The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-05-20
Always Placid!
From the Detroit Free Press.

From the 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,
mechanically count the words, and
look bit bored as they reply:
at will be sixty-five cents, please"
Ihad my eye on a certain chap for
several weeks before l humbled his
pride. He insulted me. He insulted
me by softly whispering to himself, as
he counted the words In the following
message:
"Grandmother died last night very
suddenly. How many of you can at
tend funeral"
When handed him the message lex
pected him to exhibit a little more emo
ton. While he could not have been
personally acquainted with my grand
mother, he must have suspected that
she was a nice old lady, and that her
sudden death had greatly overcome
me. Why didn't he look up with a
bit of sympathy in his eye and say:
"Too bad!" l know just how you
feel, and Pm sorry for you"
But, no. He whistled and counted,
made scratch or two with his pen,
and remarked:
"Three words over-seventy cents"
And as he made change he told one
of the boys behind the counter that
he'd be---if he wasn't going to the
dog fight that night. Then he picked
up my dead grandmother dispatch
and banged it on hook, showed me
over some change and turned away
! to resume the perusal OF sporting
paper.
The next week l went in with dis
patch announcing that my GRANDPA
theirs will hadbeenopened and that !
came in for $25, 900. That man must
have seen by my face that | was high
i ly elated. Hang him, he never had
the fifth OF that sum, and his salary
had just been cut down 81 per month,
but when he had read the despatch he
calmly announced:
"Forty cents, and you forgot to date
it,"
And then he began talking to one of
his fellow clerks about q slugging
match, and how he won So by betting
on the right man. l don't say he
ought to have swung his hat and
cheered over my good fortune, but
why couldn't he have extended his
hand and said:
"Eh, old boy? In luck amt you?
Well, Pm glad on it. Send around the
cigars and we'll smoke to your good
health
made up my mind when l went
out that l would upset that mans
equanimity or lose a leg. I'd tumble
him off that pedestal OF placidity il
it cost thousand dollars. Tdupset,
unbalance, and unhinge him or die
trying. gave him two weeks to re-
pent. Itisn' right to rush a telegraph
man out OF the world on d days no.
tice. went back one evening, and
felt bit sorry for him as he glanced
up and then let his eyes return to the
Police gazette. I knew that his wife
and child were in Ohio on a visit, and
stepped to the desk and wrote:
DETROIT, June 6, 1851. H. Smith
Columbus, O. Please Telegraph US full par:
ticulars OF the accident by which Mrs
Georg Taylor and daughter Of this city
were Instantly killed his afternoon:
S. r.
! felt q bit sorry as ! handed it in
not knowing but the man might faln'
dead away as heread the terrible news
Still, had vowed revenge. and woult
not forgo 1t. Hereceived the dispatch
whistling softly as was his wont, clat
tered the point of his pen along tn
words as he counted, and then b
draWled cut
"a dollar and twenty cents, ant
where shall I send the answer"
"Did you read that dispatch?"
asked, after looking at him for half 1
minute.
eyes"
do you know the parties?"
'Yes, sir"
isn't your name George Taylor
eyes, SIR"
"Aren't the parties your wife an
daughter?"
mo, sir. They returned home thi
morning. Here'syour change"