The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-08-14
p MUSICAL TRIUMPH.
lLongmanis Magazine. I

What? Those lesser thirds so plantive, sixths
diminished, sigh on sigh,
Told them something? II BrolrniRq.
PART l.
You went up three or four steps, max
ing your way as best you could between
casks of sour-looking plums, and apples,
which, if you would but consent to take
them as they rose, or, in other words, as
they naturally presented themselves, and
not pick and choose, you could buy cheap
You pushed aside some festoons of dang
ling brushes, were gently bumped by a
string OF Portugal onions, caught glimpses
of photographs of various beautiful
places in the district as you dis
placed these things, and at last effected
an entrance into Archibald Browns
shop This was the postoffice, tele.
graph Office and general store shop of
the village of Selswyke Bay, in Yorkshire.
Nowhere else within a radius OF seven
miles could you buy a dress, bit of
elegant trowsering, cheese. or good
piece Of ham or bacon. Apples and
plums might be had for the begging or
stealing by the tender youth OF Selswyke,
and were so had but nowhere else could
clothes and provisions and everything
wanted in a house be bought The in
habitants of Selswyke were unusually
well endowed, being, when farmers,
either on a large or small scale,
in the habit of saying that they
had beef, mutton, ham, eggs,
chickens and ducks within them
selves" and yet this shop was needed. If
it had been in Scotland its owner would
probably have been known as Archie
Athings; here he was tremendously
styled Mr.. Archibald Brown, and being a
man of genial, but thoroughly respectful,
manners and much information, his shop
was abundantly resorted to by persons
who sometimes did not want much more
than few words with him. The squire
OF the neighborhood-a proud man with
more pedigree than rent roll, but more
rent roll than sufhced to keep up the dig
nifed state in which his life was spent
was there now. He had gone in to buy
some postcards, and being fully six feet
high, had not got in without becoming
aware that Mr.. Brown had Portugal onions
tor sale. He had bought his postcards and
had remained for five minutes talk with
Mr.. Brown about some local matter A
Mr. Brown was unaffected by this. Squire
Rokewood found its incisive little clicks
great hindrance to conversation.
You seem to let those people at the
other end OF the wires work awav as they
like, without taking any notice of them"
said he.
'The message is not for us, sir. 1t
is message from Scorton to Wragbor-
ough."
Wragborough was town that was ten
miles away
Really And you hear the clicking of
the Scorton message as itgoes! did not
know that you could do that Then can
any OF the other offices between Scorton
and WrsgborOugh hear it, too"
Its heard just the same in every one
of them, sir. !"
Il had no idea of that; but. after all. I
suppose none of the offices know what is
being flashed along the wires but the one
that the message is intended for, and that
even the one it is intended for doesn't
know what the message is until it has
been worked off onto the take?"
'Oh, yes, they do-that is. they might
for IN those offices the people are mostly
too busy TO think OF a message that is not
intended for them. But it is astonishing
how soon even the shop boys learn 70 dis
tlnguish the sound OF the stroke made by
each letter"
81 had no conception that our messages
were such public property" said Mr..
Rokewood. 'T shall word mine much
more carefully in future. But, Mr. Brown.
do you really mean to tell me that YOU,
standing there talking to me, could. if
you chose 10 listen, hear what that mes
sage is?'
"Of course I could, sir. I have heard
some of il.
What was it ,"
you must please to excuse me, sir.
Such information as that must be kept TO
mysef-it is my duty However, it is a
common message enough, and not in the
least worth knowing"
"And you say that the shop boys can
read the messages by ear, too. Can that
boy Of yours do it?" Mr. Rokewood was
referring to remarkably stupid-looking
little fellow, who, to the distraction of a
woman In hurry, was struggling with
the management OF the weights and scales.
Yes, sir he is a long way quicker in
understanding by hearing than am"
Mr.. Brown at this moment was called
away TO the inner shop to I'll in some
money orders and receive some saving
bank deposits, and the squire, who had
not got over his establishment at that
stupid boy being able to interpret a tele-
gram by using bis ears-what enormous
ears they were, by the bye-said TO him,
Can you really do as much as your mas
ter says you can?
100, aye, sir" replied the boy careless
~, and, no customer being there, began to
amuse himself by piling up the weights
in the form OF pyramid with an amount
OF noise that was simply astounding
Suddenly be darted of to the window
signal had informed him that a message
was now going to be sent to that office.
Dexterously adjusting the tape so as
10 be ready TO receive the communication,
he signsled that he was prepared, and
waited to see the message print itself off.
NO." cried Squire Rokewood imper-
atively, "come TO the other end OF the shop
this moment! / want TO see If you really
can tell what this message is just by hear
ing"
The squire was the squire, and without
a seconds hesitation the boy obeyed. Mr..
lockwood, too, had no hesitation-his
strong desire to know if what had been
said to him could be true made him forget
that he had no right to try to possess him
self Of knowledge not intended for him.
$50 on p be exclaimed, impatiently, for
the clicking had stopped and the boy was
not saying word.
On hearing this command he made some
OF the uncouth sounds which in his rank