Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-05
MORSE FILTRATION

companies, Il found myself involuntarily
eavesdropping on an innocent little Morse
Irritation.
II happened in the dining car. There
were only three Of us to respond to the
last call Tor dinner. The girl sat alone at
the table across the aisle from mine. For
all that she was obviously a business girl.
she was as pretty and graceful and groom
ed as show apple in the window of a
fancy fruit shop. The man. who sat at the
tabie behind her, with the back of his chair
well-cared-for-lookfng chap of thirty or
of business
AS we three were the last to avail our
serves or the diner, all OF the walters ex-
cept one had gone off duty and hung up
their aprons. The remaining waiter took
the orders OF the three of us in bunch,
and then disappeared into the diner kitch-
en-. he was gone an Internationally long
time Probably the cook hadn't expected
any responses to last CALL and had to be-
gin over again. The young woman was
d dhe Irst OF US to show impotence She
didn't look peevish over the walters long
absence. but she sighed YEARLY several
times and rested her pretty chin in the
palms OF her hands and gazed drearily out
of the window. 1 could see that she was a
mite irritated over the walters prolonged
soJourn in the kitchen.
Then, out Of the corner of my eye-I
was passing away the time by glancing
over the headlines of a newspaper saw
her pick up her knife in an distracted sort
of way. The water jug was right beside
the place from which she picked up the
knife.
In an unconscious sort Of way she be-
gan to tap on the side Of the water bottle
with the end of the knife. This is what
she tapped:
Blame that waiteri'
THE young fellow seated with his back
to her instantly chirked up. He, too. had a
newspaper spread out in front Of him, and
until the tapping on the water bottle be-
gan he had looked extremely bored. At
that sound, however he looked up from
the paper and gazed straight ahead of him.
his face screwed into an expression of keen
attention
"The young woman dropped her knife
impatiently as soon as she had tapped her
mild objurgation of the waiter on the bot
tie. The young man instantly picked up
his knife. This is what he tapped, Morse
finish, on his water bottle
Thanks. Same here. But why "blame?'
That let's him down too easily.
TT was the young womanS turn to
emerge suddenly from her bored state.
She flushed slightly, and smile lurked
around the corners Of her mouth, but she
didn't turn her head.
THE young man hadn't twisted about in
his chair to look at her, either. Mighty
self-contained young people. l thought.
She picked up her knife again as soon as
his tapping ceased.
"'Well. hang him, then she tappepd.
mot strong enough yet, he tapped IN
quick reply. Want me to say it? 1t might
help some
ing In upon him. I hate profanity
.Well, that was a pretty good start 1
kept my eyes on my paper, looking as IN
nocent as l could They went ahead win
that water jug conversation for hfteen
minutes more before the waiter appeared
with our dinners. But they never even
turned once to look at each other. L nave
a shrewd suspicion that they'd surveyed
each other sort of casually before sitting
down.
She tapped that she was perishlng Tor
food. because shed been compelled to race
for a train that day without oreahtaS -; III ~
ply. Had oversight himself, and mad only
made the train by an eyelash-
when the waiter at length brought the
food they went ahead and ate, occasionally
taxing mn their knives to tap out some sort
of humorous comment on the plcked-up
character of the dinner When the coffee
was reached the young man tapped the
question: Live in New YORK!
Brooklyn she replied
".Sad story, yours was his comeback;
wouldn't live anywhere else Tor the
mint she tapped. ,,r
villa ge green was his reply
..yNeu I simply couldn't resist the Impulse
To get in then. l was through with my
folded up my paper and pushed PACK my
chair Then l took hold of my knlfe ana
drummed this on the water oottie:
=. Enjoy yourselves while you're young
.;,dran Don't YOU mind grizzed old To-
gies like me-
when / dropped the knife and glanced
across the aisle at them in a sort OF Sidelong
way they were both regarding me win
broad smiles. $4,000.
ono table had more coffee and chatted for
..The Young man was connected with one
of the big life insurance companies Ia Ne"
York The young woman was the business
manager of fashion publication. Both OF
them had learned key punching In their
teens and had worked at 1t In branch Of
fees
"They were a wholesome, clean minded
pair of Young people who had been fight
ing the battle of life almost since their
childhood noticed that he was Juggling
her hand traps, as well as ms own, gong
toward the ferry after leaving the train.
And so who knows? 1 should like to hear
of that as the solution of their innocent lit
tie water bottle Irritation in Morse.
THAT experience was more pleasant than
one in which I was a locker on. but not a
participant in Pennsylvania city few
wears ago In the Pennsylvania city l met
an old-time key-pounder alongside OF whom
I worked out west years ago. He insisted
,lnon taking me to his boarding house for
dinner and | went along. 1t was a board
ing house patronized largely by the teleg-
raphers of the town. There were about
dozen of them around the big table when l
sat down with my old-tirne friend Most of
them were seasoned chaps. The meal was
hardly under way before very awkward
looking red-haired man came into the din
ing room with a somewhat contradictions
ing woman Their clothes looked mighty
new and stiff They'd have struck anybody
as bride and groom. The bunch at the big
table sized them up as they sat down at a
small table placed in the basement bow
window Then the key-punching Indians
began to drum things on their plates with,
their knives. 1t was a regular musketry
fire of cracks.
Cute fire sale hair that boys got
Swell gag, this boarding house honeymoon
ing thing, hey?' Wonder what that mess
of marrying toys set him back?' oh. fury,
fury, such a splicededness! Oh girls,
wonder what she could see in him! Won
der if he's wearing pink crocheted sus-
penders to match that tie?'-thats the sort
of rataplan those key hammerers were
rapping on their plates with their knives
until the red haired man stood up at his
table, thrust his hands into his trousers
pockets, and looked the gang over crouch
lily.
"'Just for the sake of easing the minds
of you inquisitive pimpleheads, the red
haired man said amid the silence-for they
quit their plate drumming mighty suddenly
when he stood up and looked them over In
that way-'Il1 let you in on the fact that
I've been married for five years and more