The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-08-11
DOT AND DASH.
The Romantic Tale of a Western Tele-
graph Operator.


STOCKTON, Cal, July 8.-"J. J..
Stransberry and wife, jackson Springs,
Cal"
These are the names and address
now inscribed upon one Of the hotel
registers in this city. But behind the
names is a story which has a fair
amount of romance in it. Let it be
told, as nearly as possible, as Mr..
Strawberry himself related it in con-
versatiOn yesterday.
About q year and a half ago" said
he. 4 was railroad agent and tele-
graph operator at a little station down
on the desert side of Yuma. The station
consisted of nothing more than a big
water tank, a shed for myself and an
other for a small crew Of track men.
There for nearly a year [ put in the
lOnellest and the hottest time that I
ever passed in my life. The thermOm-
eter had a way of mOnkeying around
between 100 and $50 degrees above
zero on most days. and almost nv only
pleasure was found in talking over the
wires with the operators at various
stations long the line,
Il had seen the operator at
Banning at that time. but he was a
cheerful, jolly sort of fellow, and, as
time also hung heavily upon his hands.
we passed many a pleasant hour in
conversation over the wires. We had
sort Of half arranged to get a vacation
together, and there was a good deal of
joyful anticlpatiOn-On my part at
leaSt-Of the manner in which we
should pass it. We were to so into
the mountains and spend two or three
weeks in hunting, fishing, etc. All of
our plans were arranged in those
scorching and lonely days; and we
usually agreed in Our ideas of the
preparations, although there was, Occa-
siOnally, a little difference Of opinion,
4 remember, for instance, that he
said he was going to take along a pair
of rubber boots for trout fishing, while
[ asked him, whats the matter with
your taking off your shoes and stock
ingS and rolling up your pantS?' But
he said that he preferred boots. AS
the time drew near, however, he, for
some eaS that ! could not under
stand, backed square out of the enter
prise, much to my disgust.
"FinalIy, he told me one day that
he was going to New Mexico to pass
siderable pleasure in meeting each
other during the trains brief stop at
my station. But l did not meet him
at all, for when the train that bore him
arrived I was sick and unconscious
with a burning fever, the result of my
long stay under that tOrrid sun.
Unto the fever-tOrtured brain there
sometimes creepS q semi consciousness
Of the life about it, and so during the
days of my agony [ was vaguely aware
of gentle. wOmanly hands and a kindly
feminine presence in my sick-rOOm,
and when | returned % the conscious
world, | was not surprised to find a
fair and pleasant face beside me. She
said that she had been upon the train
when | was found stricken down, and
had stayed to ministertO my sOre need.
The idea may seem prepOSterOuS, but
l believe that the foundation of my
affection for my kind attendant had
been laid while the Inconsistencies of
fever was still upon me, and the affeC-
ton grew into deepest love as she cared
for me during the days of my con-
~valescenCe.
"After a time l ventured to tell
her Of my love, and to ask her if she
would be mine; but was not prepared
for her answer.
"'John,' she said, do you really
mean that you wish to marry a girl
that insists upon wearing rubber boots,
and will nOt-rOll-
"'Huhn 1 said, for l was completely
beaten. Then it flashed upon me. She
was the operator at Banning, and I,
like a fool, had always taken it for
granted that she was a man.
"Well, l am not going to tell how I
convinced her that | wanted to marry
her, rubber boots and all, but I did it,
and like Barkis, she was willin', and
here we are on Our wedding journey.
The Southern Pacific has lost q tele-
graph operator, but | calculate that [
am ahead on the deal"