Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-09-20
OUR TELEPHONE.
By JULIA H. CHADWICK.
From Harper's Bazaar.

From Harper's Bazaar
We were among the first in Deepclif to have
one. Mother thought it would be $50 useful to
Us. household of women" annty thought it
would be AS good as a man in the house, and
not half the trouble" We girls agreed with
| the higher powers. of couyse with the additional
reflection that it would save US many wet. windy
or warm walk after forgotten trifes, which in
our housekeeping were not few. Only Lulu
laughed and laughed again. breaking at intervals
into ecstatc chuckles, and picturing mother
and aunty with vocabulary of telephone slang,
calling out. Hello. hellol do you get it," etc.
You're just inviting the world, the flesh, and
the devil into Spinsters Snug Harbor" she
saba remark which Mortified aunty who said
she had no idea one would be obliged to use
such language. But mother did not hesitate.
declaring in her stately way that she should
leave all personal contact with the thing to us
girls; what she thought of was the convenience
and the safety
SO it was decided. and the man came on Sat-
urday 10 put the wire up. There was some dis
cussion as to whether we should have bell
when should ring only our own CALL or one of
the less expensive ones which sounded the call
Oh every one on the line The latter was finally
decided upon. 1t would be company" aunty
thought, to hear the little musical tinkle; and,
alter all. there were only seven subscribers on
each line. Mother. with dignity which forbade
all suspicion OF curiosity, inquired who the other
subscribers were.
The Ormes." the man said. "and the Pey-
tons and brakes were all. so FAR but he was to
go To Dyke House on Monday to see about it,
They had not yet settled on it,"
We girls exchanged chances. Lulu who was
sitting on the lowest step of the staircase
chucked with fun and mischief; mother drew
herself up and concluded the conversation. We
all felt it a sort of triumph that our telephone
should have been put in first
There was a bitter feud, lOng-standing and
deadly. sort OF Montague and Capulet affair
between the Macartneys OF Dannemora and the
Somerindykes OF the Dyke beginning. of course
In dispute over property in old days when the
families had intermarried. and continued, by ir-
dIclouS litigation. to our time in the shape of q
dispute over perfectly worthless piece of land
"a mere rocky gully which divided the two es-
tales IN our early wears there had been rot
ten bridge over the Dyke, which fearful fasci-
nation led US prefer as playground to many
prettler spots. And there had taken place
meetings. more or less clandeSine for the pur-
pose of playing Jacks and other innocent
games with the one hope aud heir of Dyke
House. But the bridge had long since fallen
Gown. Frank SomeTindyke was away overseas,
We lad grown mp to the family enmity and the
Dyke was crossed only by warlike chances.
he man was to come on Monday morning to
put up the instrument in the hall
Lulu continued to giggIe aud chuckle. and to
produce more choice bits of slang learned
Heaven knows where-She said from her Sun
day-schoOl boys-until at last on Sunday morn
Ing. when she informed us that the church bells
We're ringing US up, mother ruled sternly that
not another word was to be said about tele-
phones until Monday. So the subject was
dropped. though think in her heart OF hearts
mother felt that she had added one more cause
OF pride to the list of her triumphs over Mrs.
Somerlhdthe. before whose envOus eyes, as
cip IL
raded her five blooming daughters For once
however. this amable triumph was not com
ptete; the lady of Dyke House was not alone.
AS we rustled and f1uttered up the aisle a hand
some, manly head appeared above the high pew
door and scanned Us with merry blue ewes
There was some subdued excitement amonp
Us; we noticed an additional shade of pink in
Luius cheeks. and though when standing uD
she Kept her eyes strictly at home. we surprised
some lurtlVe Chances across the aisle before she
disappeared into corner of the tall oreen-lped
box which we called our pew
, We reeOlleGted some ..sW eethpartinp, which
Hau taken place years before. at an age when
SWeetmeatS were as important as love affairs
ana we laughed little among ourselves but
we dld not mention the SOmeriudykes before
mother or aunty: and little Miss Lulu. though
the Youngest. had way OF being let alone so no
aHGslon was made to her bushes And next
morning, the interGiCt being raised we beran
a@ain 10 talk telephone. Tie man came the in
girls TO receive Instructions
Missy (she was the eldest and named for Aunt
Artelnlsia) went boldly up to it, and took hold
OF the receiver as she might have Crashed the
lanyard Of q loaded cannon. Jane. Nan. and I
crowded around and listened eagerly to tha
words OF the oracle. 1t all sounded very easy.
ana Mss first essay. under the guidance of
the man. vas successful.
Remember" said he two taps calls Central
once; tour Is yo'" call When some one is
using the wire. the hammer will fy back and
one tap means the line is free again. And
above all. don't shout
his was delightful; we now felt we had q
link with the outer world We sat Nh late that
night discussing it. So nice in case of sudden
illness or fire. or if we mad uneypected com
pany, and wanted something from the confac-
TONERS IN hurry-''They'd never get it here
In Time, put IN Lulu, who seemed sulky-Or TO
invite any one we might want unexpectedly. All
tic time we We're talking we were interruDted
at intervals by the sharp tap of the bell and we.
would stop and count eagerly. hoping for orr
number; bat four never came. and we would be-
SIa TO talk again. When-"Hark,' some one
would say. and ''ting-tin@-ting -ting-tine-tinr-
ting would go the bell ''Tng-tng. "a pause
uld the same thing repeated: silence for n while.
conversation resumed; then. with a suddenness
VI .ich made lis jump. one sharp stroke.
Al, the line is clear said Missy. with an
mir Of superior wisdom. and Lulu laughed They
seemed busy that evening. We sat up late. but
ti-' lltIf G"i ftiI up iiH RAPID strokes. and the
last sound we heard a. we went LAUGHING and
gathering uf to bed was the single stroke
wlcS denoted the close OF long Conversation
- hat: been holding with some one
We aiteTWard found oct that '.93'' was Dixie
House. That night we could hardly sleep Tor
thinking OF our new inmate; it seemed like a
sort % friendly live thing. and we almost 1carpt
ted having 10 leave it alone down stairs in the
dark. Indeed. Auntie suggested leaving the
staircase lamp burning. but when mothers rather
Sharply asked her What fUr?' She did nct
answer. Bat IRE knew. and shared her feeling
Jane and |. though Lulu went into q fit of
laughter which nccessitated her sitting down
on the second step from the top. where we left
her IN tue dark. She thought she would stay
she said. to keep the telephone company She
was queer child. Jane and | lay awake n
long time. talking about the telephone and the
wonders OF science. until. becoming possessed
with the idea that We heard the bell! we got
out OF bed and went tpt0eiIg to ill.,, top of the
stairs. At thefOOJ we saw another trht and
another eager face-aunty's oh NV dnars
she said, Il thought l heard the telephone
call
Next morning came the important moment
Mother had decided to do the marketing by
telephone. Missy came down and with a re-
hectiOn OF mothers stateliness took her place at
the transmitter. Jane, Nan and i crowded
around open-mOuthed. Auutie lowered ner-
vousiy IN the background; to her the trinu had
a tInr -