Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-09-24
Aiwavs PIacid.


The receiving clerks behind the
desks at the telegraph offices are cool,
placid fellows. They take your mes
sage of life and death with perfect
indifference, mechanically count the
words, and look bit bored as they
reply:
cit will be sixty-flve cents, please.
had my eye on certain chap fol
several weeks, says correspondent
of the Free Press, before / humbled
his pride. He insulted me. He Ia.
sulted me by softly whispering te
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 in that message ]
expected him to exhibit a little
emotion. While he could not have
been personally acquainted with my
grandmother, he must have suspected
that she was nice old lady, and
that her sudden death had greatly
overcome me. Why didn't he lool
up with bit OF sympathy in his eye
and say:
''Too bad! 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 oyer-seventy cents.
And as he made change, he tolt
one of the boys behind the counter
that he be-if he wasn't going Il
the dog fight that night. Then ht
picked up my dead grandmother
dispatch and banged it on a hook
showed me over some change, and
turned away to resume the perusal o.
sporting paper.
The nczt paak- went In with O
dispatch announcing that my grand
mothers will had been opened and
that / came in for S25, ZOO. That
man must have seen by my face that
was highly elated. Hang him, be
never had the fifth of that sum, and
his salary had just been cut down SIC
per month, but when he had read the
dispatch he calmly announced:
"Forty cents, and you forgot tc
date it,"
And then he began talking to one
Of his fellow clerks about q smuggling
match, and how he won SO by betting
on the right man. / 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, I'm glad on it. Send around
the cigars and we'll smoke to your
good health"
made up my mind when ] want
uuU urruu would upset that mans
equanimity or lose a leg. I'd tumble
him of that pedestal of placidity If II
cost a thousand dollars. I'd upset,
unbalance, and unhinge him or die
trying. 1 gave him two weeks to re.
pent. 1t isn't right to rush a tele-
graph man out Of the world on days
notice. l went back one evening,
and / felt a bit sorry for him as he
glanced up and then let his eyes re.
turn to his Police Gazette. l knew
that his wife and child were in Ohio
on visit, and l stepped to the desk
and wrote:
DETROIT, June Q, 1885.
j. ii. SMITH. COLUMBUS, O.:
Please telegraph us full particulars OF
the accident by which Mrs. George Taylor
and daughter of this city were instantly
killed this afternoon. s. p.
felt bit sorry as handed 1t in,
not knowing but the man might faint
dead away as he read the terrible
news. Still, / had vowed revenge,
and-I----..-..ll---~~s-ss.-- --c0 10. HO-->a.
ceived the dispatch, whistled softly
as was his won't, clattered the point
OF his pen along the words as he
counted, and then he drawled out:
ga dollar and twenty cents, and
where shall l send the answer"
'.Did you read that dispatch?" ]
asked, after looking at him for half .
minute.
eyes"
"Do you know the parties?"
eyes, SIR"
''Isn't your name George Taylor?'
eyes, SIR"
"Aren't the parties your wife and
daughter"
''No, sir. They returned home
this morning. Here's your changed"