The Washington herald., 1908-06-22
TELEPHONE GIRL As A WIFE
Superintendent Gives Advice to
Those Contemplating Matrimony.
Sitting Before Switchboard and
Keeping Ones Temper Gives
Girls n Good Disposition.

Young man" said the telephone super-
intendent, take my advice and marry a
telephone girl If you have simply got TO
marry some one
Why? Well, there are all sorts OF rea-
sons. But in the first place, as well as
secondly. thirdly. and fourthiy, she will
have a good disposition When you come
home late for dinner or leave your pine in
the parlOr, or commit some other deadly
sin. she may do q lot OF thinking, but she
won't say much. and you Will have the
laugh on all the other husbands OF girls
who are not properly trained
You see. a telephone girl learns. first
and foremost. 10 let other persons do the
talking. II she didn't the company would
lose most Of its subscribers inside OF q
month She sits for hours at time IN
front OF a board covered with lights and
switches and plugs and administers con-
stantly 70 the wants OF q lot Of folks who
are absolutely itching for trouble.
did you ever hear a woman, for m
stance, get busy ct the phone? First she
calls a number, usually IN e voice that
defes any combination OF electricity and
wires 10 transmit. Sometimes she gives
The right number; not always. It proves
TO be busy.
" 'Cal me, Central says the lady at
the phone Then she goes away, sits
down IN a chair, and fuses In minute
she Is back az the wire again
That number still busy?' she asks.
she doesn't say what number. Central
has been working both hands and every
thing inside Of her head meantime but
the lady doesn't care. Central ought to
have remembered the number.
What NUMBER she snorts. What
number? Why Just told you the num-
Der not a minute ago. AS q matter OF
fact. she has forgotten herself. However.
she finds Il again, and is again Informed
that It is busy.
Well. hurry them up she says.
Just like that. What do you suppose
would happen 10 Central II she hurried
them up? How would the lady ike TO be
hurried up? But Central says she will do
her best
'Wretched service,' remarks the lady
as she sits down. In a minute more she
is Up again.
Central she fusses. can't you get
me that number? I've been for the last
half hour trying 10 get It. Yes. Of course
tlat s the number so busy talking to
the girl next TO her that she doesn't nav
any attention. know perfectly well that
there is no reason on earth why I can't
have that number. It's Just pure pervers-
ity. What's that? Busy? Oh. that's per.
feet nonsense. You told me that before.
Il is? Well, you give me the manager
Central does not answer her hack
which spOils half the fun, and almost be-
fore she knows 1t she is connected with
the manager, who IS put there 10 meet
just such complaints. He investigates and
finds that the number IS still busy. He
tells the lady as much
She believes the manager. but stu
blames Central for not giving her the
number in the first place. She is sure the
wire was not busy when she first called
We'll young man, Central has 10 sit
and take that for hours at a time and say
nothing but Busy; I'll cali you, and
once in a while gets a chance 10 switch
or on a few numbers
It's hard training them More girls
fail TO make Centrals than there are that
succeed. Il simply isn't in the nature Of
the sex, or any other sex for that mat.
ter. 10 sit and take il from all sides and
say nothing IN return. But they learn,
and when they have mastered Il they
never forget
80 II you've got to marry, pick out
telephone girl from preference"