Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-04-07
WHAT THE WIRES SAID.

can YOU expect a man to be always inter- !
ested in a tax duplicate, with its everlast- !
ing copy, copy, with its Browns and
Joneses. its Schnitzdutfers and its Van
Dusens9 SO when somebody in the next
office begins to talk to somebody in anoth-
er office, you've got to listen, you can't
help it.
l remember pretty well the first CONVEX
sation that was anything out OF the ordln-
airy. 1t was a piping hot day at the last of
June. l had just got to Baker in the first
duplicate. and | was leaning back in my
chair, soaking the tip of my blotter in the
ink well, and trying my best TO waste ink.
The telephone bell in the next office rang,
and man answered. He said,
"Well?"
Eyes, Ella is here
There was a little rustic. and then l
heard the girl say,
"Well?n
Eyes, it's me. Is that you, Mary?'
''Oh, I'm all right"
'No; nothing unusual"
"Have | seen Maud's cousin? No; |
didn't know she had a cousin coming.
Why?"
8. Have you?"
'iWhere did you see him?"
"Why, yes I'll try to come up. What
sort of a looking person is hep
"Umph l don't like dark people"
That's worse. l absolutely detest a
man who is literary. You always feel as
though they were studying you"
"Oh yes, I'll come. Good-by. Is there
to be any one else there?'
"Oh! All right. Good-by.'
The next morning | arrived at the Office
little late, and just as l got inside the
door l heard the girl in the next office say
and she said it so loud that l knew she
was elephoning:
Il had a lovely time; but, you know, it
was little annOying-the going home
part
Il expected to go with Harry, of course.
but her cousin asked me in the middle of
the evening. and l couldn't refuse. l
should think he ought to have known bet
ter. Harry was little angry over it, and
so was l."
"Well, why couldn't he have gone with
one of the other girls?'
''No; l tried to be very distant, and let
him do most of the talking
"He does talk well, doesn't hep
''Maud says he expects to go back to col
lege in the fall
mo, hate picnics; besides, l can't get
off Are you?''
ITO call? Why, certainly. l couldn't
avoid it without snubbing him, and l
couldn't do that even if he did force him
self where he wasn't wanted"
Don't be a goose"' and then she put
up the phone with a bang and rung off,
all in the same movement.
About a week after, just as l had got
settled to an afternoons work, | saw the
girl come in. She was a little late, and had
faly off har nj hot
before heard her call 1876. She said:
"Hello! | want to speak to Mary"
SIS that you, Mary?'
81 want Mary
"Hello. What time are you going to
that picnic tomorrow
"Do you mind if l go with you?"
II didn't intend to. at first, but I've
change my mind
''Why, the idea OF course not. l met
him on the street on my way down, and,
naturally, we walked down together"
Don't be sarcastic; but honestly, now,
he really didn't have a thing to do with my
going"
"oh, well, if you wont believe me l
can't make YOU
Then you'll stop for me on the way to
the station?''
"Good-by. About seven o'clock. Yes"
1t was some two weeks later. was in
the "Ts' in Clay township, and l was
hurrying to get through. After | get on
the down grade of the alphabet, always
work faster.
But l heard the bell ring and the girl
in the next Office called 1876 and Mary.
couldn't hear what she said at first, but
pretty soon she raised her voice.
"Do you know l got myself into Just
the least bit of trouble about that piano
recital"
sit was all a misunderstanding, and
was awfully sorry, but there wasn't any
reason why Harry should be so veXed over
it,"
"Why, you see, Harry asked me the
week before to 90 with him, and made
mistake about the day, and refused, be-
cause l thought We were to have a dinner
that night. Afterwards | found out my
mistake, and when Clarence"
"Mr. Stevens, Maud's cousin"
when he asked me to 20 with him,
said l would, and l did. Harry heard
about it and it made him angry. He
thought since | refused him ought not to
have gone at all"
"Oh, haven't seen him; heard that
he said that"
sob, yes, of course you take his part. l
didn't mean to slight him, but if he wants
to look at it in that way, he can, that's all.
He ought to know that he's not tied to my
apron-strings."
''What would you do?"
mo; I'll do nothing of the sort. He
can stay away if he wants to-
"You're invited to Maud's for tea to-
night, aren't you?"
"Oh, don't know; two or three weeks,
guess He's been offered position on a
newspaper, and he is considering whether
to take that or go on with his college
course
"Oh, come, don't make fun of me. Ger
tainly like him better than l did at first.
He's such fascinating talker."
"Then I'll see you at Maud's."
The next afternoon had to go into the
next Office TO attend to some matters, and
as Ella was alone, l stopped to talk to her,
for she's a right pretty girl, is Ella, and
rather nice to chat with. l hadn't been
there more than two minutes when that
internal telephone broke in ON us. Ella
answered it.
"Well, who is it?" and then she said,
"Ohl" rather jOyfully, l thought. She
looked around at me as though she wished