The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1886-05-27
ALWAYS PLACID.
The Telegraph Clerk who Refused to
show Any Interest.

Detroit Free Press.
The receiving clerks behind the desks
at the telegraph offices are cool, placid
fellows. They take your message OF life
or death with perfect indifference, me-
ehanically count the words, and look
bit bored as they reply:
ut will be 65 cents, please"
had my eye on a certain chap for
several weeks before hnmbled his pride.
He insulted me. He insulted me by
softly whispering to himself as he count
ed the words 10 the following message:
Grandmother died last night very
suddenly. How many of you can attend
funeral?"
When l handed in that message l ex-
pected him to exhibit little emotion.
While he could not have been personally
acquainted with my grandmother, he
must have suspected that she was nice
old lady, and that her sudden death had
greatly overcome me. Why didn't he
look up with bit of sympathy in his
eye and say:
TOO bad ! / know just how you feel,
and I'm sorry for you"
But, no. He whistled and counted,
made scratch or two with his pen, and
remarked:
"rhree words over-70 cents"
And as he made change he told one of
the boys behind the counter that he be
- j. he wasn't going to the dog fight
that night. Then he picked up my dead
grandmother dispatch and hanged it on
hook, showed me over some change, and
turned away to resume the perusal of a
sporting paper.
The next week / went in with dis
patch announcing that my grandmother's
will had been opened and that l came in
for S25, That man must have seen
by nay face that l was highly elated.
Hang him. he never had the fifth of that
sum. and his salary bad just been cut
down $40 per month, but when he had
read the dispatch he calmly announced:
Forty cents, and you forgot to date
it,"
And then he began talking to one of
his fellow clerks about a smuggling match,
and how he won So by betting on the
right man. | don't say he ought to have
swung his hat and cheered over my good
fortune, but why couldn't he have ex-
tended his hand aud said:
"Eh, old boy? In lnck, amt you
Well, I'm glad of it. Send around the
cigars and we'l smoke to your good
health"
made up my mind when / went out
that | would upset that mans equauim-
ity or lose leg; I'd tumble him off that
pedestal of placidity if it cost 200
I'd upset, unbalance and uuhinge him, or
die trying. gave him two weeks to re-
pent. 1t isn't right to rush telegraph
man out of the world on a days notice.
| went back one evening, and felt bit
sorry for him as he glanced up and then
let his eyes return to the Police Gazette.
| knew that his wife and child were in
Ohio on visit, and l stepped to the
desk and wrote:
DETROIT, June 6, 1885.
j. III. Smith, Columbus, o.: Please
telegraph us full particulars of the acci-
dent by which Mrs. George Taylor and
daughter of this city were instantly
killed this afternoon. s. z.
/ felt bit sorry as handed it in, not
knowing but the man might faint dead
away as he read the terrible news. Still,
l had vowed revenge, and l would not
forego it. He received the dispatch,
whistled softly as was his won't, clattered
the point of his pen along the words as
he counted, and then he drawed out:
"a dollar and twenty cents, and
where shall | send the answer?"
"Did you read that dispatch?"
asked, after looking at him for half a
minute.
"Yes."
500 you know the parties?"
Eyes, SIR"