The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-06-19

Il a train. He approached the instrument
as one who was unafraid of DANCE
and unacquainted with fear. He wa.
in the prime of manly strength ant
| beauty. He wished to ask a simple
iquestion, which possibly would take hin
three minutes at the outside. CThis
story is almost too sad to be told, bit
we must stick to facts as we follow
the young man to his sad and tragic
| end.)
He took down the receiver and waited
with good-natured Impotence. He rea
the rules and regulations of the tele-
phone company. They sounded fair and
| good as an invitation to a Sunday
school picnic. He studied the calendar
and the Autograph of cocoanut palms
| appended thereto; he read the type
| written rules for boarders; he read the
steamer time table; he whistled Dolly
| Cray through once and the chorus
| twice; he stood on the other leg and
noted that time was passing, for he was
outgrowing his clothes; he noted in the
bright metal plate on the telephone that
his mustache was growing gray and
yet grayer; he idly read the penciled
notes on the wall within radius of
before; he grabbed the stub of a pencil
that swung by Irvine and made mean
ingless pictures and notes on the tab
let that was nailed on the wall within
easy reach; he took out his clean hand
kerchief and wiped away the accumu-
lations of microbes, saliva and hot air
from the mouth of the transmftter; he
heard a girlish gurgle in the far dis
hi 70
ed him of the call of bob-white on
an Indiana stake-and- rider. fence. In
the course of fnhuman events Central
revived from her comatose state, but so
much time had elapsed that he had for
gotten what he was standing there for,
and he was startled by Centrars
Hello?
Please give me main double three one.
What?
Main double three one.
Blue 1901?
No. no. Main three three one.
Talk louder. 1 can't hear you. (All
this time he was shouting like a delega-
ton instructed for Hearst.)
THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY
ONE MAIN.
Oh yes, two hundred and twenty-one
red you want. (Shouts to an operator, |
Double two one red.'0
NO, no, MOI Central. listen. I want |
three hundred and thirty-one main. |
Office.
Oh.
Hello?
Hello. Is this double three one main?
VIE gents. Was whist du?
Who is this? Is this three three one
main?
This is der Honolulu Brewery already.
Oh, they gave me the wrong number
hank you, goodbye.
He hangs up and tries, tries again.
CENTRALi I WANT main three
hree one.
Blue what?
Give me three hundred and thirty-one
main.
Three hundred and thirty-one blue?
No-no-no, main, m-a-i-n, main.
Hello! Is this three three one main =?
This is the morgue.
Ughi Oh, pardon me Central gave me {
he wrong number again. l
Central, L asked you to give me three {
hirty-one main. Ii
1 did.
You didn't You gave me the morgue. Il
Oh. did I? II
Now give me double three one main.
Helloi Is that you, Joe?
Eth? Il
Joe. I
Who wantee? IL
L want to speak to Joe. l
Me no sabe Joe. Huh! Whas malta /
-ou? This fish market. You sabe? Il
=! So ~ - -
Central, I asked you for main three e
hree one, and you gave me the fish
market. Il
A lackadaisical voice murmurs half I
and half defantly. well, /
-ou talk too low, anyhow. and 1 can't /
ear you" Gle swore softly.) {
Hello! Is this main three thirty-one?
Yes. {
Is that you, Joe? {
What? I can't hear i
Is that
Bang! The connection is off, and he X
ncounters a silence as meaningless and &
lank as a wireless from Mars.
Central, give me main three three q
ne. IL
You just had that number. g
Well. I want it again. t
Observation-Disclosures {
Is that you, Joe?
Yes, but this telephone is rotten. 1 t
ant hear you. I