The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-01-09
BY

for the night to Graysford, where
Mrs. Bartlett's sister was lying Sc
riously ill, and Jennie was left to
keep the tollgate alone. 1t was not
a difficult task, for scarcely any one
travelled over the Darlington road
after 8 o'clock, and those who did
passed through the open gate with
out paying toll.
But even if the task had been
harder, Jennie would have been
equal to it. She had lived at the
tollgate ever since she was a baby,
and knew perfectly well what to
charge and how to give the proper
change-indeed she often took toll
Tor her father when he was at home,
and people passing through would
wonder how so bright and pretty a
girl could grow up in so lonesome a
place.
Jennie, however, did not mind the
lonesomeness. Her dearest wish was
to go to a boarding school, but as
long as she was at home it mattered
little to her that harrington was
three miles off on the one hand and
Weycester ten miles on the other,
and that there was scarcely a house
between. She even liked the soil
tude, and was almost sorry when
the telephone connecting Barring
ton with Weycester made a connec-
ton by the way with the tollgate.
Before that they seemed to be out
of the world, and the people coming
through the gate were like visitors
from another sphere. Now the fire.
quent ringing of the call bell re-
minded her that civilization was not
SO far distant after all. On this par
ticular night there was not liable to
be even the usual number Of pass
ersby. Looking out Of the door
about 8 o'clock, Jennie could hardly
see more than 100 feet either UP or
down the road. 1t would be a bad
night, she thought, for the gate to
swing shut. Anybody coming alone
might run into it without warning.
For that matter, people might run
into the posts on either side. So she
hung a lantern on M post to pre-
vent this accident, and, going into
the house, locked the door and went
to bed. The fact that she was alone
in the house did not disturb her In
the least, and in a minute or two
she was fast asleep.
Some time in the night she was
suddenly awakened by the ringing
of the telephone bell. She listened
confusedly to hear if it would ring
three times, which was the tollgate
signal. If it rang oftener, 1t was to
call up some of the other people on
the same wire. Two of the connec-
tions she knew e. in Weycester,
the third and fourth were in the
Darlington bank, the fifth in the
tannery and the sixth in the central
Office at Darlington. In the bewil-
derment Jennie could not determine
at first how many times the bell did
ring, but at last she decided 1t was
siX-the call for the harrington Gen.
trail office. That did not NEAR the
tollgate, of course, and Jennie pre-
pared to turn over for another nap
when a sudden thought aroused her.
1t was certainly after midnight,
and the central office did not keep
open later than 10 o'clock. The
bank, too, was shut up, and 80 was
the tannery-on the whole line she
was probably the only person who
could hear the bell. What if 1t
should be something importanta In
deed it would hardly ring at that
time of night unless it were impor.
tant.
Quickly jumping out of bed, she
ran to the instrument, put the receiv-
or to her ear, and called through the
transmitter:
Hello! Hellol",
A voice came back to her, so dis
tinct that it seemed almost in the
same room, saying:
"Helloi Is that the central officer"
Tue tone was quick and sharp,
and Jennie felt sure that something
must have happened.
mo, sir" she called. Its the
tollgate. I'm Jennie Bartlett"
Tell your father to come here
Immediately" the voice said. cts
very important"
Jennie felt a sinking at her heart.
Fathers away" she said, land
I'm here alone"
She heard the voice eXclaim some
thing in an impatient tone, and then
the sound of two or three people
talking, as though there was some
doubt as to what could be done.
"Can I do anything2" she inquir-
ed, almost hoping that she could not.
Another conversation followed,
which Jennie overheard; the speak
ers were no doubt nearer the tele-
phone.
why do you want to let them
get into Darlington at all2' the
voice asked. why not stop them
at the tollgate2"
"To be sure" said another. IF
thy get past the gate as likely as
I IL