Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-05-11

Wtft not III tsith blhti-h pitncuCt lIOih
an ocular standpoint, they were there
from an electrical on. They were
both on the same wire and could hear
each other at work under various con
ditions. There is no better place TO
test ones patience than in telegraph
office When the weather is bad and
the wires work poorly it is an amiable
person indeed who can retain his or
her temper. And when the weather
is fine many things are continually
arising which tend 90 make one petu-
liant and cranky. Aud when tele-
graph operator gets i'm that frame of
mind it is not necessary to be looking
right at him TO know il. His wire
manners viii! tell it just as q uiclil y and
truthfully. 1t is one of the mysteries
TO people who are not masters of the
art TO understand how these operators
can tell how another operator is feel
ing hundreds of miles away. The op-
orators cannot explain it themselves.
If an inquiring soul does get interested
enough in them to ask, the only eXpla-
nation of this phenomenon he can get
is that the operators know the humor
send and receive their messages.
The operators have one great advan-
tage over lovers in other walks of
life, and that is that they can tele-
graph their thoughts in public without
any one else knowing a thing about it.
On picnics and excursions they may
often be seen sitting facing each other
wig-wagging with newspapers desper-
ately, and talking with somebody else
just enough 10 divert attention. They
are making love. In dining rooms Chey
rattle dots and dashes with their
knives on the prougs of forks and tell
very interesting love stories in that pc
culiar way.
In one of the big offices in this city
there is wire which is stunned as
much us possible by every operator in
the office 1t has the reputation of be-
ing the hardest wire to work in the
world. There are large number Of
local railroad Offices on the wire, and
they all do more business than is ordi-
narily the case with small offices. For
years the only person who could work
this wire was Il pretty young woman.
1t did not matter how good an operator
u man was or how hard he tried to get
along, his patience could not stand the
strain for more than few minutes.
Then he was in fight with some one.
But the little woman never had the
least bit Of trouble She was on the
best terms with all the operators along
the line, and was never behind in her
work. One summer new operator
struck town, and it fell to his lot to re
lievo this young woman half an hour
every day during lunch time. Tie had
"a fairly good disposition himself, but
he wasn't on the wire ten minutes the
first day before he was in Il red-hot
row. 1t lasted until the young lady
got back, when she graciously straight
ened matters out. Day after day he
went around TO relieve her with a very
disagrccablc feeling, and always with
the same result. His attention finally
became centered on the young woman
herself He knew that nothing short
Of an angel could work that wire, and
he cultivated her acquaintance. They
have been married q long time now.
He has told the secret to his friends
matrimonially inclined, and number
of them have been watching that wire
ever since. But no young woman has
remained there for any length of time,
and the watchers all know what that
means
Ordinarily an operator can tell a
woman the moment he hears her work.
ing wire. He tells by her touch ON
the key. Women as rule, telegraph
ers say, do not touch the key of their
Instruments as firmly as men do Oc-
casionally, however, there is one with
out this characteristic distinction in her
style The following story is told in a
"a little journal devoted to the profess
sion:
"About year and half ago." says
the writer, 81 was railroad agent and
operator at little station down on the
desert side of Yuma. The station con-
sisted of nothing more than big
water tank, Il shed for myself, and an
other for small crew of traclxmen.
There for nearly year | put in the
lonesomest and hottest time that ever
passed in my life. The thermometer
had Il way of monlleying around 100 or
100 degrees above zero on most days,
and almost my only pleasure was found
in talking over the wires with the op-
orators at the various stations along
the line.
81 had never seen the operator at
Banning at that time, but he was "a
cheerful, jolly sort Of fellow, and, as
time also hung heavily on his hands,
we passed many a pleasant hour in con-
versation over the wires. We had sort
of half arranged to get vacation to-
gethcr, and there was a good deal Of
joyful anticipation-on my part at
lcast--of the manner in which we
should pass it. We were to go into the
IN ountains and spend ,two or three
weeks in hunting and fishing. Allof our
plans were arranged on those scorch-
ing and lonely days, and we usually
agreed in our ideas of the preparations,
although there was occasionally a little
difference of opinion,
81 remember, for instance, that he
said he was going to take along u pair
of rubber boots for trout fishing, while
| asked him: What's the matter with
you taking OF your shoes and stock
ings and rolling up your trousers?' But
he said he preferred rubber boots. As
the time drew near however, he, for
some reason | could not understand
backed squarely out of the enterprise,
much to my disgust.
FINALLY he told nue. one day that he
was going to New Mexico TO pass his
vacation and we anticipated consider
able pleasure IN meeting each other
during the trains brief stop ut my sta.
ton. But | did not meet him at all, for
when the train that bore him arrived
was sick and unconscious with burn
ing fever. tho result of my long stay
under the torrid sun
Into the fevcr-torturcd brain there
sometimes crccps a scmi-consciousness
OF the life about 1T, and so during the
days of my agony was vaguely aware
sNff A 4.