The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-05-27
COULDN'T EXCITE Has FEEs.
. uNG8.


The receiving clerks behind the aesks
At the telegraph Offices are cool plav;i
fellows They take your message Of ire
or death with perfect indifference. me
chanically count the words. and look a
bit bored as they reply:
Ut will be e6 cents, please"
had my eye on certain chap for sew
erai weeks before l humbled his pride.
DE lnsulted me. He insulted me by softlv
whispering to himself ~ he counted the
words in the following message:
Grandmother died last night very
suddenly. How many of you can attend
the funeral ?"
When | handed in the MESSAGE OF.
pected him to exhibit q little emo,;or
While he could not have been personally
acquainted with my grandmother, be
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:
sToo bad; l 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:
Three words over-seventy cents"
land 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 nm nv
dead grandmother dispatch and hanged
1t on hook, showed me over some change
and turned away to resume the perusal of
a sporting paper.
The next week 1 went in with a dis
patch, announcing that my grandmother's
will had been opened and that came in for
$25, 900. That man must have seen by INV
face that l was highly elated. Hang him.
be never had fifth of that sum. and his
salary had just been cut down $40 per
month, but when he read the dispatch he
camly announced:
Forty cents, and you forgot to date it"
And then he began talking to one of
his fellow clerks about q sluggiup match.
and how he won s. by betting on the
right man. l don't say he ought to have
swung his hat and cheered over nv good
fortune, but why couldn't he have sex-
tended his hand and said:
Eh, old boy? In luck, amt YOU?
Well, I'm glad on it. Send around the
cigars ;, and we'll smoke to your good
a. | made up my mind when 1 went out
or lose leg. I'd tumble him off that
pedestal of placidity if it cost 500. I'd
upset, unbalance and unhinge him or die
trying. l gave him two weeks to repent.
1t isn't right to rush a telegraph man out
of the world in days notice. / went
back one evening, and felt bit sorry for
him as he glanced up and then let his eyes
return to his Police Gazette. knew that
his wife and child were in Ohio on a
visit, and / stepped to the desk and
wrote:
j. e. Smith, Columbus, OAio
Please telegraph rs full particulars Of III. scri-
dent by which Mrs. George Taylor and dauga II
OF this city were instantly killed this af,. l,.,,u
g.
felt bit sorry as handed it in, not
knowing but the man might faint dead
away as he read the terrible news. Still,
had vowed revenge, and / would not
forego 1t. be received the dispatch,
whistled softly as was his wont, clattered
the point of his pen along the words as
he counted, and then he drawled out:
" A dollar and twenty cents, and
where shall send the answer ?"
Did you read that dispatch P'' 1
asked after looking at him for half min
ute.
"Yes.'
Do you know the parties ?''
Yes, SIR"
T." Isn't your name George Taylor p
eyes, sir"
" Aren't the parties your wife and
daughter ?''
"No, sir. They returned home this
morning. Here's your change r'-De-
tron Free Press.