Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-09-01

w nttio crowd Clustered at the ope-
rators window and asked for /,
blank telegraphic form, explaining
that "he wished to send q telegraphit
dispatch 10 his family" Nov. wher
man speaks of q .'telegrsphic dis
PATCH" l always wake up ana lool
Ut him, because the cumbersome title
Is al at utter variance wi. b the spiri,
of telegraph. It's too long. The use
OF 1t beirsys the man who has liiiis
use for the telegraph. The more BIZ
uses the wire, the shorter his terms
The more nearly he caa come 10 AZ.
ing 'msg,' the more content he is.
And he doesn't call it ''teIegraphic
FORM be asks for blank" black
or red, Is the case may be. And he
never ''te.egrapbs' anybody. He
wires" them. And he doesn't ex-
plain 10 the operator what he wants
TO do with the blank. Presumably
he wants to write message. And
as for the matters referred to in that
'msg' aud the party for whom it is
intended, the operator will know all
that he wishes to know-and some
times much more than you want him
to knOw-soOn enough.
SO l watched this passenger write
his "telegraphic dispatch. First he
asked the operator: "What day OF
the month Is tbis." There was moth
ing unusual in that. All men ask
that. 1t lie the opening line in the
regular formula Of sending q "msg."
You may know what date it is before
entering the Office, you may even
have it impressed upon your mind by
having a note fall due ON that Gay,
but the moment you p0ise your pen
Gil over the blank, that date flies
from your mind like the tooth ache
from dentists stairway. So when
the man asked: ''what date of the
month is this l was not surprised.
/ cOurteously answered him, as q
cover to approaching bis position, but
he did not believe me. He repeated
his question, and made the operator
answer. Then knew he was very
new at it. He spoiled three blanks
before he got a Biographical dis
patch" written to suit him. But
even that is not very uncommon. A
man always uses stationary more ex-
trsvagshtly in another mans office
than he does at home. Then he
wrote every word In the body Of the
dispatch very carefully and distinctly.
but scrambled hurriedly over the adj
dress rs though everybody knew that
as well as he did, and dashed OIL his
own signature in blind letter style,
as though his name was as familiar 10
the operator as it was to his own
family. But even this is not uncOm-
mon. A man will write Cunning
ham" SO that no expert under the
skies will tell whether it was C0viEg-
ton or Darlington, or Cumagen. or
Carrenti0n, aud when the operator
points TO it aad asks: What is this:"
the writer will stare ut him in blank
amazement for moment. and then
answer: why, that's my name!"
"Well, yes, know that" the opera
tor will say. but what is your name!"
Then the man will gasp for breath
and catch hold OF the desk to keep
himself from falling, and finally
shout out, Why. Cunningham, Of
course!!!" AND look pityingly upon
the operator. and then glance about
the room with a panied, shocked ex-
preston, rs one who should say,
''you may mt believe it, and lido not
blame you, but heaven is my witness
here is q man who does not know
that my name is Cunningham" This
is not unusual. Amy operator will
tell you that he has met Cunningham
scores Of times and has MORALLY
offended BIN every time by asking
his name.
Well, my tall man with the thin
neck got along . little better than
that when he handed the operator the
Following explicit message:
Mrs. Sarah X. Follinsbee, Dallas
Center. Iowa.
MY DEAR WIFE: l left the city
early this morning after eating break
fast with Prof. Morton, . live man in
the temperance cause. Iexpected to
eat dinner with you at home, but We
were delayed by q terrible railroad &C.
cident, and I narrowly escaped being
killed; one passenger was terribly
mangled and has since died, but l am
alive. The conductor says l cannot
make connection 80 as to come to
Dallas Center this morning. / hate
to disappoint you. but ! cannot help
It. With love to mother and the
! am your loving husband.
ROGER K. FoLLINsBEE.
The operator read it. smiled and
said: "YOu can save considerable
expense and tell all that is really
necessary, ! presume, by shortening
this message down to 10 words. We
have no wire directly into Dallas and
We will have to send tho message part
of the way over another line, which
adds largely to the cost of transmits
sion. Shall / shorten this for your"
mo, oh, no." the man with shawl
replied, "pIl fix it myself. Ten
words, you say" Eyes, sir" 1t
was sumner. for fact, and the man
heavcd despairing sigh a. he pre-
n