The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-01-27
THAT TELEGRAPH GIRL.

GSulS1 SIG uTSt UdWllGu upon Clenl as q
telegraph operator at Clermont station.
! TO find a lady in such position was
little new to the old residents. Some
of the elderly ladies' disapproved, and
thought it was not feminine; but the
! gentlemen of the place declared it was
a very nice position for a girl who was
obliged to support herself ~,
| Colonel Buck, the richest man in the
place, a snowy widower of forty-five,
with black hair and whiskers. a loud
voice and an imposing manner, de-
clared everywhere that it was most
laudable Of the young lady to seek such
| employment; moreover, that she was a
perfect lady Of good family, and the
most beautiful girl he had seen in all
his life.
He invariably added:
present company always excepted,
| ladies'" when members Of the gentler
sex were present. But when he was
alone with men the sentence concluded
with the words: without exception,
gentlemen; without exception"
Now we all know what weight the
| word Of an important man, who is sup
| posed to be judge of beauty, has with
| others. Before long every masculine
| being in the vicinity was repeating the
colonel's words, with variations, and
| every feminine bosom was swelling
with indignation.
Who was this Miss Rashleigh? they
asked themselves, that she should be
set up before the ladies of old families,
| whose grandmothers were beauties,
and had had their portraits in ANIMALS
Inc ladies resolved to take no notice
whatever Of that telegraph girl and
| carried out their intentions in the
sternest manner. Even those ladies
who boarded at the Widow Markham's
house, were simply civil.
But Miss Rashlcigh did not seem to
care. The devotion of the gentlemen
compensated for everything else, in her
MIND and she certainly was born
coquette.
Inere are women who have that sort
| OF success with mems hearts that some
men have with fish. They can catch
one when they please-no one else
knows how. And you could scarcely
blame girl sent to Coventry by her
own sex simply for being remarka bly,
beautiful, for exercising this power,
since she possessed it,
cannot tell you whether she would
have done quite as she did under other
circumstances; but, as things were, she
| mad no remorse whatever
whether man was free or belonged
! 70 another girl did not matter to her.
She baited her hook for his heart.
And there at the telegraph Office her
opportunity was immense. The Young
men were forever "wiring' to some
one; the crowd in the little office was
astonishing
AS for calls and bouquets at the
boarding house, description fails. And
when the news that Cecilia and Alice
More had broken with their admirers
on Miss Rashleigh's account spread
through Clermont, Indignation was at
| its height
Mr., Charles Traitor and Mr.. Edwin
Barclay. had been engaged to the
Misses More for nearly a year They
were charming girls, fine looking and
spirited, and as soon as they had actu-
| ally been convinced that their suitors
had exhibited themselves amongst Miss
Roses admirers, they dismissed them.
Their example was followed by q
dozen others, and the number of
| matches that were broken off in Cler-
mont that summer was simply aston
ishing.
The young ladies all showed their
spirit, and those who were not engaged
| declined the attentions of gentlemen
VINO hung around the telegraph girl"
They escorted each other about, or
| TOOK their grandfathers or little broth
ers with them, OF were protected by a
| maid.
The gentlemen We're not invited any,
| where. They were actually tabooed,
and their indignation was great indeed.
However, at the telegraph office there
was still one who would smile upon
them, and Rose Rashleigh soon became
| what a woman would if there were but
one in world full of men.
The condition of things at the end of
the summer was this: The gentlemen
| were utterly ignored by the ladies in
their social affairs, and every discarded
| sutton Of them all dreamed of being re-
| venged by marrying Miss Rashleigh.
She may be pleasant to Others"
each said to himself, "but it is to me
she has given her heart. I know it by
the way she looks at me when we are
| alone together
CAL On lie Sunday evening At 8,
and will give you my answer
Rose Rashliegh."
! This was the note that Charles Traf-
ton received one afternoon. He had Of
fered himself to the pretty telegraph
| operator, in a romantic letter. full Of
| quotations from the finest poets. And
now he said to himself that she would
never; answer his letter thus unless
she intended to accept him.
His heart beat fast. He adored her.
Utter bliss would be his if she were his
wife, only he was very much afraid
that he would have bad time with
his family. He was fond and proud of
his mother and sisters, and it would
be hard to be banished from the lit
tie flock and made black sheep Of.
However, his Rose that all were prais-
ing'' was too lovely to be missed, and
If she accepted him he would sacrifice
the world for her, and think it well
lost.
Therefore, on Sunday evening, hay
ing taken great pains with his toilet,
he presented himself at the door OF
Miss Rashliegh's abiding place, and
sent up his card.
| He noticed, Us he sat waiting in the