Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-31
s u E. G II IS

Il wish / had a policeman to tell my
troubles to" said the girl at the tele-
phone exchange. She turned from the
switch board with a sigh of relief, and
made her way YEARLY towards the
room where her outer garments hung.
."Oh, don't stop to talk here, I'm off
duty now, and let's go away from the
buzzing. Did you ever hear such a
noise in your life?
Il don't O as though I had any
troubles? Well, appearances are de-
ceiving then. Telephone operators have
q good many unpleasant experiences
every day, but today has been an ex-
c%eptionally full one. My troubles began
this morning at Z o'clock, when the
telephone rang %furiously and a loud
and emphatic voice wanted to know
what time the Southwest Limited went
east. l might nave answered that
the train schedule hadn't changed over
night, for l had answered that same
question the night before to the same
man, but I didn't. I merely repeated
the information.
rs 1t on timer
II told him it was.
Then I've missed my train he
shouted. Why in name Of well l
won't quote him exactly-'didn.t you
ring me, as / asked your
Now, he hadn't left any call with
us the night before, and ! told him so,
ciyilly enough, but T. little matter like
that didn't make any difference to him.
h just the way things go
down at your Office he Numbered.
I've half a mind to have my tele-
phone pulled out
II vas tempted to tell him if he used
that language very often the company
would save him the trouble, but / re-
Trained, and merely asked him at what
time he had left a call.
u don't know, n ! don't CARE he
shouted. How Can / be expected to
keep track of every hour. What 1 care
hbout is the fact that I missed my
train. This is the third time 1t hap
pened. And he hung up the receiver.
with a jerk.
MY next experience was with the
woman who won't call any number.
she seems to have a natural aversion
to rules, and invariably calls by name.
This leads to numerous unavoidable
mistakes, but / am sure 1t never occurs
to her that these are largely of her
making.
81 want Jones' she said.
Number I asked.
".Jones. Johnny Jones. I don't
know his number
$50 l switched her line onto Jones
the undertaken. In a few seconds her
bell rang furiously. I wanted Jones
the grocer she said snappishly. You
made me ask that old undertaken for
blackberries.'
"She was sc angry that she couldn't
see how funny the incident was, but II
had to laugh to myself, as I gave her|
right number
Since that time two people have
threatened to report me. One of them
angry because / couldn't heal her
when she stood against the receiver
and yelled at the top of her lungs. The
other-well, don't know yet just why
she's going to report me. But Meth
of them are of my Subscribers
l call them-the people upon my
l don't care greatly. Almost
of my subscribers are my friends, /;
md l don't like to disappoint them,
know. If everybody was as nice
they are my life would be lots
One of the vexations of our lives is
The fact that we are expected to be
mines of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Walking encyclopedias. as it were. rye
asked almost everything you can
imagine, from the time of day to the
population of Cuba. It's SO a to
ring up Central you know, but why
central should be supposed to supply
he place of the family almanac is
| don't see. During the past
week | have been asked what has been
of the expectoration ordinance.
Who the best carpenter in Ottumwa is,
I l know anyone who can give in
itructionI in German, where the bucket
actory Is situated, what is the latest
from the Baltic fleet, and how