The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-14
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


You never were telephone girl, were
you? Then you don't know anything
about it.
You don't know what it is to be walked
up out of gentle nap in the middle of
the night and asked whattime it is, what
time such and such train leaves; if you
know where Mr.. Jones' Smithis grocery
is and if he keeps open all night; what
the hours of postal collection are and a
thousand other things that nobody but a
walking encyclopedias of general and
useful information could be supposed to
know.
That's the sort of thing the overwork-
ed telephone girl has to inset every hour,
and yet you are thoughrless enough to
wonder why on earth it is she gets out of
patience occasionally.
It's wonder she just dones't get a
chair and smash things some times
In one of the Topeka central offices
works girl. She is pretty and jolly
and refined and good natured and keeps
her finger nails clean, and is otherwise a
very nice sort of girl. This description
is so general and true that the girl will
easily be recognized, and she tells this
story:
girl have answered at least one third of
the questions invented since Adam,
guessed at answers for another third,
and said Il don't know to the rest, but
last night l struck something that was
SO new to me that was surprised.
"For the S13th time had dropped into
a gentle doze in my chair and for the
814th time was made aware by the US
ual sign that my attention was wanted.
HELLO l said.
There was utter and complete silence
for second aud then it was broken by
suppressed :hic.'
ii imagined 1 could smell whisky.
"'Hello,' l said again with little i'm
patience.
"'Hello, shentral.' said an unsteady
voice, THAT you? Glad We come
"'Well,' said, what do you want?'
81 could hear his vest buttons scrape
against the transmitter as he steadied
himself.
"'Wan' nah hat he said after mo-
ment.
al haven't got your hat 1 answered,
did you lose it?'
"sAhuh; los nah hat an los my key
an don't know where l live. Shay,
Shentral.'
|'Well?'
"'Whash timer
"'Two thirty five,'
"'Great schot. Znat late? Shay, shen-
trail
"'AIl right
"'Sposh you know where 1 liver
81 don't know What's your name?'
"There was moments pause.
"'Wash nah name?' 1 heard him ask
someone; (mumble) Jim knows nah
name but he's gone
I ofF~ ha
spoke again.
"'Shay, Shentral.'
"sWell?'
"'Havin' mighty good time
81 don't doubt it, l said.
"'Zhink ye cid come down have lem
onade 'th me? No? Treat ye like lady.
Can't come? Aw right
81 rang him off"
What funny thing $40, 20 and 30
cent" audience is.
A notion seems to have spread itself
that there is no pleasure in attending
what is known as popular price at
traction" and that there is no knowledge
to be CLEANED from its benches, but all
that is fallacy.
There is fun there, and whenever you
get fun you get some profit out of it.
Generally it is the identical audience
every night after the first one. 1t doesn't
seem able to change itself. 1t seems to
have fallen into the habit of GO
ing and goes every time. 1t is
composed largely of the girl who
works like slave in the kitchen
with an old calico dress on all day and
then spends the money she made, at the
"show'' wearing smart looking clothes
that she bought with money she
made off the shows that didn't come; for
if there were shows all the time goodness
only knows what she would wear.
She sits we'll down in front proudly
what did she get her clothes for?-and
back under the balcony sits the young
man who is going to take her home. He
might sit down beside her, but he hardly
has the nerve to do SO without paying for
her seat. There is little decency in
him at all events.
And there is the young couple. They
don't go because they care anything
about the play. They 60 for the reason
that largsly impels their attendance at
church and Sunday school He knows
she is going to be there and she knows he
is going to be there and that is reason
enough-if you could call it reason. Dis
appointed bachelors and the new woman
say it is not. And she imagines she is
the wronged heroine and he imagines he
IS the Wronged nero ana each suffers IN
told anguish with gum drop aud chewing
gum between the acts knowing it will
come out all right and that they will be
united for evermore under the direction
of a merciful playwright that healeth all
wounds before the curtain goes down.
Aud what would the people on the
stage do without the gallery? Nothing.
They wouldn't get encouragement
enough. The gallery, where the shocky
headed people sit next the railing in the
front row in blue shirts, duck coats and
with caps on and stare down on you be-
tween acts and work their jaws.
A young man sat up in the gallery one
night with his hair combed. But that
was the only time. He don't feel like
risking it again.
And how they do applaud, these
people. Aud when the wronged