The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1903-02-13
A SINGULAR COURTSHIP.
lOriginal.l


stood at the telegraph window with
my message. At table inside girl
with chestnut hair and brown eyes sat
working a key. Seeing me- she came
to the window, punched each word OF
my message with pencil and said in
a businessllke tone:
"Twenty-nine cents"
81 figure it % cents"
zone cent for stamp"
Now, l knew perfectly well that at
that time, u 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 l contin-
ued:
"What's the stamp for?"
Government"
Don't you think that's an imposi-
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 If she
had not been interrupted.
Here's the money" | said, handing
out five dollar BILL though l had the
exact amount. | hoped she would not
be able to change the bill and would
have an opportunity to talk about it.,
but she pulled out drawer, counted
$4.G1 and returned to her table with.
out looking Mt me.
The next day found it necessary to
send another telegram-that Is, made
it necessary handing it in at the
window, | again saw the words
punched and heard the melodious
voice say:
"Fifty-one cents, please"
81 make it 80 cents. What's the ex.
ira cent for?
STAMP"
"What stamp"
Government"
AAlN We nv lllS all
or are we free peOpleY
She started for her table, but threw
down 81 cents and she returned and
took the message with her invariablc
imperturbability. | had look of ad.
miraton 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.
l arranged with my sister to send her
peculiar messages, to which she was to
pay no attention. Then | went to the
telegraph office and handed in the fol,
lowing. Ut would be useless for any
one to tell me that | should have been
given good thrashing for my inpu.
dence, because knew it at the time:
Chestnut hair and brown eyes. VIII ex-
plain when l see you.
| watched the little telegraph girl
carefully as she counted the words, but
there was not the slightest twitchina
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"
"The extra cent?
STAMP"
"Ah! Thank you. Here it is"
For the next twenty-four hours l eX
pectGd that the girls big brother, if she
had one, might at any time appear and
give me the thrashing | merited, but
was prepared for that, being ready to
compromise by marrying his sister in
stantly. However, he did not appear,
and | wrote another message to my
dummy:
am sad and lonely Can't you fix 1t 50
that can call on you this evening?
"Forty -seven cents"
"Forty-siX for the message and one
for the government, l suppose"
No answer. put down bill and
received my change. Then, handing
her a dozen large American Beauty
roses, asked if I could leave them
with her for 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. Eveuthing must with
err" And took my departure as if in
a great hurry.
Three days later returned and
called for my flowers. l saw them on
the telegraph table in very dainty
vase, but of course faded. took cour-
age.
"My flowers, please. l am sorry to
have troubled you with them so long"
She handed them out with the same