The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-03-23
Is Day il . T elegraph Office

There is no better place to- learn
the sorrows, joys, disappointments
and qualification of day than be-
hlnd the desk of a telegraph office.
Newspapers tell as much as they can
OF the story of life from day to day,
but volumes go over the wires that
are beyond their reach. And the man
who receives them, the man who
reads them, without the slightest sign
of emotion. i
He treats all messages alike. 1t
may be the story of one snatched
from the jaws of death, or one which
bears news of the loss of loved one,
or which carries the tale of prosper
ity or unfolds the story of failure
or disaster. IT,.
70 each he has to be, to all outward
appearances, man OF iron, man
with heart of adamant, man whose
eyes know not the touch of tears.
Still he may have sigh for your sor-
rows, or feel a gladstone pulsation in
his veins over your joy, but you will
never know, it. To be a successful
clerk he must share with you your
joys or sorrows only in the deepest
silence.
For fifteen years e. A. Burns has
been receiving and checking just such
messages that go over the lines of
the Postal Telegraph Company in this
city. He says that it was task at
first to overcome his emotions as he
read this telegram and that and look
ed in the eyes flooded with tears now,
and then again those beaming with
joyful enthusiasm. Also, he says, it
was hard for him to suppress his
propensity to laugh whenever he saw
something humorous in message.
To make him laugh now, that some
thing must be very uproariously
funny, and yet he says that he likes
to hear a good joke.
An incident which caused pail of
sadness to come over him, although
he gave no physical sign that it did,
was when bent and grey haired old
man toddled in one day and asked him
to write message. Clerks generally
hike people to do their own writing.
But in this instance Burns only too
willingly prepared himself to take the
message. It was brief message,
though it told story of the break
ing of two hearts. His son, whom he
had not seen in many years--his only
child-had been on his way to Phila-
delphia to. see his parents, and died
suddenly in Chicago.
AS the old man dictated the message
to a doctor there, his emotion reached
a climax. He paused and rested his
arms on the counter and then lower
led his head. In that attitude he re-
manned for ten minutes, finally he
Strengthened up and asked Burns to
read the telegram. He looked at
Burns and said: "My boy, that is n
message about the death of one /
have waited to see for years. / have
lived with only one hope-that he
might return to us and that I might
ask him to forgive me. But that is
not all. The awful blow has killed
his mother, and now I am all alone"
Burns making no effort to respond
to him, he continued: ass: zf.s 4
You don't know what it means to
me, Or you would cry, too. Z But
Burns ouldn't cry with his eyes.
)IlG&CuSCMGA,IuC3lH S0SdS dult UduCtSCAlC
odd man good bye. N ,s Il: ss51
Rush that message, please said
an excited individual as he tossed it
over the counter while he kicked his
|shins and went through other forms
of dancing. He was in good humor
and he wanted Burns to know. Tie
message ran. ''Have just cleared
$75, 900 on the sale of gold claims. No
happier man in town tonight.'
at took lot of hard work to do
that" he said, addressing Burns. II
have fortune now, and I do not
propose to do another stroke of
work as long as L live" And he dan
ced around and pulled cigar as if
he expected Burns to reach over and
shake his hand and to ask him to tell
him all about it, so that he might
share his happiness.
The next man who entered the Of
flee was anything but happy looking.
There was a cloud over his features.
He went to the wall counter. and push
ing his hat back on his head, studied
deeply, and wrote this message: Null
len has failed. I closed doors today.
Sheriff now has possession. Every
thing now goes by the board
ut is tough" he said, as he handed
the message over. 'The fellow who
tries to do right will sometimes suf~
fer for the sins of others. I had over
thirty thousand dollars credit this
time last night. Tonight have not a
dollar that can call my own. And
I am getting too old to begin at the
bottom round of the ladder
Burns listened in silence. He felt
like telling the man that he would
Isympathize with him to the extent OF
paying for the telegram, but that
would mean the establishment of Il bad
precedent. He took his so cents just
as he took any ones.
II want to telegraph my mother
for some money. I'm broke" said a
young man one afternoon recently.
All right, you can telegraph here, y
said Burns. ''That is our business
'But-but-" the young man said,
II haven't a red."*
Burns hesitated. ''You need money
to telegraph" he replied.
Il know that" responded the
stranded person, "but I have not a
penny-don't know where to get any
in this town, and down want to beg
Il