St. Landry democrat., 1893-10-07
HE LOST THE BET,
One Receiver which this Rapid One.
ratOr Could not stBreak.''

ratOr Could not s'Break.o
remember a rather laughable incident
that occurred in the Oil City, Pa, West
ern Union office some fifteen years ago.
1t has been told and laughed over by
operators ever since. The office was a
hot one at that time, and any one en-
ployed by the manager had to be a
rusher. Men of this kind, as a rule,
value situation lightly, and seldom re.
manned there any length of time. II
was not unusual to employ new man o,
two every month. Attic time of which
write dapper young chap made his
appearance in search of employment, and
secured the handling of local wires. He
was an extraordinarily fast sender, in fact,
one of the fastest and plainest | ever
heard on wire, and as type writer,
were yet thing of thu future for tele,
graph work, he could generally make
his man break, which apparently was en-:
| Joyed by him. Within few days the
boys got on to him. as the saying
goes, and put their heads together fol
the purpose of having some fun at his
expense.
Several miles out from Oil City is q
small town called Reno. ct is small
country town. The agent and operator
there was also a blacksmith with a shop
across the road from the depot. Being
very poor operator he received mes
sages on an old fashioned register, which
registers the dots and dashes instead of
taking by sound as is the custom of late
years.
1t was through one of the Boys know
ing of the existence of this register that
gave them the idea of working the late
acquisition into trying to rush the ma
chine. After they had the scheme cut
and dried, one day, during lunch hour,
the conversation drifted to fast sending
and receiving, when some one made the
remark that 1.-THE only man be never knew
to break was down at Reno" The fly
sender made the remark that if he was
good receiver he was the rankest
sender he ever heard, aud that it was
all blow about him being a good re-
cever. I'll bet a box of cigars | could
make him squeal in less than one hun
dred words.' He had fallen into the
trap more easily than was anticipated.
1t is needless to say that the bet was
accepted. When he had saved up mes
sages enough to cover the required
number of words. he called the boys
over to hear him slaughter the man at
Sc Rn, which was the call for Reno"
AS they gathered around he began send
ing. The dots and dashes flew from be-
meath his nimble fingers as they never did
before, and the perspiration stood out
upon his forehead faster and faster went
the key, until he closed it with bang,
out never break. Presently came back
The slow and methodical COX" of the
Did man at Reno. The other operators
lad good laugh, after which they re-
turned to their desks.
Upon the evening of that day, the fly
sender took a train. out of curiosity, to
zee the operator who was never known
o break, and went down to Reno to get
glimpse of him.
Imagine his surprise and chagrin,
Vhen on looking through the window,
o see an old register, the first he had
YER seen, instead of relay and sounder.
lie returned to Oil City on the next
rain, joke too good to keep, gave it away
imself, bought the cigars and quit in
de of week. Nv. A. F., in Calicoon
Y. " Echo.