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

HEISS Ellen Maher, telephone opera
IW tor on the West Exchange, was
first attracted TO Suffer 1891 by a
CHEEKY little trick in the voice of the
girl who used that telephone almost
to the exclusion of every one else in
that house. It was a frivolous voice,
but musical It had a little habyisn
turn in it-sueh voice as Miss Ma
her would have liked to own, together
with a tall figure, and beautiful red
gold hair and large vioIet-hlue eyes.
Miss Ellen Maher knew her own lin
ltations
Such delightfully."- frivolous CONVEX
sations were these that Suffer 8691
used to carry on! Sometimes, in the
early morning before the rush of mar
ket orders had begun, she used TO
catch little sparkling snatches Of them.
plenty of men friends, and they We're
always talking about people whom
Miss Maher read In the society col
umna Dc the newspapers: OF what they
did last night at Mrs. SWinnerton s.
or of what was going to happen that
afternoon at the Bouton's coaching
party. Miss MaheF would have liked
to live like that, with a big house and
d telephone Ill ones own In ones bou-
der, and plenty Of lovers. Not that
she was enviols. Envy was not in
7ler--until
Now 1t came 10 pass in time that
two certain numbers grew to be most
persistent in talking back and forth
with Suffer 1851. Of course, there
were many oahers-voices of chatter
ing girls-YeIces of staid matrons-
but these two Miss Maher noticed be-
cause they were men. The first was
Red 1001; the second Main 45. Miss
Maher came TO like Main 45 as much
SIS she disliked Red 1901. Main As had
q fine, big voice, quiet and easy-the
voice which would 60 with q dear
stupidity and an honorable character,
and a fine, big frame-just like the
hero in her favorite novel. Quite diff
ferent was Red 1901. That voice
1isped little. and 1t talked too much
and too glibly. To herself she called
it g. "girly-girly" kind of voice. If
there was ANYTHING Miss Mahes hated
it was 'sirly-girly" man. She had
her own ideas of what a man should
be, and they didn't at all correspond
to the mental picture she had formed
OF Red 1901. With true femininity
she vas sure he wasn't mice" on good
enough for the girl with the pretty lit
tiesvoiee which responded SO brightly
To the call for SITTER 1861, and some
particularly Irritating quality In his
voice caused Miss Maher to believe
him merely an animated tailor's dunn
my. III her secret soul, she was firm
h convinced that Red 1901 was a bore.
But Main ass telephone calls were
always promptly answered, and the
service between Suffer 1851 and Main
IS vas satisfactory In the extreme.
At first Main IS had rung up once a
week; then, BY easy and successive
stages, Miss Maher was called upon
for connections twice, thrice, four
times weekly. At this point, the tele-
phone service graduated into the daily
stage. and now, regularly ut nine
o'clock each morning, Miss Maher
sounded the iingIing signal which an
nouneed To suffer S6a1 that d party
was IN the line.
They usually discussed some AZ
pcintment TOR the day. Listening to
these plans for pleasure Miss Maher
came I'D have 8 keen appreciation 81
the blessings of Suffer 1891. Miss Ma
her liked big men with grave, sin
eere voices. She also liked outings
outings such SIS these as she heard
planned--to the cliffs, to the sea, Oh
To the shaded woods among the keen
resinous smell Of the pines. Main Al
didn't seem TO care for theaters, o.
teas, or balls, although the girl was
always trying to get him to go with
her. Sometimes, when they had ar.
ranged TO drive, Hiss Aiaher would
picture them IN the light English dog
cart he used because the girl st SUIT
ter 1851 liked it: the horses lifting
their feet high. and their hoof- beats
ringing on the hard roads. Oftener
She pictured them in the moonlight
Miss Maher was fond OF the pale gilt
ter OF the moon. Her favorite heroines
all looked their best by moonlight,
She could not help wondering how the
girl at Suffer 1874 would look. She