The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1884-10-15
-tio. n used to NV II UP aI Kato'- s


little. "I used to try it up At Kate's .
last summer"
We forgot our anlmosities, and fol- |
lowed her to theinstrument She rang; /
there was an instant response. She |
conversed with ease with overy one she |
asked for and bade the last one good |
by with the air of q princess dismis5ing
a favorite page from an audience. We
all looked with respect upon her, and
she blushed, as was her habit-she was
so pretty when she blushed-and mod
estly offered to take charge of our tele-
phOniC communications with the outer
world.
"I certainly shall not bother with
IT, said Missy.
"Nor J. said Nan; Jane and 7 said
nothing, but looked agreement.
every well, said mother. 'It may
keep you in the house more"
Lulu blushed again. Auut- said
nothing. She was plainly dy yug to
hear the mysterious sounds COl yeyed
through the receiver, but as plaiI ly she
was afraid to touch it,
The arrangement was satisfactory,
and peace and content rcigned, Lulu
staid more at home, and mother was
better satisfied. We had grown ac-
CustOmed to have an almost continual
tap-tapping i'm our ears. It bored us
elder ones, with our books and our
studies, to be always watching and
| counting for our own call, but restless
| Lulu did not mind being kept ON the
| alert. We actually began TO take great
/ comfort i'm it, using it for all sorts of
| triiling messages, the only drawback
| being that Lulu had to know every
| thing, for we one and all adhered to
our resolution never to have anything
/ to do with it. Aunty at first lowered
/ about Lulu when she went To send %
| message, but finding that she called up
/ all her girl friends and held intermin-
able chats, of which Auntv only heard
/ the ''whatsN' and "OhB" and "ahsn'
and you didu 'ts," and "what did he
| saYs?' she too lOstinterest, and stopped
/ experimenting it, except on occasions
of her own.
We would all be sitting i'm the library.
Missy painting, Jane. Nan and ] read
Ing, writing, studying, Aunty noddjng
over a book, Lulu restlessly skimming
a novel, with the kitten on hershoulder,
when "tap-tap-tap-tap.'
"Ihat' four, surely says Nan.
Lulu springs up and flies to the tcle-
phone, and a conversation something
like this ensues:
LULU. "Hellol Who is itP''
LULU. eyes. Be careful"
LULU. 80 no, I forgot"
--- (LOng sentence from the in
audible sender.)
LULU (dop5guHD. 81 don't know
Lulu. 'Perbaps not"
LULU. (empbattcaly). 80, no! IN.
deed, mo-"
-- Gong pause) --.
Lulu. "Woll, perhaps. 1 shall bt
here"
LULU. cat the telephone"
Lulu. Tomorrow"
Lulu. "Four o'clock"
) LULU. "Yes. Good-by."
Re-enter Lulu, blushing rather more
than usual
q "Who were you talking TOP" inquire
Nan, with more curiosity than correct
/ ness.
Signs of embarrassment on Lulu
1 face The kitten, on an unauthorized
exploring expedition on the mantel
1 piece, slips, snatches frantically witt
all its eighteen claws at the mante
t scarf Crashl destruction All Ou
, thoughts are turned another way, ant
Mans question remains unanswered
I We were becoming, as 1 said, NOR
{ content though aunty could neve
get over her nervous tremOrs q
e the running fire of ''ting-ting- g-ting' Il
s which we were subjected. She alWay
p thought it was our call-cOuld not tel
a twenty-three from four, or even twu
t from one, and call at late hour O
e the evening sent her sleepless to bed
One night we had retired very early
. after a fatiguing day. Jane and
p, after working very hard, were wakeful
3 but we fell asleep at last, to wake SOM
r hours later to the dazed consciousness
l. of hideOus uprOar. We Clutched eac
e other nervOusly.
s 81 saw a light, said Jane.
j. II heard a noise" said l.
h We did indeed. We sprang up an
A rushed downstairs The telephone bel
e was ringing furiOusly, vicOusly, frs
l. one number, then another, then all tC
gether, a ceaseless string of taps
Mother, in ample white robes, lik
r Ristori as Lady Macbeth, was there be
:, fore us. "Where is LuluP" she de
r manded.
e We looked around. Missy, Mar
!, Jane and 1, with and without slippers
It some in shawls, some in wrappers
g were there Aunty, in her red sleeE
u ing-wrapper, a silk handkerchief tie
10 over her night-cap, a shawl over al
g crOuChed on the lower step, shakin
l. more with fear than cold.
g The unearthlv racket went on. "Ca
o Lulu, " repeated mother
,t Lulu came, rosy with sleep, and yer
e cross. "BOther!' she said, when aunt
gasped out, "Fire!'
= 81 insist upon knowing what th
e means" said mother.
y "HellOn' said Lulu to the transmittel
''WhOm do you want? Whati it? VIII
r are you?"
d The ringing went on fast and furiou
T, "a string of fOurs, a string of twenty
It threes and twOs, and then a hundred !
n least at a breath.
N perhaps some children have &C
1, hold of it, " suggested Lulu, sulkily.
If Children! at two o'clock a. m.
h said mother in a withering tone.
d "Perhaps our house is on fire, sal
.e Missy, land they are ringing to war
ID us.
" Geo and SEQ s. said u,0tbar