The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-12-02
A TELEPHONE ROMANCE

| fore he closed his desk to go home
Mr.. Dickson was surprised to catch
her voice with a new almost friendly
accent.
us this Mr.. Dickson?"
YES"
Shall I call Mary and tell her to
have the children come down to meet
your"
Mr.. Dickson lived some distance be-
yond the street car terminus and Tim
always drove down in the runabout
to meet him. 1t never struck him as
odd that the telephone girl knew of
his daily habit. Perhaps she lived in
the neighborhood. He answered In a
relieved tone.
Eyes, I'd forgotten to call her."
And if you didn't call her she
wouldn't remember, would she?"
mo, no." agreed the man, these
servants are a great trial." Then as
central rang off he murmured to him
self, There's a girl who will make a
fine business woman some day.
would not mind having her in my Of
fee"
And though he could never tell just
how it happened, from that time on
it was Central who had the trying
Ellen got about; and after that, with
Miss Ellen herself, merely giving him
condensed report of the converse
ton. This saved his time, which was
valuable, and it pleased his fancy that
some one appreciated his absorbing
interest in the children.
That was why he had a bouquet Of
flowers sent up to the telephone ex-
change one day and a box of candy
another. Several times he was tempt
ed to call in person, but he finally de-
cfded that seeing the girl face to face
might prove a disillusion. Faces and
voices do not always harmonic, and
yet he thought of the great relief it
was to receive messages from central,
instead of irate Mary or butterfly FL
len. He felt sure that this particular
voice stood for a face fair and wom-
anly. Then he would recall a recent
letter from his son; Aunt Mary would
come fora consideration.
But finally an inspiration came to
him. Reggie was having a birthday.
Ellen with characteristic heedIessness
had forgotten this important event and
had arranged to join house party for
the very night. But this should not
stand in the way of a proper observ-
ance of the occasion. Reggie should
have birthday spree and the guest of
honor should be this Central girl, with
whom the two children had held many
little talks cross the wire.
She accepted the invitation sent in
Reggie's name. She rode out in the run
about driven by the suspicious Tim,
who had made unpleasant remarks to
his wife about old fools and pretty
girls. And she finally entered the door
opened by Mr.. Dickson himself
He gave a sigh of relief, which was
drowned in the tumultuous greetings of
the children. She was just what he had
dreamed of, but what he had not dared
to hope for. They had a merry evening,
and when the two children were sitting
down, one on either side of her. to hear
what Reggie described as corking COB
lin stories the sound of latch key fell
on Mr.. Dickson's ear.
He rose uncertainty; so did Margaret
Baxter, and so did the two children.
And that was the scene upon which en-
tered Charles Dickson, general repre-
sentative for the Excelsior Hardware
Company, just returned from a hard
trip on the road. He looked at his
father, who flushed. He looked at Mar
garet Baxter. who smiled. He looked at
the two children, who shrieked stimuli
taneously and made a rush at him.
When he had escaped from their en-
braces his father started to make the
necessary introduction. but the young
er man waved him aside.
L have known Margaret for some
time-in fact, long before you knew
her. When the children have finished
their frolic and gone to bed I-well, we
will explain this matter to you
Mr. Dickson senior looked from his
sons dancing eyes to Margaret Bax-
ter's flushed face and remarked dryIy:
1T won't be necessary; and while
Miss Baxter is finishing that goblin
story you had better telegraph to Aunt
Mary. Tell her she need not. come
We've changed our minds" Copy
right. 1904, by T. G. McClure)