The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-06-23
"You used to do some fine work on

Perhaps so," O'Meara replied,
sadly, "but I had a fine operator to
work with
WELL" said the chief, that's a
fine operator there yet-the same
one, believe that was there before. !"
"That cannot be-for she is dead p
This with great sob.
II think you had better return to
the old wire. for the present at least, +"
the chief said. "Then, if you're not
satisfied, will transfer you to some
other circuit"
| O'Meara walked slowly over to his
old place to relieve the man who was
at that moment receiving some mes
sages from Chicago. AS he neared
the instrument and heard the charac-
ters coming with a dearly beloved
and familiar sound his heart almost
stopped beating, so overwhelming was
the surge of emotion. He listened a
moment until at the beginning of
| another message came the signal of
the sending operator, "a. D."
.'Who, in heavens name, is there
in Chicago" he almost shouted,
"that dares to sign "A. d."
"Amy Davidson, of course" was
his friends reply.
Don't trihe with me-" O'Meara
cried. Amy Davidson is dead p
mot by long shot," said the
operator, making way for O'Meara.
cit was only rumor that some
chuckle-headed ass accepted as fact.
She had been back at work for two
weeks or more. From the manner in
which she has inquired about you
every day I should imagine that she
takes an interest III you.
When he sat down before the in
strument his hand trembled so that
he could scarcely form the dots and
dashes to ask:
''Is that really you, Amy?" He
gave his own signal, 80. M"
eyes, Charlie, and I'm so glad you
are well again." Her reply was as
futtering as his question had been
tremu1ous.
Some of the operators in the New
York Office wondered at seeing
young man sitting at an instrument
with tears of joy streaming down his
face, while in the Chicago office there
was surprise because a girl was cry
ing and smiling at the same time.
When he recovered his equanimity
O'Meara said:
"They told me yon were dead, and
believed it. The shock nearly kill
ed me-"
ut was merely rumor, I'm happy
to say, but when I came back to work
was greatly depressed at hearing
you were so i'll. Now we will both
M my OAR DARING n.y. pJSf Meafa Replied untiI
you are my wife. I am coming out
there soon to claim you. May I?'
Dear me How can you wish to
marry a girl whom you have never
seen ?"
There was another instant of trem-
ulousness in transmission.
"That's all right" O'Meara said,
"I'm willing to risk it if you are. /
have known and loved you a long
time, even if 1 haven't seen you.
Can come for you 7"
II may be so home1y that when
you see me you may be terribly dis
appointed. / may have red hair and
freck1es, a cast in my eye and ter
rible hump on my back. Can you
stand all that?"
"Yes," replied O'Meara, 'if you
could stand my bald head and red
nose.n
There was more than this pleasan-
try, and then Miss Davidson serious
ly agreed to marry her distant lover.
After many more conversations on
the wire it was agreed that Miss Dav-
idson and O'Meara should meet at a
halfway point, Pittsburg being final
ly selected, where they should be mar
ried. This course was chosen in the
hope that the consummation of their
peculiar courtship could be accom-
plished secretly, thus avoiding the
good-natured, but embarrassing chat
fng of their fellow operators.
But that wire on which they made
their arrangements ran through the
Pittsburg Office, where there were au-
tomato repeating instruments. An
operator standing beside the repeat
ers one day overheard the final ar
rangements, heard the description
each gave the other by which to in
sure Identification at the depot, and
told all about it to the Pittsburg op-
orators, who thereupon determined to
make the occasion of the wedding in
teresting. A committee was appoint
ed to watch the meeting of the couple
and to prepare for reception.
O'Meara arrived at Pittsburg day
ahead of Miss Davidson, as had been
agreed upon, and was at the station
on the following day when her train
pulled up from the west. His heart
was beating wildly as he scanned the
alighting passengers, and he was too
preoccupied to notice that he was be-
ing watched by half dozen young
men.
Nor did he notice that he was OBJ
served closely by tall, bronze-haired
and decidedly handsome young wo-
man who had a1ighted from a Pull
man car and was standing in the
shadow of a baggage truck loaded
with trunks. There was smile on
the young woman's face as she final
ly stepped forward and touched
O'Meara on the shoulder.
"How 'ye do, Charlie?' she cried.
care you really Amy?" he cried,
grasping her outstreatched hands in
both of his. "You told me to look
out for short, curly haired girl, with
a limp in her left foot, and I gave you
all accurate description of myself"
mot so very accurate, though, "