The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-12-21
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Charles O'Meara was an operator II
New York on one side Of quadru.
picked wire running to Chicago. The
operator on the corresponding side in
Chicago was Miss Amy Davidson Both
were expert, and the manner in which
they kept their message hoo';s clear
excited the admiration of the chief in
their respective offices. O'Meara was d
handsome and intelligent young Irish.
man, with jet black hair and mustache
and great, soulful blue eyes-one of the
kind of men who seem almost uncon-
sciopsly TO possess the power Of fascina'
tion over women.
After having worked the wire to-
gether n few months O'Mcara and Miss
Davidson became well acquainted, al,
though, Of course neither had ever seen
the other. They had abundant oppor-
tunitics for conversation in the early
morning before the rush of business for
the day began and in the late after
noon when the rush was over.
There Is sort of telepathy in tel
egraphy, rs all telegraphers admit, and
there certainly was in this case. Long
before any word of love had passed over
the wire between them each had be-
come conscious of u tender regard for
the other O Meara coGll recognize in
an instant the touch of strange hand
on the key in Chicago, and Miss David
son was as quickly conscious Of the
change wher any other than O'Meara s
hand manipulated the transmitter in
New Work. There is as much that is
distinctly characteristic in the manner
in which telcgraphcrs form the dots
and dashos as there is in the manifold
forms of chirography.
One morning Amy complained of
feeling ILL., Il am afraid" she said,
"that VIII have to give up and ~
home. would do so surely if could
afford to lose the time. My head aches
dreadfully. Dear mel What would my
mother and sister do if should become
really siy,ly They have nobody to take
care of them but me- -
There was a trcmulousnoss in the dots
and dasllos which plainly indicated to
O'MIcara that the girl Il Thousand miles
away, was weeping softly, as indeed she
was, with her head resting wearily
against the resonator containing the
sounder. He replied:
TRY to stick il ont today, dear
We will take it easy, and perhaps You
will feel better by tomorrow. AT any
rate, don t worry"
1t was the first time he had used any
term of endearment in their inter
course, and she was much affected. But
she frightened mp little and managed
to struggle through the days work.
Next morning O'Meara found a
strange operator at the Chicago end of
the wire, and when he inquired for
Miss Davidson he was told that she was
very i'll. The poor fellow realized now
if he never had before, that he was
deeply in love with woman he had
never seen. He became so fretful and
irritable as to excite comment among
the others in the Office.
"What on earth is the matter with
O'MearaY" asked one of the operators
on the opposite side of the quad" Of
the man who sat at the next instru-
ment.
II guess he's in love with that Chi
cago girl who is sick, " was the reply.
One morning the answer made by the
Chicago operator to o Meara's inquiry
as to Miss Davidson's condition con-
tained but one word-"Deadv u"
O'Meara uttered kind of moan, and
his head fell upon his desk. When one
Of the chiefs aroused him, he found the
young mans face flushed and his eyes
bloodshot. OMeara was sent home,
where he remained for weeks suffering
from severe attack of brain fever.
When at last he had recovered and re-
turned to the Office to report for duty,
the chief told him to take his usual seat
at the Chicago quadruplex.
''If you Just rs lief give me another
wire, I'd rather have it, O'Meara
said. II don't think | care to work
with Chicago any more"
There was a twinkle in the eye OF
the chief as he said
"Iou used to do some fine work on
that Chicago wire"
perhaps so, O'Meara replied sadly,
''but / had fine operator to work
with.
"Well" said the chief, that's a fine
operator there yet-the same one. be-
lievc, that was there before.
That cannot be-for she is dead !"
This with great sob.
81 think you had better return to the
old wire, for the present at least, the
chief said Then, if you are not salts
fed, | will transfer you to some other
circuit.
O'Meara walked slowly over to his
old place to relieve the man who was at
the moment receiving some messages
from Chicago. As lie neared the instru
ment and heard the characters coming