Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-11-26
TELEPHONE GIRLS TROUBLES.
Some OF the Patience-Testing and
Soul-Harrowing Things She
Has to Endure.

The average person in using a tele-
phone does not realize, or rather does
not take the time or trouble to think
that the hello girl: at the other, end
has anything to do save give the APP
pheant the market, club, Office Or resi-
de1ice desired" says a telephone au-
thority.
I'm point of fact, the long-suffering
young women atthe central office have
more than their share of Trouble and
probably have their patience tried to
point that the average woman could
not stand The calls at the telephone
Office are SO many and of such a varied
nature that it is next to impossible
to give the service that the companies
desire.
The central Office has come to be
thought bureau of information and
II JOB had lived in a twentieth Gen.
fury telephone Office he never would
have gotten reputation for patience.
Whenever the fire bells ring there are
from ten to 100 calls on the phone to
know where the fire is when in reality
the hello girls have no more idea, less,
IN fact, than the questioner, for the
racket In the Office makes it quite i'm
possible for them to even hear the fire
alarm bell or know that an alarm has
been sounded. They are, of course.
prepared to answer questions regard
ing telephone fire alarm call, as that
comes through the office, and thew
know the street and number from
winch the alarm came, but not who is
the occupant of the dwelling or stor.
or what the building is used for.
Every time an ambulance or a pa
trol wagon passes along street With
Dells changing and horses running
| there is another bombardment of the
| central office to find out what has han.
pened or where the accident is. An
other common worry of the telephone
girl is 'hcw did the ball game come out;
what was the score? The curious
question ers do not realize that the
girls way up in their sky parlor know
less about the ball game than those
at the other end of the wire. Queries
ABOUT The result of prize fights and
other sporting events are among the
Thousand and one'questions put to the
longs altering telephone girls
For instance, a patron calls up and
asks, What time is. it?' The girl turns
to the clock, which is regulated by
washington time, and gives the inquisi-
tive patron the hour. Then this patron
says, Are you sure that is right p and
on being told yes the person will often
say, Are you sure?' second time.
That, of course, takes time, and in all
probability call from another num-
Der has sprung up and the impatient
patron on that wire is nervously tap
ping the receiver: When the hello
girl finally gets to the linquisitive pa
iron and calls number in a voice in
which she valiantly tries to dispel the
annoyance caused by the inquisitive
| patron she is roundly abused by the
Impatient patron for being so slow
in answering.
sometimes if the operator answers
an overinquisitive and troublesome pa
iron little shortly because they are
others wanting to talk, she is reported
at the office as Impairment On the
other hand, if she is needlessly de-
tanned by troublesome questioner.
she is reported at the office as Slow
| So that it works both ways, and truly
the lot of the hello girl is not happy
| one.
Zone thing the telephone girls do
which is not generally known is to
wake people up all over town. They are
not compelled to do so, but it is done
to accommodate patrons. If man
or woman wishes to take an early
train they leave a call at the central
office and it is recorded on slip of
paper like a hotel call card. This is
watched every night and when the
proper time comes the night operator
rings merrily on the bell till the per-
son wakes up and answers There are
several calls of this nature every week
and many an early riser catches his
train by the help of the telephone girl.
Some patrons are called regularly ey-
cry morning a certain time in order
that they may be on time at office or
store, and yet the girl is found fault
with if she does not answer IS Quick.
ly as the patrons think she should"
| Pepper Sauce
| Take six large green and s;x,