The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-10-12

sNdllOlcs Jul > 1T Aht FtiAll
being the larger. aud employing a force
OF 200 men.
! had much to learn when | entered
the employment of the gas company as
bookkeeper, and | enjoyed my discov-
cries immensely. among them the fact
that water-gas was not made from
water; that the huge round gas holders
that were placed in the various city
wards were not meters. neither were
they filed TO the windows and doors
with a great bulk of loose. floating gas
which might rush out at any moment;
that a gas plant must have engineers,
craftsmen, surveyors. masons and
builders, besides the host of stokers,
boiler tenders. bumpers and yardmen,
and that tar and ammonia and coke, as
by-products. We're turned out from the
huge plant, as well as its legitimate
products of coal and water-gas that
kept our city warm and bright of win
Ter nights.
The consulting and contracting engl-
neer for the whole company was also
local superintendent at these works,
and a man so enthusiastic in his pro-
fesslon 1t has never since been my for
tune 10 meet. He had Il huge technical
library of some GDOO voumes-eyery-
thing that bore even remotely on gas
maklng-and pamphlets and magazines
from all over the civilized world. His
only holidays were trips to attend con-
ferences of gas men. and his social di-
versions were occasional evenings
spent with his confreres. For all this
he was the most genial and the most
versatile man | ever knew
Kate Lloyd and | had very good
times at the south station. Kate was a
later conner than |. She came in with
Mr.. Storer's need for private secre-
gary. when his mass of correspondence
grew 80 bulky.
If had been as ambitious and enter
prislng before Kate's coming as grew
afterward she would never have come,
for when Mr.. Storer one day remarked
that he wished | knew shorthand. |
only replied with genuine regret that
I was very sorry did not. And as 1t
was five months between that remark
and the stenographer's coming, l
might have given my employer an
agreeable surprise by making myself
more valuable to him in the meantime.
However. that never entered my head
I'm those days. BE fit for more than
the thing you are doing | had not
then made my motto.
Kate Lloyd was new sort of girl to
me. She was not willing to beidle two
minutes. When she was not catalog-
Ing books or writing her letters or
Ganslatlng French documents she was
practicing touch typewrlting. or getting
me to dictate to her in our leisure. for
Mr.. Storer was often away for days at
a time. and we both had time on our
hands.
There was no escaping the contaglon
of Kate's energy. 1t seems to have put
something into me permanently that
never was there hefore-or perhaps 1t
only awoke something that had been
asleep.
We worked stcadfastly and did our
work the best we knew how, and then
NC 'Ai bAAANA A4lAh=Ns ANlA' Ablh NV
what | had already discovered, that |
was n little Ounce not to learn short
hand. and she proceeded to teach me
with energy and despatch. Then while
I practlced she wanted TO know If
there was not anything | could teach
her. but | could not think of a thing
except instrumental music. and we felt
J,u ta Inc N
piano at tie south station.
One day Mr.. Storer brought the car
penters up stairs and set them at some
mysterious labor on the roof. We
guessed at a hagstaff and tower and
a cupola. but Mr.. Storcr laughed and
would not tell.
But finally. when the worlmen had
gone leaving n rope which passed into
our office through hole in the ceiling
he bade me pull 1t. As I obeyed the
shrlek of a siren whistle answered.
let go with fainter echo OF my own.
(which was you?' laughed Mr.. Sto'
rer III works all right, doesn't 1t;
Now we won't have to fall back on the
speaking tube. and get Michael to trav-
el all over the works, hunting In a
hurry for a man he can't find. Miss
Nelson. you think up a dozen Of the
men We send for oftenest and write
them down, and wen see II we can't
get some sounds that they can each
answer to. Yes. and we must have n
general call TO the Office for pay night"
And here II was that really had a
brlsl.. Idea myself quite worthy OF
Kate.
20 Mr.. Storer," said. eagerly, "le,
me call item by their initials IN the
Morse alphabet The master mason
Mr.. Arnold. I'll call A. and then tn,
chief chemist you are always wanting
he eau tell his own ID from A. May
show youf'
eco ahead" Gssented Mr.. Storer, an'
laid my hand to the rope and blew
- -, =, dashdot-dash
Gash-dot-dot." twice. 1t worked beau
tlfully.
"He needn't know the alphabet. o
course" said. In explanation Of ny
idea. "but at the same time he can tel
- from A. So on with all the rest
Shall make list. and then Kate cal
typewrlte 1t and hang 1t here and
will put the telegraph letters opposite
40 any one OF US can pull the right on,
by referring to IT,"
Mr.. Storer thought the Idea excellent
ana approved my list when 1t was com
9,IlfCA rxarafv .IIt... 40. "a.