The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-06-23
A TELEGRAPH ROMANCE.

n x64EUnAEA hUMANCE.
Charles O'Meara was an operator
in New York on one side of quad
ruplexed wire running to Chicago.
The operator on the corresponding
side in Chicago was Miss Amy Da-
wilson. Both were expert and the
manner in which they kept their mes
sage hook clear excited the admira-
ton of the chiefs in their respective
offices. O'Meara was handsome and
intelligent 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 woman.
After having worked the wire to-
gether a few months O'Meara and
Miss Davidson became we'll acquaint-
ed, although, of course, neither had
ever seen the other. They had abun-
-st.~,-srzry+ y+rrroti1ans, ,f-,~4o1~-tr<e'z+s
of business of the day began and in
the late afternoon when the rush was
over.
There is sort Of telepathy in tel
egraphy, all tele9raphers admit, and
there certainly was in this case. Long
before any word of love had passed
between them, each had become con-
scious of a tender regard for the 9TH
er. O'Meara could recognize in an
instant the touch Of strange hand
on the key at Chicago, and Miss Da-
wilson was as quickly conscious of
the change when any other than
O'Meara's hand manipulated the
transmitter in New York. There is
as much that is distinctly character
istic in the manner in which telegra-
piers form the dots and dashes as
there is in the manifold forms of Chi
Biography.
One morning Amy complained of
feeling i'll. II am afraid" she said,
that will have to give up and go
home. 1 would do so surely if I
could afford to lose the time. My
head aches dreadfully. Dear me
What would my mother and sister do
if 1 should become really sick? They
have no one to take care of them
but me-
There was tremulousness in the
dots and dashes which plainly indi-
Gated to O'Meara that the girl, a
thousand miles away, was weeping
softly, as indeed she was, with her
head resting wearily against the res
onator containing the sounder. He
replied
"Try to stick it out 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
terms of endearment in their inter-
course, and she was very much effec-
ted. 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 had never had be-
fore, that he was deeply in love with
a woman he had never seen. He be-
came so fretful and irritable as to ex-
cite comment among the others in
the Office.
"What on earth is the matter with
O'Meara?'' asked one of the opera
tors on theopposite side of the quad"
of the man who sat at the next in
strument.
"I guess he is in love with that
Chicago girl who is sick" was the
reply.
One morning the answer made by
the Chicago's operator to O'Meara's
inquiry as to Miss Davidson's condi-
ton contained but one word
dead l''
O'Meara uttered a kind of moan,
and his head fell upon his desk.
When one of the chiefs aroused him
he found the young mans face flush
ed and his eyes bloodshot. O'Meara
was sent home, where he remained
for weeks suffering from severe at
tack 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 Chi
cago quadruplex.
''If you'd just as lieve give me
another wire I'd rather have it, ;"
O'Meara said. ''I don't care to work
with Chicago any more"
There was twinkle in the eyes Of
the chief as he said: