The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-11-05

! iangling bells.
II was generally eleven before Red
| 1901 had sounded his signal and Miss
Maher had connected him somewhat
perfunctorily with the other end of
| the WIRE Suffer S691's answers in
| these conversations were rather short
z er and more to the point than they
were at the earlier hour, yet on sew
erai occasions NJ IS Maher heard her
| make engageme for drives OF
| box parties to the theatre. When she
made these engagements SO easily and
| carelessly, Miss Makers soul was
troubled. She knew she ought not to
listen to these conversations, but she
| was interested, and human, and Sc
-. But she wondered what Main
| As would say.
The weeks Bent on, and the calls
came as usual, until certain day
| when, having rung up Suffer S691.
| and opened the switch as now was her
| daily custom, Miss Maher heard the
steady tones she liked to listen to say:
"HoW's the world this morning.
Existing, suppose" returned the
voice with a subtle reflection that
Miss Maher instantly recognized as
displeasuTe. x saw your picture OF
Joy last night"
You did? The paint isn't even dry.
Are you going to give me telephone
dictum on it?''
Its rather pretty, think, but
Pretty" Main ass voice was Just
a little ruff1ed. well 30 on. But
what?"
4 don't see how a dark person can
represent JOY"
"Oh, that's all right. Intensity of
feeIing-strength of elnotion-urion
of heart and head, and so on. Don't
you see?"
f"H'm!" was Suffer S691's brief COM
ment. Her hairs SO black she looks
like an Indian, and her eyes An
expressive silence followed this, and
Miss Maher felt the smile at Main rs.
They're gray. Don't you like
them9"
You do. That's evident"
Il like them in the picture"
There isn't any reason you
shouldn't like them out of it. Perhaps
you do"
perhaps 1 do what? Like gray
eyes? They are uncommonly rare"
You'll like them all the better
when you find them. Don't despair.
Fate will be kind to you in time
Z hate to doubt it, but she does
not seem very kind just now
I'm Sorry. Would you pardon me
if / hung up? I've an engagement in
a few minutes.
Please wait a second. f.
Miss haher heard the decided little
click. So did Main 49, His half-fn-
ished sentence remained suspended i'll
air, and only the telephone operator
heard the amazed exclamation of three
words which followed the closing of
the wire.
When the rush was over, Miss Ma
her, casting a swift glance about he;
to see that she was not observed, went
quickly over to the unframed square
of glass hanging biankly on the
WhiteWashed wall, and looked boldly
into the reflected eyes. They were
gray, with black lashes. Irish eyes
dark and sombre, with the shadows
smudged in. Her cheeks grew a beau
tiful rose-pink as she gazed. Then
suddenly a lingering smile curved the
corners of her lips as she turned away.
For some inscrutable reason, she was
glad her eyes were gray.
The next morning the signal sound
at the usual hour, but Miss Maher
was forced to ring vigorously three
distinct times before getting her reply.
The CHEEKY little trick had gone from
the GIRLS voice as she took down the
receiver. and without the slightest
preliminary announced eoldly:
''Sutter 8691 is not in
Miss Maher gasped. So did Main
As. The shock was sudden, if not
altogether unexpected, and Miss Ma
hers sympathy turned wholly to the
man at the other end of the line.
She decided that Suffer 1851 was
cruel-heartless Miss Maher was
young, too, and it counted in her con-
demnation.
So, as the days went by, and each
sentence, repeated in the crispest OF
tones, Miss Maher added the admirable
trait of long suffering to the mental
picture she had formed of Main As,
and rang her bells so viciously that
the fourteen subscribers on the party
line sent in a united complaint asking
that Centrals" service, and incident
ally temper, be amended. ItAdid not
please Miss Maher either thatsthe glib
person at Red 1901 should have slipped
SO easily and defftly into Main ass
place. These conversations were not
fragmentary phrase which apprised
keenly interested ears of some pro-
jected plan for an evenings amuse-
ment-. Red 1901 seemed to enjoy SO,
cjal functions as much as Main Is
had detested them. This phase OF
affairs bothered Miss Maher q good
deal. She meant to see it through
now that matters had reached this
stage, and she listened without any
conscience tremors. She felt she knew
for whom the girl at Suffer S691 really
cared. Why, then, did she trouble
about Red 1901? Two lovers at once
was novel idea to Miss AIaher, and
she inWardly wondered how it would
end.
1t ended in a way totally unexpect-
Cd, At least by the waiting Miss Ma
he;, whose dislike OF Red 1901 was,