Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-09-28

Was OeIss to Suicide for Love, but, Belss
Susceptible, DIda't,

oooSepuVsSs WSs
She was telegraph operator, young
and pretty and able to pleasantly en-
terrain customers who had desire to
hang over her desk and talk after nj
ing their messages. Her office was In
q coy corner of a drug store, and the
amount of fancy work she did In q
week was marvellous.
One afternoon young man with a
sad, far-away look, bent over the little
counter beside her, and wrote upon
and tore up seven blanks. Finally he
handed her a message and asked In
tone betraying the hopelessness OF
despair:
How much'll that beY'
Instead of replying she read aloud:
Miss Louise Montgomery, 4,767
Dashley avenue: Unless you telegraph
at once recalling your decision never
to see me again / will shoot myself
tonight. Gerald
Then she counted the words and
said:
''Forty-one cents.'
While he was selecting the change
from a handful of silver she looked
at him steadily. He failed to find an
extra cent, and as she handed back
four pennies she asked:
''Are you the one who is going to do
the shootingY'
He blushed and replied:
''No. I'm just going to give her a
scare"
"Well, then don't send this message"
she advised. "Do you know what
Louise would do with it?'
"No."
"She'd show 1t around to everybody
she knows, and you would either have
to carry out the contract or leave
town. You can't make girl feel bad
by telling her that you are going to
kill yourself on her account"
"Well," he asked, what would you
advise me to dO?'
Don't do anything"
"But love her. can't live without
her."
THAT'S too bad. What a foolish girl
she must be-"
"Why do you think she Is foolish!'
''Not to be in love with YOU"
She sighed just little, and looked
down at his money lying on her desk
1t was at that moment that he noticed
how pretty she was. She was more
graceful than Louise, and her features
were far more expressive than those OF
the girl for whom his heart had been
breaking.
do you think" he tenderly asked
''that THAT If most girls were in her
place they would return my loveT
"Yes," she said, only little above a
whisper. "How could they help iii
Shall / send the message?
NO" he hastily returned, taking the
paper from her and tearing it to
pieces.
1t was at that moment that the pre-
scription clerk walked around to where
they were and asked her IL the pro
prietor of the drug store had left any
word for him when he had left, half
an hour before.
She said no, and the clerk leaned
against the counter, drumming upon
the showcase with his fingers and ex
hibiting a disposition to remain.
After awhile Gerald walked out, and
as he left he and the pretty operator
exchanged glances that were more
eloquent than words.
On the following day he went to the
telegraph office again. AS he turned
the corner and saw the blue and white
sign his heart gave leap and his
knees trembled.
In a moment he was standing at the
counter, looking in dazed, half con
scious way at a young man who was
receiving a message and breaking
ut every other word, to have it re
peated. When the operator had sue
ceeded in getting the message at las
he stepped forward to attend to Ger
AIDS business.
"Where is the young lady who wa:
here yesterday" Gerald asked.
"She has been transferred to another
| office at her own request"
,"Do you know where she is now?
mo. She asked the superintendent
not to tell where she went and as the!
are engaged to be married l wouldn'
care to try to persuade him to betray
her."-Chicago Times-Herald.