davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

I don't see what you see in that con-
founded d c."
The ideal" retorted the girl. why.
! think she's a perfectly lovely girl. and
It's fun, because she thinks I'm a man
and firts with me-"
We'll. I'll BEER calculated x Y.
You mean to say you don't really
know d c is a man7 Why. used to
go to school with himi"
His expression changed to one OF In
credulous Joy as he saw the girls
stunned amazement.
And SO you didn't know oh. of
course. you haven't any idea how 1t
feels to be Jealous. but If you knew
what I've suffered Why
A customer interrupted just then, but
the girl has now sent her resignation
to the chief operator. She says she
doesn't believe in married women work
ing.
Besides their own romances, oper-
ators get side lights on many love af-
fairs among the customers Almost
every operator has watched with in
terest the arrangements for an elope-
ment being made by wire. An operator
in San Francisco may know all the
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
in the DOughnut''

D. is simply attired in a wide brimmed
sombrero. black cotton overshirt. fad
ed blue overalls suspended from his
waist by hayrope. and a pair of hob
nailed shoes run over at the heels. He is
evidently poor and friendless as he sits
alone on the Sante Fe railroad track.
pensively smoking a brown paper Gig
arctic and calmly considering the ex-
pediency of letting an approaching
handcar manned by Mexicon poems run
over him and amputate his mortal coil.
Ideal socialism seems so far, far away
to him, he has no dynamite, and de-
spair CLEANS in his eye. So much am
I absorbed in him. in the effort to make
him seem so real and lifeIike in the
story that the reader can almost smell
his breath. that my sympathy for him
tempts me to introduce into the scene
redball freight train just behind the
handcar in order to make his death
certain. It would also be a humane
method Of sending the honest hard
working Mexicans to their just reward.
and eliminating their Internal pidgin
English from the novel. But my dia-
bolical impulse is restrained. Of course.
by the artistic desire to avoid the ne
cessity of creating a new hero to take
the hero's place. Besides you will
agree that even such wanton literary
murder is IN the last degree reprehen-
sible and not to be thoughtlessly en-
couraged.
So John D. Rockefeller Smith gets up
just in time to save his life and keep
the front wheel from shaving off the
seat OF his pants, and saunters away to
lunch at the back door OF some gener-
Gus housewife, for 1t is dinnertime, and
he begins to experience that primitive
human emotion that forever fits across
the soul OF him whose mortal stomach
yearns intensely for big rim around
The Hole in Doughnut"
Just after the above exclamation
point you are prepared for the heroine.
Miss Ole Omargarine Olsen. the domes-
tic damsel who comes out through the
back door at this psychological moment
with a pail of swilI for a coterie OF
swine in the back yard. She is becom-
ingly gowned in a calico shirt waist
supplemented with a skirt OF the same
material. and cheap cotton. unconscious
ly peekaboo, hose. 1t is love at first
sight. She has long looked for some
real live man to show to her girl
friends, and fancies she can see one
of natures noblemen beneath his
behind his walrus mustache and un-
kempt whiskers; while he is not blind
to her charms, for her hands and fore
arms are big and strong enough to
wash and wiring out a horse blanket,
If need be, and he longs, oh! so much.
for some one to take in laundry and
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

details of a romance between two
young lovers in Sacramento and Chi
cago and take a personal interest in
rushing the messages they exchange.
kilograms play an important part in
many love affairs.
1t was sheepish young man who
avoided meeting the operators eye that
filed telegram to a girl, reading:
Your letter received. Think same, only
more So"
She wrote to know II he didn't love
her any more. and he can't wait for the
mail to reassure her." thought the op-
orator, saying, impersonally, Fifty
cents. please"
Three days later he bounced into the
oface and slammed down on the counter
received telegram. In heavy black
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

support him In this cruel world. where
his talents have never been appreciateo-
All, this first meeting! How they VIII
look back to it IN the years to come
when he has sat around the house so
long that he has become knee-spruns
and tender footed. and she-ah. noble
unselfsh devotion!-has washed
string of ribbons. lace. towels, bed
sheets. and carpet that would reach
from HongkOng to San Francisco, VIA
London Paris and st Petersburg! Ex-
cuse this depression.
Il come" said he. "to beg handour
and some ground coffee to cook over the
dying embers where just boiled up.
No" said she tenderly. s'the mtssus
is away: come in and have some pie"
Then she added. sadly: The dent In
your abdomen speaks elOquently OF
your appetite"
Thank you" said he. politely remov-
ing his sombrero and exposing a ghast-
" craniaI cavity where his bump OF
self-esteem should have been. my
heartfelt gratitude knows no bounds
though I perceive that naught remains
of the pie but its four inch nange.
Then-but why multiply details.
since you can buy The Hole In
Doughnut' from my publishers as soon
as we can hurry it into print without
leaving out the Inevitable divorce court
and attorneys fees7 That's as much as
you would get by investing in any
best seller whose author nesleots TO
build a rim around the hole in his liter
airy doughnut
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

fortune got rich by driving a menial
jackass up and down the crooked rows
Of cornheld. This is what fans the
flame OF anarchistic unrest among less
lucky mortals whose fathers kept
blowing in the weeks wages until fit
Of delirium tremens led to short ser
mon and an unostentatious funeral COR
tege to the potters' field. 1t is a grave
wrong.
Ny methods and ideals, as an analy-
sis Of the novel I am now working on,
The Hole IN a Doughnut," will show,
aim to keep this flame of unrest from
burning the fingers of organized society.
/ keep close to nature by drawing my
characters from the meek and lowly. of
whom 1t is said. They shall inherit the
earth" but who really look upon a
clean shirt and toilet soap as spiritual
luxuries.
First we will consider the mere me-
chanical part of my novels. I use
cheap white paper, and a lead pencil
No typewriter. I could not even run
wheelbarrow a hundred yards without
breaking IT, which is true genius,
though IT does seem like trying to coin
pure idiocy into a virtue. I never die
tate. It is hard to find a man stenog
rapher willing to work for nothing and
board and clothe himself, and debating
to a lady stenographer fills my pages
with love, sentiment, poetry, and blank
verse, embarrasses the characters and
makes them blush and act foolish,
transforms my hero, whom always try
TO delineate with an iron jaw. into a
mere mollycoddle so soft you could
throw a custard pie through him with
out breaking 1t, and makes my villain
trade his automobile lead pump for a
catechism and turn Sunday school
teacher. So stick to my simple literary
weapons. These facts are set forth
here because my contemporaries take
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

can't read Morse. Better let me get
you a job in a laundry"
SO you are a laundryman," retorted
the other. Been wondering what you
were"
All the rest Of the day &C x" tortured
himself with doubts II II had been Miss
''B " who said "Ha. ha." on the wire
then
That new fellow isn't so many" he
said to her that evening, as they were
saying good morning" before cutting
out the wires. Just wait till 7 get a
nice long special and I'll make him
sit up"
Sure you wilI." said she, soothfnSIy.
A Few days later reporter brought
words
Rush it" he said mechanically. from
force Of habit.
Oh. I Will, all right. all right" said
z X, opening his key exultantly ana
calling the new man.
Here, he told him. "Specfal-ru.h .
Never before had he so strsnuousiy
rusneo a message. He began steadily
ana evenly at first, gradually fncraaa-
ing his speed until # seemed 70 hfn, NJ
down.
You there?" he asked. at last
Come on, wake up," came the reply
This invitation to Increase his sUssd
was the last straw. c * began asn6-
Ing fast and furiously. He nosd. 80
takes, corrected them, stumbled ov~-
the easiest words. He knew he vss
sending too fast for his ability but ,ot
for worlds would he have sent snv
slower Finally. desperate. h. Iat r1Is-
taxes go without correction. putting
on the wire a tumble OF dots ana 5s-b.,
that ha
Morse. When he had ended the ma
sage with a defiant No more 70 you-''
the answer came at once:
o. X. 7S6 words" said the reonsvsn.,
operator. That's doing pretty we'll II
time you'll make a noise like an an.--
ator" ShS<-
c said nothing. His var -.
burned at the thought OF the nrsftv
girl listening down the line. Thsra vvss
only one way to redeem himself h A.
ranged with another operator 10 reIisva
him next day and took the frst t-ot,,
for the station where his tormentor wa.
working
Are you the operator hereq" h asx.d
the fellow in the little Office
I am said the man, taking hts na,-
ell from over his ear
Wei, I've come so miles to lick vo,,,.
said { y and without further vvor5,
began. Books tumbled down. chat~.
were luIueUs the rTDeWrftar
Jerked from the desk with a crash tn
stranger wasted no words. but fou~ht
desperately, and for few minutes q x
mad horrible fear that here too. he
had met his match. But the thought ~
the pretty girl and the report she would
hear Of the fight encouraged him. Al
most before he knew II he had the Other
fellow on the floor under the table
with final punch he rose. A freight
train that had been standiner -, go
siding was just pulling out. ana holdine
handkerchief to his bleeding nose o x
managed to catch it.
Hello. what's up?" asked the con-
ductor.
X explained.
Great guns. mani" exclaimed tha
conductor. You've licked tba v--o,,,.
man. This fellows the regular oper-
ator. lie came back this morning. The
one you wanted was a man fro7, 49,
dispatcher's oflce sent down to rslisws
him last week"
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

Forty cents" answered the operator
The negro threw down the half dol
lar with a lordly air.
Send dish yeah box of candy to Miss
Angelina Jackson" said he. presenting
box Of chocolates. Rush it. 1t Is
impohtant."
He was much offended when the
pretty girl operator explained to him
that she could not send the candy.
&C X' would not have so resented
the impertinence of the fellow who was
relieving the regular man at the next
station. but he knew the pretty girl
operator down the line was hearing it
all. Since they had exchanged the first
good morning" over the wire three
months before their conversations had
daily grown longer and &c X was
considering asking her if he might
take her to the next union dance. In
these circumstances it was particular
ly irritating to have the new operator
patronize his telegraphing. His rage
made his sending worse. and each time
the new man broke" asking him to
repeat a word, he fancied Miss '.B "
listening and noticing his mistakes.
"Oh. give it up" he said one day, as
the receiving operator patiently
broke for the seventh time. you
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

DO not feel so much like taking the
book back and getting your money.
You may regret to discover, though,
thors by introducing my hero on or
about page II, the pages UP to that be-
ing occupied with local color, epigrams,
proverbs pathos, and other Introductory
preliminaries too numerous to mention
here. the purpose Of which is to so exas-
perate the reader that he will read on
and on In a mad desire to find out II
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
miles to take her to a dance.

miles to take her to a dance.
It seemed to a girl In small COM
mercial ONCE that operator 'X Y" who
worked in the office with her, was
chatting too much with a certain ID
c. on one OF the wires. Every time
she saw him on that wire she had to
assure herself that she was not at all
way she called Miss D c. and. rep
resenting herself as a young man, be-
gan a Irritation. ID c" responded
promptly and cordially.
I've heard of you often" she said:
''you look all right to me. I just love
blue eyes like yours"
'oh. X Y, listen to thisl" cried the
girl Does D C talk to everybody like
thatT'
"oh, cut that out" said x z. He
hurried to the switchboard and did so
literally.
Next day the girl called I'D c" again.
The Irritation grew more interesting.
Day after day they passed all their
leisure time on the wire chatting. They
invented a code Of their own and be-
gan exchanging letters. The girl wrote
hers on q typewriter and signed them
In careful imitation Of flowing mas
culine writing. x Y had no chance to
talk to D c. for the girl was always on
the wire. Finally he could stand it no
longer
See here" he said. II think you
might cut this out. ] haven't had a
chance to say word to you for weeks.
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
By Rose Wilder

NNF THEN a man lirts with girl
B he has never met nor seen II is
w interesting. But when it grows
into something more and the
man dnds himself really in love with
girl whose very name he does not know,
10 whom in his most sentimental
Thoughts he must refer as IN c" or
q X +" the situation becomes difacult.
Hundreds of such romances- are daily
Tying across forest and plain. through
sunshine and cloud, over monotonous
miles Of telegraph wire.
Working day after day almost side by
side with q person a hundred miles
away brings a sense OF companionship.
There grows up a subtle feeling Of per-
sonaiity In the smoothly ripping dots
and dashes OF the Morse code. One
sounder plods along steady and dull:
the next goes at a message with ex-
cited. nervous jerks.
Something goes wrong with the line.
'Oh. dear" says the operator at the
other end Of the miles of wire. A grill
A week later she opens the key while
she Is receiving q message. Excuse
me. hairpins." she says IN explanation.
a pretty girli
When business IS dull there is an in
ferchange Of opinions about some items
Of the news that the operators know
before it reaches the newspapers. At
Christmas there is comment on the
originality OF the telegraphing public
as the ninetieth message. Merry Christ
mas and happy New Year" is handled.
From very WEAKNESS the operators ex-
change good wishes IN some less hack
neyed form. In dozens OF little ways
there grows up a feeling OF comrade-
ship. Conversations on the wire grow
longer and more intimate. Cupid. robbed
Of his bow and arrows by nodern
progress. resorts to the blunted weap-
ons Of Jupiter, and the electric current
carries from one to the other noisy
dingy Office messages that seem more
suited to blossomy. moonIit lanes.
They do It differently In England
There, when a matter Of fact unroman-
tic wire chief cuts in" on a wire with
two young lovers he does not "cut ont"
again, as here. He takes the converse
ton down word for word, and next
pay day the operators ind it charged
TO them at regular telegraph rates.
about one cent for each word Of tender
sentiment and unromantically deducted
from their salary.
Inevitably there are some funny mix
ups IN these sight unseen" acquaint-
ances. The operators are known to
each other only by the letter or letters
which as their personal sign" they
send on each message they transmit
There are shattered illusions when &C
H." pictured as a stately blonde, ap-
pears plump little brunette to the tall
thin operator who has come a hundred
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

IN recent Sunday paper many of
my contemporary writer's tell how
they write their novels. but each
omits to say what they all evidently
think. namely: that the only characters
worth reading about are so called IA
dies" and gentlemen" who never soil
their soft white hands by manual labor.
The heroine or hero is always a lady"
or gentleman" by virtue Of inherited
wealth. but it is never even darkly
hinted that the founder of the family
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

there really is any story in the book or
If the author wrote It out of pure cuss-
edness while he was drunk and dis
orderly.
Perhaps you have already anticipated
that my hero has just boiled up and
dried his clothes on a barbed wire
fence-and put them back on again,
of course, for a close approach to prim-
ordial nudity is not as essential IN liter
ature as on the stage or in the morgue.
You are pleased to discover that John
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

pencil marks an angry scrawl across
its face demanded: Please explainP'
Look at thatr' stormed the young
man. What does this mean7 How
am going to square itf'
AS delivered the message ran: "Your
letter received. Think same only more
rot"
Though always in sympathy with the
lovers whose impatience can not wait
for the mails. but seeks quicker ex-
preston over the wires. the operator is
sometimes unable to give the service
they ask
'Whut do yoh charge to Los An
geles?" asked spruce young negro
the other day, dressed in the most
padded of, ready made suits and a
gorgeous necktis.
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

pride even in the fact that they never
use their own hands in any menial la
Dor, except at the table, the inference
intended being. OF course, that they in
common with their aristocratic char
acters, are too we'll grounded in eti
quette to blow soap bubbles through
macaroni while eating, or to give away
to any other natural human impulse
when anybody else is looking.
A mere glance into The Hole in the
Doughnut" does not explain why my
heros name us John D. Rockefeller
Smith. But when you discover that he
is only a California farmland out of a
job, technically ION the bum," and TAX
en- from nature, you are Modified and
The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14

NVF FH5N a man lirts with a girl
E he has never met nor seen It is
w interesting. But when it grows
Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-23
NORTH DAkoTANs TO THE.
FRONT.

North Dakota was represented in
the naval review at Hampton Roads
Monday of the, returned battleship
feet b. q number. Of midshfpmen
among whom is w. F. Cochrane. Jr.
No word has yet been received d.
,rectly from him by his parents, though
they expect information as soon as he
has an opportunity to land. The last
Army and Navy journal has the or
der of march of the jackies who are
to parade at Taft's Inauguration at
Washington. It is the same order
that was followed in the parades in
all cities where the feet visited, w.
II. Cochrane is commander Of one Of
the sections. Bismarck people are
found to be connected with every i'm
portant event that takes place.
Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-23

vey, N. D., capital stock, $50, 600; in
corporators: H. H. Zimmerman, Hair
vey, N. D., Chas. T. Graham, Minot,
N. b., Zachariah Davidson, Fargo,
n. D.
LAMOURE COUNTY.
The Lory-Wilson Land Company,
Verona, N. D., capital stock, $40, 900;
incorporators: c. c. Lory, J. VI.
Kahle, both of Verona. N. D., and
Thos. A. Wilson of Minneapolis, N. D
TRAIL COUNTY.
Ward Cigar. Vending Machine Com
pany, Mayville, N. D., capital stock,
$25, 900; incorporators: 6: K. Jordet,
Steele, N. D., Isable X. Jordet, Steel,
N. D., and w. H. Horton, Mayville.
N. D.
BENSON COUNTY
Hilman Mercantile Company, in
creased its capital stock from $50, 700
to 500, 900. - -
BARNES COUNTY. ~. e.,
Sheyerne Valley bank increased It's
capital stock from $lo,oo to $2o;oo9.
Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-23
New Interpretations:

Alfred Blaisdell, secretary. of state
issued charters to the following cor
porations: =, Il
CASS COUNTY J
National Hog Feeder Company
Hunter, N. D., capital stock, 500, 900
incorporators A. L. Paulson, y. H
Simmons and A. L. Houston, all o
Hunter, N. D. -. n
Page Benedict Land Company, Far
go, N. D., capital stock, $500, 900; in
corporators: Morton Page and !saa'
P. Clapp, both of Fargo, N: D., Chas
B. Benedict, at Africa, N. Y.
North Dakota Kennel Assocla, Oh,
Fargo, N. D., capital stock, ST, 900
incorporators: Charles Brewer. ". R
Jenny, Ben Hart and others, of Fargo,
N. D. e
The Young Woman's Christian As
ISOLATION, Fargo, N. D., capital, nooe
ircorporators: Mary NJ. Fisher, V.:rn;
u. Hancock, Alice R. Vidger and Oh
ers, of Fargo, N. D. i
State Bank of Gardner, Gardn:r. n
D., capital stock, $40, 900; incorpor
ators: J. F. Collins, Page, N. D., A
E. Anderson, Ashley, N. D., H nj,
Heath, Gardner, and others. 4
PEMBINA COUNTY. 3
Pembina Savings and Loan Assotia
ton, Pembina, N. D., capital stock.
$500, 900; incorporators: H. B. Sc:!'es,
Z. D. Booker, c. B. Harris, AMI 9TH
e., of Pembina, N. D. 81
EAthgate Creamery Co., Datl'gatc.
n L.. capital stock, $35, 900; lnco:;
rc.ators: l. J. Foster, Batngate, N
D., E. A. Purdy, Hamilton, n. D., p
Crown, Bathgate, N. D. y
kI1rILAND COUNTY. 4 4
The Quamme Comol"y, Liigsr
wood, N. D., capital s,o:k, $50
incorporators Syver 0. Guam men.
John A. Kotchian and Anon Hot:,ure!
all of Lidgerwood, N. D. @
GRAND FORKS COUNTY IA
Dinnie Bros, Grand ro-ks, y u.
capital stock, 500, 600; incorporates
James A. Dinnie, Arthu- S. Dinnie
Andrew P. Johnson and others o
Grand Forks, N. D. i.
MORTON COUNTY. "a
Missouri Valley Farm Loan Com
pany, Mandan, N. D., capital stock
$50, 900; incorporates Chas. F. Ellis
J. R. Gilbreath, both of Mandan, n
D., ard S. A. Ellis, Boston, Mass
PIERCE COUNTY. zSs
The Rugby Milling Company, Rug
by, N. D., capital stock, $50, 900; in
corporators Charles w. Jennison
Rugby, N. D. and Herman o. Franz
and William J. Miller, both of Mime
apolis, N. D. .
WELLS COUNTY. ,..... 5
H. H. Zimmerman Company, Har
Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-23

voted to adopt the commission form.
Almost Immediately "slates" were made
by the politicians and systematic work
begun to elect these states. The field
was open for all candidates. Anyone
might announce himself and make the
race. As a result, forty-seven candi-
dates announced thmselves for commits
sioners. From : these the eight who
polled the highest number of votes at
the primary election March is, 1908,
were to be voted on at Subsequent
election on March 80. -
Des Moines Risss in Wrath.
i. Then the fight began. The contrac-
tors and ward. politicians fought the
change with every ounce of energy at
their command Every wire that could
be pulled was pulled. Every influence
that could be exerted was exerted. The
battle went into blood heat" the
politicians bent on securing the election
of their slate. At the primaries they
named most of the candidates. They
got them chosen. And then Des Moines
rose in its wrath. Such an outcry
against politics was never heard in the
city. When the election was held two
weeks later the "slate" was smashed
beyond all recognition. The free
holders simply annihiiated it from top
to bottom.
Some Who Fell Dokn.
In place Of E. w. Waterbury, a,
wealthy manufacturer whom the politi-
clans had up for mayor. the people
elected A. J. Mathis, then Judge of POI
lice court. In place of Charles Writ,
wealthy coal dealer, they elected J.:
Wesley Ash, a coal miner, who was
known to be conservative, deep
thinking, capable man. In place of J.
R. Hanna, instructor in political econ
omy at Highland Park college, they
elected John MacVicar, secretary Of
the National League of municipalities.
Byron A.. Walker, wealthy real estate
dealer, gave way to Chas. w. Schram,
a former city assessor and grocer, and