The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-25
bortef1Se de UDltt.
Capital Story Of Everyday Sort of Young People Yet One
Proved a Hero When Real Test of Courage Arose.
A QUIET GIRL.

think of you" said his mother. Ralph
made a choking sound.
He saw his father and mother MAX
| ing a fresh start for John Warren's s,
presently. Then he heard his name
called from out of doors. Opening his
! window. he saw Hortense.
What" she demanded. Indignantly.
do they want to make such a fuss
about it for? I'd like to know.
told you it was fathers private
desk, Ralph responded. land when
rather is angry he's angry" He went
back to his chair.
Come bacbn Hortense called. 'tWhy
don't you tell them it was me, then?'
she asked
Because I amt a sneak" Ralph
answered. Even if am 'fraid-
cat, he added, and shut the window.
Ana he heard Hortense retreating,
Wnlstling in a high-pitched tune.
when Ralph's father came home, he
called to Ralph that he might, if he
wanted to-, go and help the hired man.
halph worked the rest of the afternoon
IN peace of mind; the hired man, at
least, had no knowledge of Hortense
De Wits latest prank and its result.
Nobody, indeed, but the hired man
brought a cheerful face to the supper
table. Hortense De Witt was quiet.
Sne watched Ralph furtively; and
when they rose she nudged him.
You're great goose" she whis
pered, frownirig. Being blamed and
seolded for something you didn't do
why don't you tell emp"
Ralph frowned back at her. his chin
nigh. Maybe you think I'd squeal on
a girl?" said he.
he played checkers with the hired
man, and beat him; but he kept a
solemn face. His father believed that
he had done a foolishly misehievous
and dishonorable thing; he had lost
good part of his confidence. and it
might not be aesy to get it back. His
4 "a 4 was reading something aloud
10 Ralph,s mother and Hortense.
m not in it,, Ralph thought. and
ne said goodnight, soberly.
But when boy is IA, and has
good appetite. and habitually a light
neart, 1t is hard to remember unpleas-
ant things. even over night. When
fsaipn went down to breakfast next
morning, he was thinking chiefly of
something agreeable, and something
mat lay near his heart.
Getting poles, wires. cross-nieces and
other essentials of construction to the
men promptly is as necessary as feed
ing and housing them. This work lie
IN charge of the material mar. who
precedeS the construction party. and
must be possessed of unusual executive
aplllty. He must be in close touch with
the pole buyers scattered all over the
country, the engineer who drew the
speclllcatlons for the line and the su-
perlntendent of construction. Work.
ing IN harmony with the material man
IS the framing gang whose mem
pers assemble and put together the
crosS-p1eceS and poles. Their work is
satisfactory only when the construction
party finds everything it needs ready to
hand at all points along the route. /
The commissary and material depart
ments make extensive use of horses
and mules which are generally hired
from farmers and others along the
line, in the hauling of poles, wires,
etc., and in the transportation of the
men between sleeping places and their
work. 1t is not at all unusual for a.
party of telephone builders to use from
twenty to thirty teams, at least; some
times a teamster will follow along the
entire distance, but not often.
It will be seen that telephone con-
struction leaves broad trail of money
throughout the regions traversed. AL
most everyone in every neighborhood
gets some of it. Boarding house and
hotel keepers, grocers, bakers, farmers
and general dealers all come in for a
share. Possibly the saloon keepers get
least, since drinking among the men
is frowned upon and discharge follows
drunkenness with the certainty of fate. !
From time to time disnissals for this
and other causes make the gangs
and new men have to be
taken on. Thus it falls out that nearly
every existing telephone party include
members from all sections of the Union, |
east, west, north and south.
Last Work of All.
Entering towns, building and organ
izing exchanges and connecting the
same with the trunk lines are the final
operations. though generally carried on
simultaneously. with the wire-string-
ing. Formerly towns were entered on
poles, but the time is undoubtedly COM
ing when burial of wires will be in
sisted upon in all municipalities, and,