Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-10-19
rue MAN WHO srAMMEasD.

rx.r. was Fun when He Tackled = Tel
ephore aud Tried TO Talk.
It's great fun to be around when q
man with an impediment in his
speech tries to talk through q teie-
nhone. As q rule he doesn't try 1t
often. but sometimes he can't heip
himself. Such was the case with
clerk in a railroad Office down south
where / was employed some years
aeo. Like many others similarly at
aicted. he stammered worst when he
tried hardest to stop 1T.
The superintendent happened to
drop into the Office one morning ana
asked him to telephone to certain
Arm of stock dealers who had been
making inquiries about the matter
that they could ship certain quan-
tity of mixed stock in the same car
provided they double decked the car
please, SIR" said John-that was
the name by which verybody ad-
dressed him-"Tm afraid l c-c-ca-ca-
cal
whats thatq" queried the super
intendent somewhat harshly.
"It's all right, sir" responded John
meehly, convinced of the utter fu-
tility of trying to explain to stranger
that he generally got stuck on words
beginning with a I'd" worse than any
other kind.
John succeeded in establishing con-
nections through central all right,
and then the trouble began.
oThat stock will go all right, he
shouted, 'if you d-d-d-d-d"-
Then he paused to take fresh
start. and the man at the other end
of the wire evidently said something.
"It's all right" began John again.
eff you d-d-d-d-d-d"--
His breath gave outand he stopped
to take in fresh supply, while the
other man probably inquired what
sort of an idiot was trying to talk to
him or something of that sort, for
Johns face grew very red.
Blame it'll" he yelled at the instru-
ment; "put b-b.bulkhead in the
car"
But evidently the intending ship
per was not up in nautical terms
and must have implied as much
with the addition of sundry refec-
tions concerning the state of Johns
intelligence.
Whatever it was it made John
madder than ever.
With supreme effort he again
tackled the telephone and shouted:
Hang it! put f-fence through
the car, and if that don't do ocean
lick you!"
John was good fellow, though
under strong provocation slightly
disposed to be pugnacious. l shall
never forget the last time saw him
1t was in ST. Lul1e's hospital, this
city. The head of the department
of the railroad in which he was en-
ployed was selfish brute and made
him work a great deal of overtime
without any extra pay. In conse
quence his health gave way and ne
came north to get well, but got worse
and had to go to the hospital. He
was without a penny, and those who
had been his associates in the rail
road office made up little purse fol
him.
I found his wife by his bedside
when called to see him. She was 6
sanguine little body and began tx
talk about how she intended wher
John got a little better to start &
small candy store with the money
that had been subscribed for him
and thus support him until he was
able to go to work again.
John listened in silence for a time
and then said sadly:
"Y-y-es, it will do to b-b-b"-
He was unable to finish the sen
tence, but he made downward ges
ture with his finger and burst into
tears. 1t was painfully plain wha
he meant. Buried he was few days
later, and with the money that haf
been subscribed by his former com
panions. New York Herald