The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-05-07
A Telegruphic
Transfer
BY WILLIAM LINCOLN BALCH
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Copyright, IOo, by Daily Story Pub. Coz


Copyright, 1907, by Daily Story Pub. Coz
TT was a bold stroke for a girl of IS.
but can't truly say that I've re-
GREETED it-opportunities must be
taken when they come, or never. 1t was
the peculiar combination of circum-
stances that led me to do what did, but
] certainly never should have thought of
such a thing if l had not been "clean
gone" on Frank Stanley. Frank and l
worked for the old Continental, and
We wanted to get married, but / had
sense enough to know that the small
income that enabled us to get along
singly wouldn't begin to be big enough
for us if we tried to duplex" The
telegraph company was being fast run
out of the field by more vigorous rivals,
and its affairs were in wretched shape.
1t was months in arrears with all its
employees. The company owed Frank
and me, between us more than 5000.
and only paid us in driblets enough to
exist uDon.
So, as I sat alone in the office that hot
summer day I determined, badly as I
felt about it, to tell the dear boy Sun
day evening that we had better cancel
our engagement until matters should
look more promising for the future.
EMERSON, the cashier and nominal head
of our office, had few minutes before
hurriedly finished his work, slammed
the safe door and gone out, mumbling
something about business. I knew
very well he had gone to the big ball
game. The other girls had all rushed
off together, and I hardly expected
Frank to come back that afternoon, as
he was down the line somewhere look
ing after repairs.
While / was considering whether I
should wait longer on the possibility of
his return happened to notice that the
safe door was ajar. "How careless in
Elverson," / thought. "He was in too
much of hurry to wait to see if it
locked" As I hesitated about going to
the safe, not feeling sure whether !
had best NEEDLE, the sharp clicking of
my sounder checked me. Instead of
being "call' for our office, it was a
message for Edgewater, ten miles up
the line, the summer residence of the
Hon. Russell Hussell-"Old Hussey," we
called hin-the president of our COM
pany. l knew the touch of the opera
tor sending it, too-she used to work
beside me, but was now in the private
office of the governor at Versailles.
Something queer in the wording first
attracted me, ard then name came
along that was very familiar, and be-
gan taking the whole thing down in
shorthand. It was, in effect, though in
guarded words, that the electric rail-
road bill before the legislature, over
which fierce fight had ragged the
whole spring, was sure to pass, but
would be vetoed that very evening, the
last of long and tedious session, in
stead of being signed, as everybody ex-
pected, and it would be impossible to
pass it over the veto at that late hour.
The bill practically nullifed the char
ter of the Versailles electric road.
Frank was interested in the electric
road, as his cousin was the inventor of
the motor to be used, and he had an op-
ton on a few shares of stock. but. fear
ing the bill would pass, had not secured
them.
The next message ratified out by the
same operator was for the city. 1t was
addressed to a broker and directed the
immediate purchase of a big block of
Versailles Electric railway.
The governor was the real head of
the Edgewater Slate company, in
which Mr.. Russell was a large share
holder, and it was known that the slate
company came pretty near controlling
the politics of the state. I must let
Frank know at once, so he might secure
his stock before the news got out.
Then the audacious thought came to
me: why shouldn't be in it, too?"
There was a great obstacle-lack of
money. The little I had in my pocket
wouldn't go far toward margining rail-
road stock. I knew broker in Yer
sailles and had worked his wire for
him.
My eyes fell again on the gaping
door of the safe. Here was a pretty
temptation for a girl to square herself
with her debtors by negotiating a
forced loan! I had seen Elverson put
away roll of bills that must have
counted up into the hundreds. I turned
the matter over in my mind rapidly.
Whatever there was to be done must
be done now.
l opened the safe. took out the
money drawer and counted the roll
of notes. There was a little over
$500. The next train to Versailles
would get me there before the stock
market closed.
l hastily wrote out on the official
blanks of the telegraph company two
copies of each of the governors tele-