The herald., 1896-10-04
TELEGRAPHERs' ADVENTURES
knights Of the Key Are Sometimes
Placed in Peculiar Positions.

Telegraph operators have queer ex-
periences at times, especially at the
lonely railroad stations where travel is
light, hours long, and the work is done
1T night An experience meeting of
sailors, so far as yarn spinning is con-
cerned, is as mild compared to a tele-
graphers' social session as milk is to a
.ar's shore leave. Several knights If
the key were sitting about a table
downtown after hours recently, when
the tongues began to wag about expe-
riences. Gil Bradley started the ball.
81 was sent one night to sub on the
Texas and Pacific at a little station
called Gordon" he said. There was
one hotel Of four rooms mile from The
ta1e graph station, and two or three
cabins about the same distance off. The
regular operator had his rooms over the
station and freighthouse, where sup
plies were received for the coal mines
several miles away. 1t was the loneli-
est place l ever struck, but l had to
work. After fixing things, l ley down
on bench to wait for the next freight.
suppose I dozed, for jumped up with
a start at feeling q cold, wet nose showed
into my face. There was big New
foundland dog wagging his tail as mer-
rlly as a buzz saw cuts through .aft
wood Well, that dog ran first 20 the
lighted lantern on the floor. then back
to me, and then pretty soon began to
think something was wrong. Up got,
and he led me all through the freight
house, UP to the operators rooms and
back to the office, then calmly went to
sleep with one eye open and one ear
pricked up. 1 waited for the train, but
before 1 heard it he began to bark.
''The next night the same perform
ance. Well, after that I used to go to
Sleep and for the week l was there
dog kept watch. You see, the regular
of ell OF nj oh IN M .it,,
play poker all day. I never told on him,
but that was well-trained dog
That's no experience" said Billy
Marshall. There was only halt Il
thrill in that Why, in 1883, during the
blizzard, I was holding down night
job in New Jersey. It was the dreariest
spot that a railroad official could pick
out for station. 1t was SO quiet in the
daytime that you could hear the sun
light CLINT and at night the shadows
fall 1t was showing when went on at
night and all trains were blockaded,
and by morning I was almost buried
My lunch was long ago gone, and felt
like grinding my teeth into some break
fast. Dinner time came and went, sup
per hour passed and no relief arrived. l
chewed on lead pencils and rubber bands
until 1 felt like a girl bookkeeper !
pulled in my belt and nearly cut myself
in two, but the old hunger was there,
just tle SdIIlc. 0O lIlSu " steep, Out
there was no sleep in me with that
gnawing at my stomach.
"All at once I saw three muskrats
come up through hole in the floor.
Muskrat was better than starvation, so
I made for them with a poker, killed
one, and the others got away to freeze
to death. SHINING that fellow and
dressing him didn't take long, and with
wire rugged broiler. You bet your
life the smell of that cooking rat was
Just great joy, and I'm no chink, either.
1t just tickled me so that fell asleep.
and only woke UP when he was so burnt
that the odor nearly choked me.
1.-THE snow pillow came along soon,
however, and when got filled up again,
I was sort of glad I hadn't put down the
old muskrat after ALL He might not
have agreed with me. New York Sun.
My prices for wallpaper beat all the city.
A. A. EckatrOm 324 South Sprfng Strp1t.