Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-04-01
THOSE WHO SEND TELEGRAMS.
characteristics of People who Daily
Send or Receive Wired Messages
The Sad and the Gay.

characteristics of People who Daily
Send or Receive Wired Messages
The Sad and the Gay.
One of the busiest places in the city.
says The DenUer Tribune Republican,
is the Office of the Western Union
Telegraph company. It's visitors
during the day are many, and from
morning until midnight the throng
continues TO come and 60, and the
street door opens and closes with a
lively clatter every few minutes.
They come in all styles, the old, the
young, and middle aged. They come
in garments of wealth, in the range of
poverty, and in the seediness of hard
luck, which soon may change
Faces pale with sadness, furrowed
with care, bright with anticipation or
radiant with happiness; all go through
the not overwide portal, and all upon
the same sort of errand, either to get
or to send away messages.
Hope and despair jostle with care
lessness and selfish joy, and each sell
dom notes the other. Often the face
that comes smiling goes away dark
with trouble, and many times the dull
looking begotten of hope deferred be-
comes transformed, and the owner
goes away with buoyant step and a
peace which has not been experienced
for long time.
A glance around the Office will give
the student of human nature good
chance to guess at what is being
written by those who prepare their
messages right on the spot, and the
manner of the writers will often show
something Of the characters ond bus
mess habits of them.
A commercial drummer will run in
to telegraph Office, slamming the
door and making the papers futter al
over the place. He will push his way
to the desk seize blank, dive o pen
into the ink, and write a message in
Just thirty seconds. Before he begins
he will push his hat high upon his
brow and turn his head to one side.
Then ne will stride up to the desk,
and looking Familiarity at the clerk,
will push the dispatch and silver
dollar toward that functionary, re-
marking: Send that away d-n
quick
A man whe has not been accustomed
to sending kilograms will take more
time abont it, sometimes taking as
much time as it would take a book,
keeper to balance a cash account.
He will carefully count the words,
and study and restudy the message in
order to de cide that he hasn't got toe
many words, and to be sure that the
message will be clearly understood.
Ladies generally write their mes
sages 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 il
the address and signature is to be in
cluded in the cost of the transaction.
Then they will want to know how
soon it will reach it's destination.
Then they will carefully lay down
their parasols and sachels and hand
kerchiefs and count out the price for
the message, and when the cash is
about half counted they will stop to
look around and smile at whoever is
standing behind them waiting for a
chance to talk with the clerk.
Finally, when the money is paid
and the clerk has been carefully made
to promise to send the message i'm
mediately. 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 a
similar style of performance is car
ried on at the desk, where she Will
want lots Of elbow room.
Of these who enter or send away
the announcement of death to rela-
tives far away their manner is always
quiet, and a new father coming In to
let the grandparents know that baby
has arrived, will go in smiling all
over his face. Not infrequently the
sender will go to the extra expense of
a dime or so to add a sentence which
is intended as joke.
People sending for remittance gen
orally look anxious, and not lnfre-
quently write with rush, and spread
the ink on thick and black, as though
to thus express the exlgency which
compelled the sending of telegraphic
request for funds.
And SO they go. Unconscious pan
tomimists, all Of them, making, with
out knowing it, a mimic, sketchy pic
ture of the lights and shadows, the
fleeing joys Of the sudden and more
lasting griefs which go to make up
the dream called life.