The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-10-12

young man. whose sole claim on Mrs.
Jones was that they had once met at
a party, was LETT to be healed by time
He had for company in his fate the
enthusiastic tennis player who, in the
midst of ga little summer shower"
summoned Mrs. Jones.
Il want to speak to Flanagan, the
gardener"
This is not Flannigan's telephone"
And who is speakng?"
Mrs Jones"
'Oh, well, Mrs. Jones, l can give
my message to you just as we'll. [
want you to tell Flanagan to come
and roll the tennis ground at once
Tell him right away please"
'Flannigan does not live here"
well you can send him word, |
suppose" in surprised and offend
ed voice, 'to oblige lady 1t is Miss
Mortimer who is speaking" and there
was an impressive silence Mrs Jones
remembered Miss Mortimer as a high
stepping young woman whom she had
met at q friends house. and who had
given her the impression of taking an
inventory of her. So Mrs Jones took
pleasure in replying: Miss Morti
mer probably does not know that she
is addressing a private telephone.
Good day"
But it was Jones, the luckless Jones,
who seemed set aside for the cruel
butfeting of the telephoning public
One night, which he will point to as
the widest and wettest night he has
known, he had settled himself into his
most comfortable chair with pile of
new magzines beside him, when he was
disturbed by a summons from the
telephone. He responded with readi-
ness, for he was rather expecting a
call from his partner and to his cheer
ful Hello, old fellow! I'm here"
came in a sputtering and wind-to tossed
voice: will you please tell Mrs.
GOodsOn as it is SO stormy her daugh- !
ter will not go home to night p
Jones turned and confronted his |
wife. and for time words refused |
to come
"Well, this is a little too much, |
Now think of an unknown voice bark |
ing at me to go out into a storm like |
this and tell the Goodsons that their |
daughter will not be home to night. |
The Goodsons lived just six squares
away.
And what will you do dear? Why |
didn't you say plainly that you would |
not go out into a storm like this-that |
they must call messenger?'
They shut me off without giving
me time to answer"
well call them up, call them up
at once"
Jane, please have some sense. How
do l know where Miss Goodson has
gadded off to-how do l know what
number to call up?'
"Well, [ just wouldn't go"
''Oh, I'll have to. They are friends,
and if they are expecting that girl of |
theirs to night and she doesn't come.
Mrs. Goodson will go out of her
mind"
SO Jones drove himself forth clad |
in righteous indignation and water
proof coat The cold rain lashed him
and the wind belabored his umbrella, /
and he was more than once obliged /
to pause under friendly porches to get |
his breath. At last the home OF the
Goodsons was reached, and spent and
weary he staggered up the steps.
Goodson himself opened the door.
Hello, Jones, you're no fair wealth
er friend, indeed. Come in, come IN"
''No, I'm too wet" he answered
pointedly land he felt like adding,
''and too mad.") / only came to tell
you that Miss Goodson won't be home
tonight"
My daughter? She is at home.
Don't you hear her playing on the
piano now? Come into ihe vestibule,
anyway
Jones walked in with the rain
from his coat
'kateyr called Goodson to his wife,
here is Jones come to say that Julia
won't be home to night
WHAT demanded Mrs. GoodsoD,
appearing in the hall and regarding
Jones as if he We're mild sort OF
lunatic, Julia is at home
Well, | don't understand it. said |
oOlIS0 llulHllNc1S. L was llill5 up /
half an hour ago, and asked to come .
and tell you that your daughter
wouldn't be at home on account of the .
storm
And do you mean to say that you
stand ready to turn out at all hours
and deliver messages free of cost? ? /
cried Goodson.
1t looks that way.
Well, you are an ass,
Don't compliment me too freely, ,
Goodson, [ can't take in much more;
I'm soaked as it is.
Mrs. Goodson stood thinking. Who |
could have been meant for. Oh, I've
just thought! 1t must be that Mrs.
Goodson who sews for Mrs. Jones and
me. And she has daughter-a type
writer down TOWN. and she has
friends in the suburbs She has
doubtless gone there to dinner and
concluded to stay all night. But she
lives just beyond the corner from
you.
Goodson laughed loud and brutally,
A bonny sort of q night for a re-
spectacle family man like you Jones,
to be skylarking around carrying mes
sages for typewriting maidens!
Oh, come now, that's a little too
much.
Well, old man, I'll show my graft
tude for your friendly intentions to-
ward me by going round to the tele-
phone people the first thing in the
morning, and complaining of you.
You've no right to be running op
position to the public telephone in
this way.
If you only wouldr and Jones
wrung his friends hand while tears
Of thankfulness swelled up to eyes.
Once in the street he longed for
contemptuous enemy to kick him
briskly to the house of the Widow