The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-09
A ROMANCE OF The DESERT.
Married His Friend at the Other End o
the Wire When He Found He Was She.

y
the Wire When He Found He Was She.
Telegraph operators frequently make
warm friends with each other with no
other means of communication than the
| insensate wire, and more than once friend
ships thus made have lasted for years
without either person having had so much
as glimpse of the others features. It is
not often, however, that courtship is car
| ried on under such circumstances, but a
pretty little romance comes from the des-
ert which had for its sequel the recent reg
| istration at a prominent hotel of 81. J.
| Stansbury and wife, Jackson Springs,
| Cal" The story is repeated by the hero
| himself
"About year and half ago." said he,
"I was railroad agent and telegraph op-
| orator at little station down on the des-
ert side of Yuma The station consisted
of nothing more than big water tank, a
shed for myself and another for a small
crew Of trackmen. There for nearly year
put in the loneliest and the hottest time
that ever passed in my life. The ther-
mometer had a way Of monkeying around
between 100 degs. and $50 degs. above zero
on most days, and almost my only pleas
ure was found in talking over the wires
with the operators at various stations
along the line.
81 had never seen the operator at Ban
ming at that time, but he was 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 anticipation-on my
part at least-of the manner In which we
should pass it. We were to go into the
mountains and spend two or three weeks
in hunting, fishing, etc. All of our plans
were arranged in those scorching and lone
ly days, and we usually agreed in our ideas
of the preparations. although there was oc-
casionally little difference of opinion.
81 remember, for instance, that he said
he was going 30 take along pair of rub
Der boots for trout fishing, while asked
him, What's the matter with your taking
off your shoes and stockings and rolling up
your pants?' But he said he preferred
boots. AS the time drew near, however,
he, for some reason that could not under
stand, backed squarely out of the enter
prize. much to my disgust.
Finally he told me one day that he was
going to New Mexico to pass his vacation,
and we anticipated considerable 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 l was sick and uncon-
scious with burning fever, the result of
my long stay under the torrid sun.
Into the fever tortured brain there
sometimes creeps semiconseiousness 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 sickroom, and when l re-
turned to the conscious world / was not
surprised to find fair and pleasant face
beside me. She said that she had been
upon the train when was found stricken
down, and had staid to minister to my
sore need. The idea may seem preposter-
Gus, but 1 believe the foundation of my af-
lection for my kind attendant had been
laid while the Inconsistencies of fever
was still upon me, and the affection grew
into the deepest love as she cared for me
during the days of my convalescence.
"After a time / ventured to tell her OF
my love and to ask her if she would be
mine, but l was not prepared for her
answer
"'John,' she said, do you really mean
that you wish to marry girl that insists
upon wearing rubber boots and will not
rolP-
"'Math 1 said. for I was completely
beaten. Then it flashed upon me. She |
was the operator at Banning, and l. like
fool, had always taken it for granted that |
she was a man.
"Well, am not going to tell how con,
vinced her that l wanted to marry her,
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 an operator, but calculate that
/ am ahead on the deal. ."-Los Angeles
Herald.