Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-03-05
the TELEPHONE e
GALL
by John Il. MoNeely.


home from the office.
BUSY" exclaimed Ramfounder.
That's exactly what / said
called you up at least six or seven
times and couldn't get connection
"Too bad!"
''Mr Ramfounder. l don't need any
OF your fegned sympathy. | have
asked you a civil question and l eX-
pect a civil answer Now there isn't
a bit of doubt that you were talking to
some party unknown to me, of course,
because you are so secretiye that you
would not tell me- and / am certain
that have no curiosity to find out,
the greater part of the afternoon"
II am accustomed to transact my
business by tongue replied the hus-
band, mysteriously.
"Just as | thought Mr. Ramfound-
er, you have frankly admitted, then,
that you have been talking with some
one over the telephone So far as
business is concerned. l do not have
to depend upon your statement as
can draw my own conclusions You
were carrying on with some girl, Of
course, and when"
'You are mis-"
'Never mind contradicting NE, Mr..
Ramfounder. 1t is just like you to
stand there and try to deceive me,
but am so well acquainted with your
personality that l have long ago be
come accustomed to your gauzy and
&C.
plain now why l could not get con
nection. Here / have been calling and
calling at one end of the line for my
husband, while he is at the other
warbling a lot of silly rubbish at
blonde stenographer or probably one
Of those girls employed in some cigar
store So this is the kind of use you
are putting your telephone to, is it,
Mr.. Ramfounder? | suppose you We're
laughing up your sleeve when the op-
orator informed you that I was ma
king desperate efforts to get connec-
tion. And then you went on talking
to the other party, ignoring my call
altogether. Well, it's just like you
You take an extreme delight in in
sulting your wife on every occasion
possible. Especially when you know
that have something important to
communicate. But, Mr. Ramfounder
you have taxed my patience too far
Your repeated trials at deception have
had their effect. / have not expected
much from wavering and frail weak
ling like you except the ordinary
courtesies due a faithful, loving and
obedient wife. In even this you have
failed ignominiously. You ought to
despise yourself for refusing to talk
to me over the telephone But no.
You were too busy with your childish
prattle to carry on serious conversa-
tion with a member of your own fam
lily, the one who has sacrificed every
thing in the world, including her moth
er and father, to make your home
happy and cheerful. | want to ask
you what you mean by such"
IF you will allow me to"
"Mr Ramfounder, l will not allow
you to tell me another one of your
fixed stories. You have probably
been racking your shallow and mar
row mind all afternoon, planning an
excuse to tell me when faced you with
the truth have had enough Of them.
But the day of reckoning has come
and ! shall not be with you when you
cry out in remorse at having abused
and mistreated me. Knowing, as you
do, that | have always made it q point
TO be proper whatever emergency may
arise, 50 that the neighbors can never
find the slightest proyocation for say
ing anything against my character,
you take advantage Of it to humiliato
me. l want to inform you, Mr.. Ram
founder, that | had no callers at the
house when ] tried to get you over
the telephone eight or nine times
was alone, thank goodness! | realizc
that you would have been tickled TO
death if some OF my friends could
have heard me making frantic ana
fruitless struggles to call up my hus
band by telephone. And they would
not be so ignorant as not to compre
hend that you were conyersing with
some new prey-understand say
prey-of your admiration. No doubt
could have induced the operator tc
break in on the line and heard you.
brilliant conversation, but am toe
honorable for that"
Mrs. Ramfounder, beg to-"
what do you mean by having the
unmitigated audacity to address me-
Have you no conscience? You had
your opportunity to talk to me this
afternoon, but you preferred to spend
your time conyersing with anOthc.
and deliberately repulsing your wife
If you had the least bit of feeling you
would get down on your knees and
beg my forgiveness. But you are not
that kind. | realize it now, after l
have married and lived with you 10
long years, only to discover my bitter
mistake after il is too late. | had my
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