Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-12-21
cool then. Ha, ha, nj. hi!


That's the way the acquaintance be-
gan. She asked j. X. about him
the fast man. at the main Office in
Pittsburg, and every time she got
chance to sub" for he regular opera
tor ]. X. would break in somehow and
tease her. But he showed flashes Of
real kindness, too His flashes of hui
NOR helped her to improve as no
amount of fry business" could, and
he coached her without even limiting
that he really wanted to help her.
One cool evening while she was sit
ting in the office, the regular operator
now, a curly-headed Dung fellow with
mischievous eyes came to the window.
"Are you II. NJ" he asked. smiling
frankly.
Eyes, sir" she blushed, laying down
her sewing.
well, I'm James Kirk, J. X, from
Pittsburg," he said, laughing with
pleasure. MAY come in?"
She unattached the door Of her little
Office and gave him such welcome as
modest young woman may give to
the man who has been kind and re-
spectful to her, but whom she had till
then never seen.
That was the beginning Of the end
He came often to Sussex after that,
and at Christmas time they were mar
ried and went back to Pittsburg to
live. 1t was agreed that she, TOO,
iohf in ha nfftnn with
him for year or SO. She was yet
beginner" and the novelty of the
fascinating business had not yet begun
to stale upon her. Then she liked to
be near him, and-they needed the
money for the little home they hoped
soon to make for themselves. So for
six months they We're very happy.
Always in the crowded, Gathering.
busy main office she could feast her
eyes on him. They came together and
went home together, and their work
aday honeymoon seemed like a long
holiday until the summer conventions
began. Then Jim had to 90 with a
squad Of operators to help out at Phil
adelphia, and Helen shed the first tears
of her married life.
One night during the very turmoil of
rushing press dispatches. political mes
sages and the hurly-burly Of great
telegraph office little Mrs. Kirk, tired,
sleepy and lonesome, was sitting 1T her
key pounding out long rigmarOle
about planks and platform and can
didates and caucuses. The air fairly
hummcd with the buzz Of a hundred
saunders. All her attention was CEN
tired upon the business passing In at
her attent ear and turning into good
copy at the ends Of her flying fingers.
Suddenly out of the bedlam of sharp
noises she heard volley of sharp
clicks that sent the blood COLI to her
heart.
"K-i-r.k dead" she heard that
much, sounding like distant, steel
toned knell. Her hands fell to her
sides, she clinched her teeth. and, with
out an effort to listen, heard above the
clickity click Of the tumult the very
sounds that she should never have
heard:
'F-e.ll Out t-hi-r-d-story window
That was enough for the little Mrs
Kirk. Cold and unconscious she
slipped down upon the floor, and while
kind comrades carried her away and
sent for the doctor the following mes
sage was handed to the general man
ager:
your chief operator, Kirk, dead
Fell out third, story window Of the
hotel five minutes ago. Said Poor
Helen Please notify family aud send
another man on the fast mail tonight
JENKINS"
John II. Raftery, in the Chicago
Record Herald.