The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-07
STORY OF A TELEGRAM.
Effort of n Daughter to Get Her
MOney's Worth Ont of "A Company.

Moneys Worth Ont of a Company.
From the New York Sun.
She was coming home frofn the west to
spend the Christmas holidays, and about
two hours out from Chicago she made up
her mind that she ought to telegraph to
her father the time of her arrival, so that.
according to custom, he could meet her
and carry her bundles for her. The por-
ter of the sleeper brought a telegraph
blank to her and she wrote:
Arrive at Grand Central station las to-
morrow.
Womanlike, she counted the words
There were only nine. She said to her.
self:
Its shame to let telegraph company
get ahead of me. l know it's only 2iR
cents, but 2ls cents is as much to me
as II is TO the Western Union Telegraph
Company. III make them send that other
word"
Then she read the telegraph over and
over and over. II contained exactly what
she wanted to say and all she wanted to
say She was half tempted to let 1t go
as it was. even IL the company did get
pay for something 1t did not do. Then
she thought of the tremendous profits
the telegraph companies made, and she
stamped her foot and said, emphatically.
''They shan't make cent, not a cent
that they don't earn. 1t would be differ
ent If they paid high wages 20 their en-
ployes and contributed to charities and
helped support the church, but they don't
and won't let them have a penny"
She went back at the telegram. She
twisted the sentence into a dozen differ
ent forms, but none OF them suited so
well as the original one. She thought of
nj fa aaotf
New Year" But either one would go be-
yond the ten-word limit, which would be
just as bad as being under the limit
"Ah," she said, at last, II know what
I'll do. I'll put amen at the end. That
means so be it, and it's Just as good as
three words; but they can only charge for
one; so Ill get the best Of the company
by two words" So It read:
Arrive at Grand Central station one for
ty-five tomorrow. Amen.
And that's the way the telegram was
sent. The operator who sent It said to
himself: She means "A. M, but she's
written amen and I'll send IL that way,
Maybe It's cipher" The operator who re-
ceived 1t broke" when he came to the
word and asked WHAT" The sender re-
peated It, The operator receiving 1t said
"what?" again, and II was repeated again
with the remark over the wire that "she
probably meant "A. M but II read
Amen. " So the telegram reached her
home. Her father read 1t over twice and
said It was strange that she should take
train that would land her at such an out
landish hour. The mother exclaimed:
why, it's amen not A M"
II know" assented the father but
that's evidently a mistake. There's no
sense in putting amen there"
"Well 1t says amen persisted the
mother.
But It means "A M" insisted the
father, who forthwith went to the station
and asked the operator about It. The OPP
orator said II undoubtedly meant "a M"
So It happened that the father was al
the station to meet the first train In the
morning that arrived after las D. m. he
figured that II she arrived at the Grand
Central at 1:45 she would Just have time
TO get down town and catch this train
to her home, which was twenty-four miles
out Of the city. This train arrived at 4:30
O'Clock. TO meet II It was necessary for