Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-05-19

THE LOTTERY OF MARRIAGE.

lOriginaL1
Johnny" said Brownlee Wilson, SUI
perintendeEt of the telegraph line. Il
hear you're going TO be married to the
operator Ut Delhi
Yes. sir | replied, land I'm going
to get the loveliest''- \ smile on Mr.
Wilson's good natured face stopped
me-
There are many sayings in which
there is little truth" he said, but there
is one that contains 80 per cent truth
that marriage is Il lottery. You're GO
ing i'll for Il lottery John, and you
might as well be prepared for either II
prize. blank OIL tartar. Sit down
and Ill tell You how ii happened with
me.
Telegraph operators of opposite
sexes made love over the wire when |
was Il young operator just as they do
now. When | was just your age |
almost melted the wire with the warm
words | sent over it to girl I'd never
seen. though / had her photograph. She
was very pretty. and from what she
said by telegraph one would suppose
butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. l
admired strength of character i'll Il girl.
and my only fear for her was that
she'd be putty in my hands.
"One day one of our fellowship
Burnet-came to my desk and said TO
me:
.'Brownlee, I've got a girl on the
wire. and we've been doing some pref
ty lively lovemaking. Perhaps you're
opposed to that sort of thing.
..'Oh. that's all right i Interrupted
Go on
well. I've got TO go away for a
couple of weeks. and I'd be obliged If
you'd take my place while I'm gone
why not tell her you're going
away: l asked.
well. the truth is he replied i'll
shamefaced manner. I'm going to be
married 10 another girl. and l thought
perhaps YOU wouldn't mind
.'Opening the furnace door and let
ting the fire go out That's nice thing
TO ask of Il friend. However. you seem
to be in for it, and I'll help you all 1
can
Jim gave me the private call be-
tween him and the girl he was going to
jilt and told me I'd he called up be-
tween . and IL o'clock at night. Then
he went away processing Il high appre-
citation of the favor | was TO do him
and strong Friendship for me. He prov
ed the best friend | ever had, as I'm
going TO tell you.
AT half past q l got the call. sure
enough. The girl was different from
mine-a practical. sensible woman. and
it was easy to see character written in
every message she sent me. My talk
with her was rather dull TO me. for she
was planning all the while what she
and Jim, as she supposed. We're going
to do after marriage Not bit Of that
delicious lovemaking that my own girl
gave me- However. it was just as we'll.
for if I'd had two girls to talk sweet
10 it might have tired me.
THE night after Jim went away my
own girl sent me word that she was
not at all well and was going home.
If she didn't call me for some time |
mustn't be worried. A nice way TO pal
it. wasn't it? Well. that's the last
message | ever got from her | blush tn
own that | became so interested in the
problems | discussed with Jim's girl
as to housekeeping and how to do il on
telegraph operators income that |
soon forgot about the poor sick girl.
who might be dying while | was work
ing up an interest III another.
by the time Jim returned with his
bride | had my head full of Il pretty
little cottage with few necessary ar
ticles OF boughten furniture besides
those formed from all sorts of articles.
One I remember was a chair made of u
-four barrel. ] told lin of the Situa-
ton, and he wasn't II bit jealous. In-
deed he was greatly relieved and said
he was eternally obliged to me.
shortly after his return 1 called on
his bride and was struck with her
likeness to the photograph of my girl
] mean my first girl. not Jim's. Then
it rushed upon me that she-I mean
had BENNY girl. | took my pencil |
and tapped our private call on the |
table. She started. famed up, then |
ran out of the room.