The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1903-05-30
A SINGULAR
COURTSHVP


my message with a pencil and ssid IN
q businesslike tone:
Twenty-Five cents"
Il figure it % cents"
zone cent for a stamp"
Now, / knew perfectly well that at
that time, a year after the close Of the
Spanish war, all kilograms must bear
a government stamp, but I wanted an
excuse to hear the musical voice and
look at the pretty face and brown
eyes of the telegraph girl, so I contn-
ued:
whats the stamp forY'
Government"
"Don't you think that's an impost-
ton on the part of the government
She had been waiting with the end
Of her pencil between her teeth, but
now she left the window and, going to
the table, resumed her clickety click.
click, click, as imperturbably as II she
had not been interrupted.
Here's the money" I said. handing
out q five dollar bill, though I had the
exact amount. I hoped she would not
be able to change the bill and I would
have an opportunity to talk about IL,
but she pulled out a drawer, counted
$461 and returned to her table with
out looking at me-.
The next day 1 found 1t necessary to
send another teiegram-that is, l made
1t necessary-and, handing it In at the
window, I again saw the words
punched and heard the melodious
voice say:
"F1fty-one cents, please"
II make it so cents. What's the ex-
ira cent forY'
STAMP"
"What stampT
Government"
"Are we living under an autocracy
or are we a free people?"
She started for her table, but / threw
down 81 cents, and she returned and
took the message with her invariable
imperturbability. I had a look Of ad-
miration ready for her In case her eyes
met mine, but she gathered up the
money, went to her table, and again
came the clickety click.
I arranged with my sister to send her
peculiar messages, to which she was to
pay no attention. Then I went to the
telegraph Office and handed in the fol
lowing. Ut would be useless for any
one to tell me that 1 should have been
given a good t%hrashing for my impu-
dence, because 1 knew 1t at the time):
Chestnut hair and brown eyes. VIII ex-
plain when I see you.
I watched the little telegraph girl
carefully as she counted the words, but
there was not the slightest twitching
of a single muscle. When she had fin
ished, she looked at a quarter / had
laid down with the message and said:
"Twenty-six cents, please"
1.-THE extra cent?"
"Stamp."
"Ah! Thank you. Here it is"
For the next twenty-four hours I ex-
pected that the girls big brother, If she
had one, might at any time appear and
give me the thrashing I merited, but I
was prepared for that, being ready to
compromise by marrying his sister in
stantly. However, he did not appear,
and I wrote another message to my
dummy:
I am sad and lonely. al you fix 1t SO
that I can call or you this evening?
"Forty-seven cents"
"Forty-six for the message and one
for the government, I supposeT"
No answer. / put down a bill and
received my change. Then, handing
her a dozen large American Beauty
roses, l asked if I could leave them
with her for a few hours.
Certainly, at your own risk" she
said. There's nothing to put them In"
Never mind that. They'll spoil In
time anyway. Everything must with
err" And I took my departure as If in
a great hurry.
Three days later I returned and
called for my flowers. / saw them on
the telegraph table in a very dainty
vase, but Of course faded. I took cour-
age.
my flowers, please. 1 am sorry to
have troubled you with them so long"
She handed them out with the same
undemonstrative face and the words:
'Ten cents, please"
"Ten cents? What forY
Storage"
I threw down 10 cents and handed
in another dozen roses, which she took
in her usual businesslike manner. Her
composure was upsetting me. Seiz-
ing a pen, l wrote a telegram to my
sister:
I am wildly in love with a girl with
chestnut hair and brown eyes who treats
me with supreme Indifference.
1 looked for at least a slight blush in
the cheek or a hating as the pencil
jabbed the words. There was not a
sign of either.
"Fifty-one cents"
1 pulled a half dollar and a cent
from my pocket and threw them down
impatiently. The girl took up the sill
yer coin, looked at it critically,
scratched it, threw it down to hear 1t
ring, then said:
Counterfeit"
Counterfeit? That coin counterfeit?