St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-27
LOVE AND LIGHTNING.
Sensational Details Connect
ed With Courtship by
Telegraph.
How a Chicago Man Declared
His Passion to an Opera
tor.
Quite a New and Brilliant Idea
in Proposals Of Mar
rage.
One Who Went Fishing Only
to Be Caught and Landed
Himself.


shared! Well. shouldn't have thought
it of him-he was such a cool, wide
awake fellow"
Saying which, Warner, the incorrigi-
bic bachelor of the club, pointed to a
marriage notice in the paper, setting
forth the fact that Alexander II. Beck
lngham and Ruth V. Sneed had just
been joined in holy wedlock. And then
Warner, dismissing bis friend and all
thought of him with sarcastic wave of
his hand-as who should say: "If you
will have it so, let it be SOP pre-
pared to discuss that salmagundi of
prairie chicken for which the clubs
chef enjoys such well deserved repu-
tation. When up spoke Maxwell, who
is about the most taciturn member, gen.
orally speaking:
''lf you fellows knew the inside his
tory OF this caSe"-MaXwell is a lawyer,
and always refers to events and Incl
dents as ''caSes"--''you' have a good
laugh at Beck'S expense, L bet. But
won't tell it,
1.-The dickens you won't; that wouldn't
be fair, old man. First arousing the
evil passion of curiosity and then re-
fusing to pander to it! Out with the
storyl"
Well, the long and the short of lis
that Maxwell at last told it. And this is
about the way he related it:
Ii Was on Summer Vacation.
You remember that Beck went to
Wisconsin on his summer vacation this
year, don't you? He had been invited
by an old farmer uncle or something of
that kind at place called Wellington
or Darlington, think. That's situated
in charming part of Wisconsin. I'm
told. with lots of spoTt-fishing and
shooting and rowing and driving-and
with choice lot of natural scenery
| thrown in besides. Beck arrived there
in good order, and prepared to enjoy
| himself, when he discovered that he
! had left his whole fishing tackle-the
| entire plScatOrial outfit that had cost
! HIN small fortune at Spaulding'S-
hind here. So he had to drive back to
| the little town and wire directions TO
| Muggins, MS chum, about it. He stepped
! into the telegraph Office and began
to look for paper on which to indite
his message. Alas! The telegraph
office of Wellington or Darl u gtondiffefs
| from those elsewhere by being uDprO-
vided with either paper or pens. SO he
SWOTe under his breath and turned
around to the operator to ask for the
| WhereNlthal. The operator was grulf,
| elderly man, who furnished writing ma
terlal with an i'll grace. Beck wrote his
few lines, asked for the dues and paid
them, whereUpOn he was just on the
| point of leaving when a glance into an
other corner of the room revealed to
him the presence of a woman finger
| ing the keys. Clickety- click went
the keys and pitty-pat went Beck
| heart, for the sight of that trim.
graceful figure had sent the blood
| racing through his veins. She turned
| her back to him. Was she pretty? I'm
dOubtedly. Young? OF course Her
severely plain black dress showed
well-mOlded shape. Her wealth of hair.
surrounding the top of her head like a
! glowing crown, was OF that hue which
the euphemistic reporter terms auburn.
A couple of spry little ringletS had es-
capped, and we've playing against neck
of ivory white. Beck felt like jumping
over the counter and imprinting kiss
| on those ringletS. Funny, isn't it, how
man can fall in love with girl with
out having seen her face. But Beck had
fallen in love with her-there's no doubt
of that. lie waited another few min
utes expecting the lovely girl to turn
around and show her face. But she
didn't, and Beck had to leave at last.
Continuing the Filtration.
eff you think, however, that Beck
| wasn't at that sticky little office the
next day you simply don't know the
! man. The auburn haired one was the
daughter of the agent stationed there,
and she had her regular hours. during
which she could always be found in the
| place. Beck easily ascertained the
hours when she kept Office for her pa,
and he made it point to be there with
out fail. Then, of course. she had to
turn her face to his. The first time she
did so Beck says he felt as if the sun
mad suddenly arisen on his horizon.
For the face more than cOrreSponded
to the neck-lovcly as a dream. Beck
had hard time of it keeping quiet, but
he summoned courage, and asked for
some information, which the little lady
impaired in a ladylike but strictly bust
ness manner. And then he returned
day after day, everyday during his six
weeks vacation. OF course, he had to
do something TO make his visits appear
warranted. And so he sent dispatches
on dispatches-it was the only thing he
could dO-until the whole round OF his
| friends had been wired to-
Yes, l remember" broke in Warner,
che sent me a message one day last
summer from that place bidding me 10
think of what Juliet said 10 Romeo
when the latter felt like going away
| from under her window. | never had
such crazy dispatch. but 1 merely ac-
counted for it by suppOsing that Beck
was bored in his summer boarding
| place and wished HE to remember him.
But now l view that message in differ
ent light-he was whistling up the
wind, so to speak"
WELL" continued Maxwell, che sent
messages of that kind to all OF us, one
claZier than the other, until the rumor
spread in town that he had gone daft.
But you see now what prompted him.
Bringing Things 10 a Climax.
after while he made two calls a
day on his divinity, and he got more
desperately in love all the while. A
dozen times he had been on the point of
declaring himself, and every time her
cool matter-of-fact way had discouraged
him. He couldn't screw up his courage
to the proper point and ehe began 10 de-
spair that he ever would. For each time
his heart was in his mouth, and when
she looked at him Questioningly as he
| stepped up to the counter, he was only
able To stammer: How much is this
message? and then he turned sadly
away and left. The day before his re-
turn to the city, though, bold idea
suddenly occurred TO him as he faced
his beauty one more. He hadn't the
heart to make a declaration of love by
word of mouth, but he could use the
wires for the purpose. So he wrote out
the following message:
81 love the little authenticated tele-
graph operator in this place to distrac-
ton. and if she'll take me Pll be the
happiest man on Gods footstool.'
And then he addressed it to ME. AS
he handed Miss Ruth the slip of paper
the blood rushed to his head and he eX-
pected that she, 100. would blush to the
roots of her hair. But she didn't do
anything of the kind. She quietly took
the message, slowly perused it, check
ing off each word with her Faber, and
then she said. just as quietly rs ever:
'Forty-fiye cents, pleaSer Poor Beck
was so dumfounded that he smiled like
on idiot fhan maahapioally divod int,.