The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-07-06
TRICKS AMONG TeLEaaApheRs.
Tho Tenderfoot Is Usually Put Through q
yts,yrous Course 0f sprouts.

Tho Tenderfoot Is Usually Put rhrOrgh .
Vigorous Course 1T sprouts.
speaking Of country town telegraph
ers," said a veteran operator. reminds
me Of a story ON myself. l Was the
student of the railway station In a small
New Jersey town when an old timer
came down there to work wire IN the
division superintendent Office, which
was just across the track tn another build
ing.
lone day I answered call on my IN
strurnent and got message from Mas
ter Mechanic McMartin, who lived down
the track sixty miles. asking me as per
sonai favor TO take the handcar and go
down the road about three miles to the
farm of j. Bird, where | would get 500
strawberry plants. He wanted me to
bring them to the station and send them
down by the evening express, Now Nc
Martin was in especial favor with me. !
had two brothers working under him,
and naturally thought he was great
man. So said | would do it.
81 went home. got q Zig clothes basket,
rolled out the handcar, and with one of
the boys that always hang around
country depot started out to find the farm
of j. Bird | had nevc. heard Of any
such person. but thought ! might have
overlooked him. So pumped away up
a long grade until reckoned had gone
at least three miles Then hailed man
in field and asked him where }. Bird
lived. He said there wasn't any such
man around there-might live farther
west; SO | went on a couple of miles
until ! found another man, and he was
at least half mile away in a plowed
field So | floundered over that stretch
of broken ground and asked him where
to find the farm of }. Bird. He said he
had lived in that county thirty years,
and that no such person had ever been
in it SO far rs he knew-thcre was no
such man il that immediate section
anyway.
Il went back to the handcar in
west, though was already between
eight and nine miles from town, and my
hands from pumping the handcar were
blistered fearfully. if it hadn't been for
the old farmers positive statement that
no such man lived anywhere around
Finally concluded that there had been
some mistake and started back. 1t was
mighty hard work and my hands were
awful sore, but j pumped away, and
at last l rolled up to the depot. There
was great crowd of young fellows
there, and when l picked up the big
clothes basket and stepped on to the
platform everybody gave me a great
laugh Then the old time operator put
his head out of the window and sung out:
"'Got them strawberry plants?
ut didn't take me more'n a second to
realize the whole measly trick. The OPP
orator from the other building had
switched on his ground wire, called me
up and sent me the message and signed
it McMartin. On the strength of that |
had gone out on q hunt for a jaybird and
come back with two dozen blisters
While was gone he had circulated the
story and the gang had gathered l
didn't hear the last of that sell for
months, and l was SO suspicious after
ward that wouldn't answer my own
call half the time. That's what l call
low down trick; but I've hoaxed young
operators just as badly since 1t teaches
en- the business. New York Star.