The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-05-09
THE BARRICADE.
The Trouble It Caused the Opera
tor at Louville.


The station agent at Louyille sat
with his feet on the window sill, hands
plunged into his pockets and scowl
upon his face. His eye brows were
straight, and the scowl brought them
down into long line across his fore
head; this, with his heavy nustache,
made him look quite fierce.
Ever and anon he would glance at an
inoffensive little yellow paper lying on
his desk Each time he did so the
scowl grew fercer. Finally he let his
chair down with bang, snatched at
the telegram, and, for the fiftieth time,
read
SAMUEL W. TUrrLR:
1.-The L. & r. manager has appointed Miss
Laura waleott as assistant te1egrapher at your
station. VIII be there on Wednesday.
I'D. w, Secretary"
Then he crumpled it up and tossed it
into the waste basket
II won't stand It," he growled.
They have no right to treat me SO.
Why did ask for an assistant at all?
Idiotp'
With this consoling remark he paced
up and down the large, bare room. A
man In the lonely position of station
agent is apt to contract the habit of
talking to himself.
"a womanI' he said, pausing in the
midst of the room and running his
fingers through his hair with inartistic
results. Here all the time. and no
respite for mel I'd have to keep on
company manners eternally-chairs
on four legs, no smoking, couldn't
even whistle, suppose. l have an
idea that women always have head
achesl"
He paused and contemplated the sit
uation again. 1t was too much.
''I'll resign hrstp' he cried; and inn
mediately tucked off message TO that
effect
In an hour back came the answer:
'sNonsensel Can't let you of. What
mas struck you?"
Samuel futile said something, but
he said it very low. He sat bolt up
right for quite while, and then a
wicked smile crept into his face.
81 believe I'll be ready for Miss VOL
colt when she arrives. I'll not be dis
turbed by her presence, either"
This rather enigmatical remark was
explained the next morning, when, IN
obedience to orders from Mr. futile,
two carpenters put in appearance at
the Louville station, and before noon
had constructed across the middle OF
the large room, where he had held
sway so long, a high board fence OF
q oraSaiua1v vallOvv nine.
After their departure Mr.. futile
walked among the shavings with a sat
isfied air. He moved all his belongings
to one side of the novel division line,
and for the next two days worked
away, again happy man.
On Thursday morning Laura VOL
colt stepped off the express and came
towards him with good will shining
from her brown eyes. She was hap
py little thing, who, in her brief strug-
gle for existence, had learned to make
the best of conditions; SO 1t was with
a most CHEEKY smile that she unsus-
pectingly extended her hand to her
sworn enemy.
To tell the truth, Samuel Tuttle was
rather taken aback, and felt slightly
ashamed; he had somehow expected
she would know of his antagonistic
feeling, and met him In q suitably dis
tant manner There was no backing
out, however; so he led her around to
the door opening into her half of the
room, and said:
This is your office; you will find
everything in place" Then, with q
stiff bow, he retreated to his own do
minion, without daring to glance at
her.
She stood still as he retreated, with
puzzled expression in her eyes; then
she heard him on the other side, max
ing a good deal of racket getting set
tied. Finally, faint blue curl Of
smoke rose over the fence.
At this, Miss Wolcott sat down with
a look of dawning Intelligence, mixed
with a hurt expression, upon her pink
and white face, as she saw the fence
was new one. The smile grew Is she
rrasped the situation, until there was
a network of dimples around her
mouth; she nodded her head sagely in
the direction of the fence, and set to
work quietly.
Mr.. Tuttle, for his part, wondered
what she was doing to keepso still; the
novelty of the situation perplexed him
SO that he could not enjoy his solitude.
Along in the afternoon his curiosity
made it imperative that he should
consult her about message, so he
sauntered around to her door, She
greeted him with the same CHEEKY
smile, appearing utterly oblivious to
anv strangeness in the situation, and
innocently gazed straight up into his
ewes. When there was no longer the
slightest prctext for his staying, he
went back. Somehow his side looked
forIorn and disorderly, and he awk-
wardly tried to put it to rights.
This went on for several days, and
their acquaintance progressed de
even owned to himself that she was q
nice little thing" and he had been
fool In regard to the fence; but It
wouldn't do to give up 1t was an
moving, though, to be Obliged to go out
of one door and in at another to com
municate with her; so, one night after
she had gone home, he cut square
hole in the fence. From his table,
through this opening he could catch
frequent glimpses of her brown head
as she bent over the telegraph instru-
ment; but this does not necessarily
point to any scheming propensity on
his part. Frequently he caught him
self staring at her steadily; sometimes
she caught him, too, and then they
would both laugh-he. rather confused
iy, she, merrily.
Gradually she frightened up her half
and even carpeted 1t; there were low
ers in the window. and new-made
friends frequently dropped in. She
seemed a capital entertainer, and Sam
uel futile watched proceedings with
quiet and envious eye. His half looked
cheerless, and he felt out in the cold.
She was as pleasant rs ever, but per-
sisted In treating him as business
acquaintance; she never laughed and
1oked with him the way she did with
other callers. He began to feel ag-
grieved, and his eyebrows were often
drawn down into a straight line. much
to her secret enjoyment.
In reckless moment he cut gate
In the hateful barricade, after doing 1t,
he felt rather nervous a. to how she
would take H. When she came In she
stopped short for a moment, and then
said: "How Meet
Mr.. Tuttle could have blessed her.
The gate stood open the greater part
Of the time. and he had fnls yiaW q