Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-11-27
CENTRAL HAS "COME BACK"
Telephone Operator Starts Converse
ton Worth Listening To.
RETURNS ROAST FOR ROAST
vocal Annoyance and Absurd sus-
picions Handed In BY Peeyed
Users-Traits of Men
and Women.

rules suspended, pours out the grievances
Of those obliged to hear much and rarely
talk back. The speaker speaks through the
Washington star. but her remarks have
more than local application.
Nine times out Of ten-yes ninety-nine
times out Of a hundred-its a woman who
snaps, Il don't believe they're busy" at
the operator. Men are not angels on the
phone-anything but that a good many OF
them-but they do think twice before COM
ing right out and calling a girl a-well. a
story-teller
1t is such an absurd thing for anybody
to say 70 an operator, too. Never once, in
all the time I've been an operator. have I
ever told anybody that the line was busy
when It wasn't so. And / never knew any
other operator TO do IL. either The accuse
ton Is as Ridiculous as It is-well, catty'
is the best word / know to describe IT,
Why should an operator say that the line is
busy when IL isn't? our business is 70 dis
pose Of a call, without friction. the instant
We get Il. We certainly do not like to be
"barked at" Is 1t reasonable or sensible
20 suppose, as hideously weary as we be-
come Of hearing that snappish Il don't be-
lieve" remark. that we would put ourselves
In the way Of hearing it repeated il we
could help "a? Before became an operator
I did not believe that men were more rea-
sonable than women Now 1 know thst
they are. hate 10 acknowledge It, but It's
the truth. Yes, and. taking them all in all,
I positively believe that men are more
patient than women. They are on the
phone, anyhow.
"StOD, Look, Listen"
When woman takes the receiver off
the hook her point Of view seems to be
that everything should stop, commerce put
up the shutters, the world go on strike
until she gets her call through She doesn't
want 10 walt even a fraction Of a minute.
She won't wait She wants what she
wants when she wants IT, think the man
who wrote that song must have had some
woman he knew in mind, and not a basso-
voiced man at also instantly not to say
instanter, that she becomes peevlsh and
unreasonable all in the winkE; Of an eye
If It's impossible to give it to her right
off the reel" as the men say. That's why
we all so dread telling a woman that the
number she wants is busy. We know what's
coming. II hardly ever fails. And It be-
comes 80 diabolcally tiresome Often. after
a long, hard day at the board, / hear the
raspy voice OF petuent, snappy women IN
my sleep, with that Il don't believe" rat
Ting through my disturbed rest like a
Xylophone out OF tune. 1t is so much
easier to put up with the occasional growl-
ing and grumbling of the men on the wire.
because the men nearly always are amen
able to reason, and, after they explode
it's over and done with, and invariably
they feel ashamed Of their little outbursts
and say so frankly. But I've never heard
a woman express regret for having said
mean, "catty" and unjustiflable things to
an operators apologizing is something they
can't or won't do.
j don't say all women are disagreeable TO
tho operator, mind. That wouldn't be fair.
Many of them are very nice and sweet
and patient and reasonable, and their pleas
ant voices atone for the harshness OF what
the operators call the pills"
j had one of these pills" "pegged," as
we say on my board yesterday forenoon.
Her apartment phone is on a two-party
line, and, no doubt, when she took her re-
ceiver off the hook the other party on the
line was using the phone. Then she worked
her receiver hook up and down in an effort
TO drive the other party off the wire The
pills nearly always do that on a party
line when they find that their line is in
use. Well, I answered her call the instant
the other party hung up.
A Specimen.
What Is tho matter with you?" my
'pill" lady snapped at me. I've been try
ing 20 get an answer. from you for half an
hour" She probably had taken her re-
ceiver off the hook about one minute be-
fore But the pills" nearly always make
1t pat "half an hour"
The other party on your line had the
wire" told her.
Nothing of the sortl" she snapped. al
most before l had finished speaking.
You're not attending TO your business,
that's what's the matter! You're sitting
there reading some trashy novel, or primp-
Ing your silly pompadour. or something.
ana paying no attention TO anybody that
calls. Give my my number at oncel'
But you have not told me what number
you wish" / said TO her.
We are used, you see. to that screaming
ridiculous accusation that we spend our
time reading novels and fussing with our
hair and primping, when we should be at
tending 10 subscribers calls; women are
always charging us with those things; ana
there is no use getting worked up over
such nonsenacal things and trying to
reply TO them.
How dare you tell me / haven't told you
the number 1 want! my pill" lady said
70 me. You get me my husbands office
this instant, or else give me the manaEerv'
But what is your husbands ofGce teIe-
phone number, plvase7" / asker her.
She fairly Kissed the number at me. The
line was busy. / told her so. OF course.
she said she didn't believe Il.
MY husband never uses his office phone
at this hour Of the morning" she said to
me IN her raspy way. "He knows 1 al
ways call him up at this hour OF the morn
ing"
But" told her, somebody else must
have called him up"
Il don't believe anything OF the sort!'
she said. Nobody ever calls my husband
up AZ his office at this hour OF the morn
ms You are simply too lazy or Indifferent
or something 10 give me my number Let
me have the manager this Instant
/ 'pegged' her on TO the chief opera tor.
who told her, Of course, that her husband 8
office wire was in use. She accused me
TO the chief operator Of being "imperti-
nent' and SIMPLY and insulting"
Just three minutes later she called up
again, and her husbands office wire sul
was busy. OF course, ] had TO tell her so.
Then she fairly RACED at me.