Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-07
ALTMAN NATURE.
.,rious Ways in which 1t Is Displayed
In Telegraph Offices.

HUMAN MA
WAYS in which It Is Displayed
he in Telegraph Offices.
o,o Of the busiest places in this city
na o,fice of the Western Union Tele-
E.a,b Company. Its visitors during
dov are many, and from morning
kn,1 midnight the throng continues to
an,o and 90, and the street door closes
Nth a lively clattcr every few minutes.
Tl,ar come in all styles, the old, the
''anna and middle-agcd. They come in
r,rmcnts of wealth, in the rags of pow
.,y and in the scedincss of hard luck,
rhich o may change. Faces pale
rirh sadness. furrowcd with care, bright
E,;,b anticipation or radiant with happi-
ss, NIL 90 through the not oyerwide
,or-aI. and all upon the same sort of
r,,nd, either to Get or send away mes
,,a.s, Hope and despair jostle with
sa7rIcssness and selfish Joy, and each
srIlom notes the other. Often the face
which comes smiling goes away dark
with trouble, and many times the dull
look beeotten of hope deferred becomes
transformed, and the owner goes away
with a buoyant step and q peace which
has not been experienced for q long
time.
4 glance around the office will give
.br student of human nature Il good
dance to guess at what is being written
hy those who prepare their messages
rH,ht on the spot. and the manner of the
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Characters and business habits of them.
commercial drummer will run into a
tclceraph office, slamming the door and
making the papers tlutter all over the
place. He will push his way to thedesk,
seize 4 blank, dive a pen into the ink,
and write a message in just thirty sec
onls, Before he begins he will push
his hat high upon his brow, and turn
his head to one side. Then he will stride
I'M 10 the desk, and, looking Familiarity
al the clerk, will push the dispatch and
a bic silver dollar toward that function
ary. remarking: ''Send that away
mteklr.' \ man who has not been ac-
castomed to sending kilograms will take
more time about it, sometimes taking
As much time as it would take a book
keeper to balance q cash account. He
will carefully count the words, and
study and restudy the message in order
to decide that he hasn't got too many
words, and to be sure that the message
will he clearly understood.
at home and then take them carefully
folded to the office, where they will ask
many questions. They will want to
know how much the dispatch is going
to cost, and then if the address and sig
nature are to be included i'll the cost Of
thc transmission. Then they will want
to know how soon it will reach its dcs-
%,nation. Then they will carefully lay
down their p%arasols or sachels and
hldkerchicfs and count the price for
The message. and when the cash isabout
half counted they will stop to look
aond and smile at whoever is stand
ng behind them waiting for achance to
talk with the clerk. Finally, when the
money is paid and the clerk has been
~arefully made to promise to send the
message Immediately, they will then
gather up their property and depart.
After they get out upon the sidewalk
they will frequently return to ask the
clerk if he can read the dispatch, as
they wrote it quite hurriedly. When a
lady happens to write the message in
the Office the process is doubled, as q
similar style of performance is carried
on at the desk, where she will want lots
OF elbow room.
Oh those who enter or send away the
announcement of death to relatives
far away their manner is always quiet,
and 4 new father coming in to let the
grandparents know that a baby has ar
rived, will go in smiling all over his
lace Not infrequently the sender will
60 to the extra expense of a dime or SO
TO add q sentence which is intended as
alokc. People sending for remittanccs
generally look anxious, and not mfre-
qNently write with q rush, and spread
the ink on thick and black, as though to
mus express the eNlgency which COM
PEELED the sending of a telegraph request
for funds.
And so they 90. Unconscious panto-
mlmists, Ill of them, making, without
knowing it, a mimic, sketchy picture of
the lights and shadows, the fleeing joys
or the sudden and more lasting griefs
winch 90 to make up the dream called
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