The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-15
DEAR DELIGHTS OF PARTY LINE.

nickel-in-the-slot, ten-party lire tsie-
phones put in. It's the greatest thing.
Why. 1 haven't been lonesome a minute
since II was in the house. Whenever /
get the blues or begin TO get worried all
I have to do is 70 take the receiver OF
and hold it 70 my ear 1 don't drop IL
q nickel or anything. you know. Just
stand there and listen. It's as good as
going 10 a tea or luncheon, any day ano
without a bit OF trouble. The things
you hear, These party line telephones
are certainly the most delightful gossips
And, Of course. since you have a perfect
right TO use the telephone whenever you
please. nobody can accuse you of caves
dropping.
This afternoon, for instance. 1 really
wanted to get a number, you know. but
the girl said the line was in use, and SO
/ kept the receiver TO my ear so that 1
might know when they were through
talking. These telephone girls are so care
less about letting you know.
rs that you. NOrar' said voice. rs
( tn missus out?'
She is
AN what did she give you for Christ
mas?"
Tree dollars an a pair of eighty-cent
kids, bad cess 10 her. She's that stingy."
rs that all? An hev you give no.
! tice?''
Not yit I'm waitin' till afther Friday,
whin they have company TO dinner. I'm
hopin' for a good tip thin. An what did
you git?"
20. sure, I got tin-dollar note and
tree pair of kid gloves an box of
| handkerchiefs an a hfty-cint raise on me
wages. IT'S something like
Faith, if my missus should do that
fer me her husband d beat her They re
fightin' now like cats and dogs over the
last months bills. 1 kin hear thin plain
in their room whin l put my ear to TIL
spakin' tube livery night an listen"
OF course, Mary, dear, 1t was disgrace
full for servants TO be talking iE that way
Il their mistresses, and l wasn't going
TO stand there and allow it. So 1 spoke
up severely
Nora" I said in my frmest voice,
what do you mean by talking so about
your mistress?
Holy mither iv Noses" said a scared
voice, til old eats on the wire herself,
! and then she hung UP the phone.
OF course, I'm simply dying 10 know
which of my friends have girls named
! Nora. I'm on the track Of two of them
now.
Then yesterday morning when I was
trying TO get Jack at his Office, the wire
was busy and l couldn't help hearing a
girls voice say, But, Tom, I thought
you were SO cold and formal. You sat
clear across the ballroom ali evening and
| only danced with me once
But I wanted to dance every dance
with you, dear; you must know that
After you snubbed me so and went of 10
| sit in the conservatory with that fat
Count 1 thought I'd better take a back
! seat" said a mans voice.
Come over tonight Tom dear" the
| girl said. TN explain it all TO you
then
"An right, Alice" the man answered
You make me very happy. I've got
something TO tell you"
! OF course you know who that was
/ Who could it be but Tom Elliot and the
/ Irwin girl? If people will talk tender
think they deserve to be overheard, don
! your / wonder if she means TO accept
1 him, after all? I'm going over TO call or
| her this afternoon and III find out or die
trying. I'll write you in a day or two
and let you know.
/ Then this morning. I was going tc
| call up the market TO order my supplies
] but 1 never even got so far as to ask FOL
/ the number. The market man was talk
! ing when I took down the receiver.
| m sorry, Mrs. Brown" he was say
/ ing, but I'll have to have check be-
/ fore I deliver any more goods
Sir" shrieted the woman. How dare
! you talk that way TO me? If you are sc
worried about your money I'll do my
! trading somewhere else. -
Very well, Mrs. Brown said the mar
/ ket man. In that case I'll expect g
check for the last two months bills to-
morrow"
/ Then Mrs. Brown hung up the phone
and l heard the market man say. appar-
emily to some one in the store, THAI
/ game is played out I'm from Missouri
and she's got to show me-.
How vulgar! 1 had heard that Mr.
Brown had lost a lot of money on tht
board, but 1 had no idea it was as bao
as that, did you?
And the other evening I heard the
| queerest thing. 1t was mans voice
/ talking.
is this Mr.. Jenkins residence?" h,
/ asked.
Yes" answered Mrs. Jenkins-I rec
/ ognized her voice-'.Is that you. Hiram 2
NO, madam; this is the head waiter al
/ Smiths chop-house. Colonel jenkins
madam, has been detained downtown
1 by business and will not be home fol
dinner
You go and tell Colonel Jenkins tc
come TO the telephone Immediately" tbs
woman said.
But, madam"
Don't but madam ne. Go at once and
I tell Hiram Jenkins that his wife want,
! to speak with him, and that snes IN q
/ hurry. Do you hear?'
| l suppose / ought to have hung up the
! telephone then, but l just couldn't. I've
: heard so many stories about the Jenkinses
/ and I was sure they were most of them
untrue People do gossip so. ] wanted
I TO near what followed so that I could
/ contradict such Idle Tumors hereafter-but
! now
Matilda" sounded a mans voice pres
emily. "did-hic-you want 10 speak tC
me?"
Did I want TO speak to you, You've
( been drinking. L can smell your breath
/ You go ard get INTO a cab and come home
this minute. II you're not here in ar
/ hour III go after you. I suppose you are
down at that disreputable place with
/ Frank Frotz-'' The idea As 4 my
/ Frank could lead man like Colonel Jen-
s-ins astray. Isn't Il perfectly scandsious
I the way people viii talk about their
/ ueighhors
All right. Matte. dear" said Colonel
jenkins RI be there as soon's I can"
) His voice did sound a bit thick. Poor
+ man To have such q wife, And who
would think 70 meet her ut luncheon,
( that she was srch a woman? Or IS il
the man who should be condemned a;
any rate. its a I~etty state Of affairs al
( around, Ism il?
: Then I heard Mrs. Simukins call up
: Rrule Bros. the antique furnilUre deal
+ ers. and order them 20 send uu six am
tique mahogany diningroorn chairs Sar
Z cuiv wanted them FOR a few aays. she