The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-10-16

LULU. Eat the telephone ~
LULU. Tomorrow"
LULU. ssFour O'Clock"
LULU. ayes. Good-by.n
Re-enter Lulu, blushing rather more
than usual.
"Who were you talking top" inquiries
Nan, with more curiosity than correct
ness.
Signs of embarrassment on Lulu's
face. The kitten, on an unauthorized
expedition on the mantel-
piece. slips, snatches frantically with
all its eighteen claws at the mantel
scarf. Crash! destruction! All our
thoughts are turned another way, and
Mans question remains unanswered.
were becoming, as I said, more
content, though aunty could never
get over her nervous tremors at
the running fire of .sting-ting-ting" to
which we were subjected She always
thought it was our cal1-could not tell
twenty-three from four, or even two
from one, and a call at a late hour of
the evening sent her sleeplessi to bed.
One night we had retired very early.
after a fatiguing day. Jane and l.;
after working very hard, were wakeful,
but we fell asleep at last, to wake some
hours later to the dazed consciousness
of a hideous uproar. We clutched each
other nervously.
81 saw a light" said Jane. eQ
tET heard O n0isa ~ said
We did indeed. We sprang up and
rushed downstairs. The telephone bell
ringing furiously, yiciously, first
gether. a ceaseless string of taps.
Mother, in ample white robes, like
Ristori as Lady Macbeth, was there be-
fore US. Where is LuluP" she de-
manded.
We looked around. Missy, Nan,
Jane and I, with and without slippers,
some in shawls, some1sin wrappers,
were there. Aunty, in her red Sleep
ing-wrapper, a silk handkerchief tied
over her night-cap, a shawl over all,
crouched on the lower step, shaking
more with fear than cold.
The unearthly racket went on. ''Call
Lulu" repeated mother.
Lulu came, rosy with sleep, and very
cross ..Bother!" she said, when aunty
'gasped out, "Fire!"
II insist upon knowing what this
MEANS" said mother.
s"Hello!" said Lulu to the transmitter.
"sWhom do you want? WHAT is it? Who
are you?"
The ringing went on fast and furious
Ia string of fours, a string of twenty
threes and twos. and then a hundred at
least at a breath.
perhaps some children have got
hold of it," suggested Lulu, sulkily.
Children! at two o'clock a. mp
said mother, in a whitening tone.
"Perhaps our house is on fire." said
Missy, land they are ringing to warn
u.s."
"Go and see," said mother.
Nan and Lulu started on a round
through the cellars. Jane and l went
round the house outside looking for a
glare. ALI was calm, still and pitchy
dark: the unseen surf scarcely Kissed as
it slid off the rocks, which it struck
with a little velvety thud.@We re.
entered the house; the telephone was
still ringing furionsly, Increasingly.
Mother had placed herself on the sofa
with the air of one who Means to stay.
Aunty had retreated to the top step,
where she sat with an eye on the open
door of her room. In a voice faint
with terror she reiterated her belief in
supernatural agency. We oil sat down:
For an hour, one dreary hour of a bitter
November night, we sat and listened te
that awful bell. Then it died away
gradually, with a few spasmodic taps.
4'This settles it, "Hsaid mother; stto.
morrow we get one of the other bells,
which only repeats. our own CALI
We crept upstairs cold and cross, and
Just as. we closed our doors a final tar
made us all start.
The new bell was put in next day,
mother experimenting the operation
with much interest, making many in.
euiries, and finally with great dignity
sending the first message. We were
all much moved. Lulu especial,
watched her with a startled face ant
looked unaccountably grave. Indeed
we soon noticed a change in the child
All that day and the next she was yer,
nervous, red and pale by turns. and
flying to the telephone every second
imagining continual calls. Two more
days passed. Lulu would not go out
though mother told her, as she had nov
learned to use the telephone, we were
independent of her. Lulu .did not car,
to go out" she said. She took a bool
and sat in the hall, but no one saw he
read. She could scarcely eat her meal.
for flying up to listen at the telephone
She was the first up in the house ant
the last to go to bed. She grew pail
and thin.
THAT awful night preys upon her.
said aunty.
On the fifth day mother sent her on
on an errand. Lulu, usually SO glad o.
an excuse to go out, tried to shirk it
she begged off. For days she had los
all her pretty bushes, but she nov
blushed furiously. Mother was infiex
ible, and Lulu went.
About half an hour after she left tn,
telephone bell rang. Mother rose il
her peculiarly dignifed way and wen
to the instrument. This was a novelt,
to us, so we all followed her; and as
have since learned exactly what sh,
then heard, 1 will put it down here il
its right place:
"Hello!" said mother, gently. "Wha
is ftp"
..Is that Mccartney of Dannemora"
said a voice.
"Yes," said mother.
The VOICE. II knew it was, but
just wanted to hear your sweet voic,
say Yes you darling! 1 love the word
because Pm always dreaming of hear
ing you say it to a more importan
question"
Signs of establishment and horror OIL
mothers face.
The VOICE. '.You never will NEE
me anywhere, and I can't ask you t.
marry nae through this old telephone