Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-08-01
HAD A QUICK EYE.
He Watched tie Typewriter and Es-
capped Being Swindled.


The typewriter was clicking away at
a great rate, and a man was sitting
near watching the flying fingers of the
operator. He was waiting to see. the
attorney who was the employer of the
operator, and when the attorney final
ly entered the visitor did not observe
his approach.
Hello" exclaimed the proprietor OF
the Office, what are you looking at
my typewriter so absorbingly for?
Have you been dreaming that she was
a lovely maiden in disguise, or some
other fairy story like that?"
NO." replied the visitor, Il was just
trying to realize how difficult feat |
saw man perform yesterday, down
at one of the hotels, where there is one
of the fastest operators in town"
What did he do? Jump a board
bin?"
mo, that's easy. What he did was
different. A man who was with him
had some sort of trade on, | don't
know what, but just before they pro-
ceeded to conclude IL, the other man
said he wanted to write a letter to his
partner in Chicago. He had II already
drafted in pencil, and he took IL over
to the far side Of the writing room
and handed it to the OPERATOR saying
to be careful. as il was very important,
and TO get il done at once. Then ne
Joined the other man, but before they
began talking a third party called the
first man aside for a short TALK As
these two talked the operator " the
machine clicked at the letters, and the
man who was waiting for some reason
watched the operator very closely as
her fingers flew over the keys. /
THE letter was finished at least
three minutes before the talk was. and
when that was done the operator hand
ed the man the letter in an envelope
duly addressed and went back TO her
machine. The man put the letter in
his pocket just as 1t was handed to
him.
81 hope you will pardon me-" he
said, turning to the waiting man, for
so much delay, but 1t was unavoidable.
However. | am ready now TO close with
you at the prices named.
land I'd see you hanged before I'd
sell to you at any price, said the
other man in a suppressed tone, great
ly to the surprise of the man with the
letter in his pocket.
"In another minute there would have
been a fight on, but rushed in. as did
another party, and In the excitement
the man with the letter got away and
disappeared In response to our in
t,-sa hat tnrau Ill a
man told us that he had made study
of training the eye 10 quickness, and
that he practiced 1t whenever he saw
a typewriter at work He had so per-
fected himself in II that he could fol-
low the fingers Of the fastest operator,
and he could read whatever he might
happen 10 be writing. In this case he
had done the same without thought.
because the man with whom he had
the trade was engaged for the mo-
ment. Before he had read five lines OF
the letter, however, he. discovered that
the man was making arrangements
with his partner in Chicago to swindle
him out of $1,000. II was a cold blood
ed case Of steal, and the wonder TO him
was that he hadn't hit the scoundrel
first and told him why afterward
THAT was all there was In II, con-
Guided the visitor. except that we
tested him and found he could do wha.
he said, and now II you don't think IL
is a difficult feat, you watch your
operator as she flies along some time at
sixty words minute. and see II you
can read the letters her fingers dance
among. Washington Star.