Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1900-04-18
Love at Long Range

CHARLES O'MEARA was an opera,
u tor in New York OH one side of a
quadruplexed 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 hooks
clear excited the admiration of the
chiefs in their respective offices.
O'Meara was a handsome and intelli-
gent young Irishman, with jet black
hair and mustache and great, soulful
blue eyes-one of the kind of men who
seem almost unconsciously to possess
the power of fascination over women.
After having worked the wire to-
gether few months O'Meara and Miss
Davidson became well acquainted, al
though, of course, neither had ever
seen the other. They had abundant
opportunities for conversation in the
early morning before the rush of bust
ness of the day began and in the late
afternoon when the rush was over.
There is sort of telepathy in teleg-
raphy, all telegraphers admit, and there
certainly was in this case. Long be-
fore any word of love had passed be-
tween them each had become conscious
of tender regard for the other.
O'Meara could recognize in an instant
tn, touch of a strange hand on the key
in Chicago, and Miss Davidson was as
quickly conscious of the change when
any other than O'Meara's hand manip-
ulated the transmitter in New York
There is as much that is distinctly
characteristic in the manner in which
telegraphers form the dots and dashes
rs there is in the manifold forms of
photography.
One morning Amy complained of
feeling i'll. II am afraid" she said,
''that will have to give up and GO
home. I would do so surely if [ could
afford to lose the time. My head aches
dreadfully. Dear me! What would
my mother and sister do if should be-
come really sick? They have no one
to take care of them but me-"
There was tremulousness in the
dots and dashes which plainly indicated
to O'Meara that the girl, a thousand
miles away, was weeping softly, as>in-
deed she was, with her head resting
YEARLY against the resonaior contain
ing the sounder. He replied:
TRY to stick it out to-day. 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 very much affected.
But she frightened up 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 a 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'Meara?" asked one of the operators
on the opposite side of the 'quad" of the
man who sat at the next. instrument.
"Iguess he's in love with that Chicago
girl who is SICK" was the reply.
One morning the answer made by
the Chicago operator to O'Meara's in
quiry as to Miss Davidson's condition
contained but one word-'Dead!"
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. O'Meara was
sent home, where he remained for
weeks suffering from a severe attack
of brain fever. When at last he had
recovered and returned to the office
to report for duty the chief told him
to take his usual seat at the Chicago
quadruplex.
If you'd just as lief give me an
other wire I'd rather have it,"
O'Meara said. II don't think 1 care
to work with Chicago any more"
There was a twinkle in the eye of
the chief as he said:
"You used to do some fine work on
that Chicago WIRE"
'Perhaps so," O'Meara replied, sad
ly, 'but had a fine operator to work
with"
SWELL" said the chief, "that's fine
operator there yet-the same one, I
believe. that was there before"
''Thst cannot be-for she is dead!"
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 are not
satisfied, will transfer you to some
other circuit" W~~E
ONlearaI 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 char
actets coming with dearly loved and
familiar sound his heart almost
stopped beating, so overwhelming was
the surge Of emotion. He listened
moment until at the beginning of an
other message came the signal Of the
sending operator, "A. d." ,. n =
"Who, in heavens name, is there in
Chicago" he almost shouted, ''that
dares to sign "A. d.? -. Ill.,. :. *...>...
"'Amy Davidson, Of course" was his
friends reply y
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