanf he spun away 70 thsEfery. The
lady he sought did not make her ap-
pearance. When the whistle had sound
ed and the boat slowly receded with
the last passenger on board, : sudden,
jealous suspicion seized him. Could It
be possible that his vile kad intended
the message for some other man. that
they had eluded his observstionf In q
tumult of dread he drove speedily home.
If she were gone then theirs would be
some foundation for his suspicions. He
burst into the house and fastened to
his wife's room. A grieved and anxious
face met him on the threshold.
90, my dear, an 90 glad you have
come. Baby Is having such : terrible
time with that eye-to0th. He has been
screaming the whole forenoon
didn't you speak to me through
the telephoner'
ZIP No; baby has not been out Of my
arms since you left o, dear, perhaps
it was some one Of your lady friends
whom you mistook for me-"
The arch, laughing glance which she
gave him, with smile Of Wifely trust,
pierced his heart like . dagger. He
buried the secret Of his own suspicious
in his guilty breast. and drowned his
remorse in alleviating the sufSsrings Of
his little son.
The telephone itself Is not ct fsult II
Is man who Il faIlible, rash, thoughtless,
disposed to speak without confederation,
and Jump 1t conclusions. The educat-
ing influence az telophoue practice In