The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-06
THE WIRES BETRAYED THEM,
And the Two Practical Joking Opera
tors Came Each in Turn to Grief.

tors Game Each In Turn to Grief.
From the NetD York sun.
When Detective Kemp, who is now
attached TO the West Thirtieth street police
station, was a telegraph operator at 599
Broadway, his friend Tom Smith, at the
Fifth Avenue hotel, worked the same wire.
They were side partners, and of course it was
all right If Kemp amused himself when
business was dull by listening to
Smiths talk with the central Office. Any
one with half an ear for ticks could have
told that Smiths receiver was a woman
Her touch was light and nervous
and her replies were pert. She gave Smith
as good as he sent and Kemp kept his key
open and listened. Smith and the young
woman at the w estern Union building be-
came good friend. aud one day Kemp heard
Smith tick:
''Say, Molly, I've been talking with you
for a long time now, and l would like to
meet you
"All right, Tom. Come down to lunch
tomorrow in the building was the reply.
Then Tom and Molly arranged a very
simple scheme OF Introduction. There Is a
lunch room in the Western Union for the
telegraph operators. One side is reser we'd
for the women and the other for the men.
Smith said that at 9 O'Clock he would enter
the room on the mems side carrying blank
and he told Molly to come TO lunch at ex-
actly that time and also TO carry blank.
Then, when they had identified each other,
they could meet after lunch. Kemp did
some business on his own account after
hearing this conversation.
Az O'Clock the next afternoon Tom Smith
holding blank in front of him, entered
the lunch room, and behind him fled ten
other men, each carrying blanks Molly
entered from the woman's side, also carry
ing blank, and ten young women fol-
lowed her. Each Of them had a blank.
Molly saw the joke and she dropped her
blank and pretended to be very hungry.
Smith was bored and he suddenly remem-
bered an engagement up town. From that
time Smith was greeted at the Western
Union building with "Hey, Smith, carrying
any more blanksg" and he lay for Kemp,
who didn't object to a Irritation over the
wire himself.
The avengers opportunity came when
one OF the young girls who was employed as
a messenger began to practice with Kemp
on his WIRE Kemp found IL good fun, and
the girl was 80 anxious Co become q good
| operator that she practiced at every oppor-
tunity. She told Kemp that she was just
II years old, and she admitted that she was
he was with the ladies, and Smith listened
at the Fifth Avenue hotel and waited for
revenge. Kemp finally asked the girl TO
meet him and she promised to ask her moth
er's permission and give him an answer the
next day. Kemp was quick In answering
the rather bungling cali that came for him
next day.
"WelI, what did mamma sayF' ratified
Kemp.
81 didn't dare to ask her" came the reply
in battling ticks.
81 think will meet you, anyway"
"Wherer asked Kemp.
CAT the corner OF Sixth avenue aud Four
tenth street, between and $50 O'Clock to-
| night, was the reply.
20. K" licked Kemp.
1t was a cold night and Kemp paced back
| and forth at Sixth avenue and Fourteenth
street for half an hour. TO the great delight
of q dozen Western Union mon, who were
Watching him from a saloon on the corner.
Tom Smith led the gang out at $3.50 o'clock
| and said:
Hello, Kemp, what are you doing here's"
"Why-why, Nottingham Is, have
been at the Fourteenth Street theater and
came out for a smoke"
Have you met the girl with the white
/ jecket7'' asked Smith.
Kemp stopped short and pulled his hands
out OF his pockets. He saw q dozen men
| grinning at him.
You 90 to-no, they're on me, but I'm
not carrying a blank
| Smith and Kemp made engagements over
different wires after that.