Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18
FOOLED THEM FOR ONCE

L guess maybe the telephone isn't a
kinky old toy. the way they use it out in
the country, no." said young Washing
tonian just returned from rustic vacation.
I've been down in! Maryland-or up in
Maryland, 1 guess it is-place about thirty
| miles from Baltimore Every farm house
out that ways got a telephone in the din
ing room. They're all strung along on one
| line. of course. each having an individual
r1ng-up, and all you've got to do to get
next to everything that's being said all up
and down the line is to take down the re-
ceiver in the dining room of the farm house
IN which you happen to be. and just put it
to your ear-that's all. Didn't do it myself
because l wasn't interested in the neigh
oors. but all of the family on the farm
were at the telephone most Of the time that
they weren't getting meals for the city
ooarders. and they didn't make any bones
three jolly young women daughters of the
owner OF the farm on which 1 stopped, who
hustled to get the meals ready, waited on
the boarders. and did all of the house
work But the telephone in the dining room
lnterfered with their business whole lot.
The telephone bell would tinkle while they
were waiting on the table. for instance.
That's Samanthy Fortyiot's ring. sure
as shooting. one OF the girls would ex
claim. dropping her tray and going to the
telephone and what on earth she's ring
Ing up poor old Cynthia Alfalfa for at this
Tune goodness alone knows!' and then she'd
take down the receiver and listen
oh. it's nothing! she would say put
ting up the receiver after listening a mo-
ment Samanthy's rheumatic is bad. she's
telling cynthia. and she wants to know If
cynthia has got any Of that homemade
arnica on hand. that's all. Shucks!
thought 1t was something-Samanthy is al
ways telling such queer things over the
phone
"One morning we were at breakfast-all
or US boarders from the city, I mean
when the telephone bell tinkled out the call
for our farm.
~ wonder If that Mary Lizzie Ensilage
Is ever going to give us a rest in this wide
world-the very idea of her calling US every
morning Just at breakfast time. l honestly
believe that she smells what we have for
breakfast over the wire-'deed l do! ex-
claimed one of the rollickng farm girls
Then she crossed the room and took down
the receiver.
Hello. how-do. Mary Lizzie" she said
IN the most amiable and sweet-toned man
ner IMAGINABLE. That SO? Do tell! Dear
me SUI! New pair of curling tongs. did you
say? Yes. sure. Paws going to drive to
town today and I'll have him get them for
you. Yes. I'm going to meeting tomorrow
Ill see you there. dear. I'll send Eph over
with the curling tongs when paw gets back
from town-goOd-bye.
Now did you ever in your life! the
rollicking young woman exclaimed to her
other sister when she had hung up the re-
ceiver. The nerve of her! I just hope she
gives Eph the money for those curling tongs
when he takes them over to her-she's al
ways telephOning over to us to have paw
get things for her when he goes to town.
and she's always forgetting to pay for 'em
when we send them over to her-so care
less of her. well should think!
Il was sitting out the front veranda
Of the farm house one afternoon, reading
and two OF the young women were making
fancy work in the parlor The telephone
bell tinkled the farm house call.
AS sure as I'm alive one of the girls
exclaimed. jumping up. that's Cora Emma
Anna Railfence's husbands call. and any
body can tell he's excited-an I'll just bet
it's happened-dear me!' and she raced to
the telephone.
=" 'Sh-sh-sh.' the other girl exclaimed. and
out Of the tail Of my eye l saw her motion
that 1 was within hearing distance on the
porch.
The girl who went to the phone came
back to the parlor in a moment and sat
down.
Wasn't anything she said to her sis
ter. Cora Emma Anna Raifence'S hus-
band just wants to borrow one of paws
plow horses-shucks, thought it was what
we expected and again the other girl said
Sh-sh. and made that motion indicating
that l was out on the porch and probably
rubberinR.
Another morning all of us were at the
breakfast table when the dining room
phone sounded the farm house call. All Of
US Wditcu 1OT one OK 0lQSr Oh the young
women to run to the receiver, but none of
them made a move toward the telephone
The bell kept on ringing. but they kept right
on waiting on the table. and paid no atten-
ton to 1t whatever. Finally the ringing be-
came SO protracted and incessant that it
was annoying. and one of the women board
ers said to the girls:
" Isn't that your call ringing?'
" Yes replied one of the girls, with the
calmest air of I-know-I am-right confidence
l ever saw, but it's only old Prudence Pen
itence Barbedwire. and she'll be wanting to
ask if paw cares to sell her a bushel Of po-
tatoe5 or couple dozen heads of lettuce
or ham for Sunday dinner, or something
Prudence is always wanting to know if
paw cares to sell her anythng-as if she
ever cares to send the money for the things
the idea, dear me-
The ringing of the bell was so persistent
however. that finally one of the young wo-
men just had to go to the telephone. The
call had been turned. all right. 1t was Pru-
dence Penitence Barbedwire at the other
end, but this time she didn't want to buy
anything. She told the young woman at
the phone that there was letter for her
father-a registered letter-at the post Of
fice-she had just returned from the post
office, and the postmaster had told her So
Its wonder the poor old thing didn't
want to know what the registered letter
contained commented the young woman
as she hung up the receiver.
"A very funny thing happened In connec-
ton with the telephone in the dining room
one afternoon. One Of the guests on the
farm was an acrid but exceedingly well
educated spinster from Baltimore wo-
man of means who had done a deal Of trav-
cling. On this afternoon she called up a
woman friend in Baltimore. She had been
on the farm long enough to get pretty
good line on the way the telephone talks
were rubbered into by all of the folks along
the system. So. when she made her con-
nection with her Baltimore friend, what did
she do but start up an animated CONVERSE
ton wi ber-fp Frencbi
II happened to be out on the porch with a
couple of the farm girls at the time. 1t was
funny to see the expressions that crossed
their faces when they heard their spinster
guest talking French. They looked chagrin-
ed abused, imposed upon, and insulted, all
at once.
well. the very idea of such thing"
they said to each other. I wonder if she
thinks for a moment that anybody wants to
overhear what she has to say!
II noticed that the imposed-upon girls
weren't particularly alert in waiting upon
the spinster at table that evening""
COMING MAN OF THE EAST,
Rosy View Of the Future of Philippine