Smyrna times., 1911-08-23
By SCOTT KRAEMER

tuniry for young people of opposite sex
to poke fun at each other than over
telephone or telegraph wire. There
is fascination in operating from be-
hindsa shield rendering one invisible.
A girl will delight to say things to a
man who can't see her and doesn't
know who she is. | was a telegraph
operator when a young man, and |
noticed this disposition in many a girl |
operator with whom l talked over the |
wire. | am a matter of fact sort of |
fellow myself and doubt if it would |
ever have occurred to me to bamboo
zle a girl in this fashion had not the |
girl shown a disposition to bamboozle |
me-
She who first tried it was an oper-
ator at a station about twenty miles
away from me- l was in the town of
| NJ. while the girl was out at g., a
way station some twenty miles dis
tant in the country. She had more
time Oh her hands than l, and l sup
| pose this is what set her on to quizzing
me. She started il. one night about 8
o'clock after having taken a message
from Inc. beginning by asking me
what was going on in town; how
liked NJ; If there was any fun going
on there and expressing her dislike at
being compelled to live in little way
station like G. From this we fell to
talking about ourselves and naturally,
as persons of opposite sex at that age
invariably do. finally drifted on to love
and marriage. From love and mar
riage in general we dropped into spe-
cialties. at last narrowing the topic
down TO ourselves.
The girl led me along in the channel
she laid out herself till l admitted
that, marriage being lottery. would
about as lief marry a girl / had no
knowledge of as one l had met and
loved. All l required was to know
that the girl l was to- marry pos
sessed a fair amount of good looks.
One thing led to another till it was
arranged that she should mail me her
photograph and l should send her
mine. Then if we were mutually
pleased we might proceed further to-
) ward forming an acquaintance with a
J view 70 matrimOny.
The next day 1 looked over my
stock of photographs-not of myself,
but my friends-and, selecting one Of
Sam Atkins, the best looking fellow
in the, lot, l sent it to the girl. Sam
! was eff at the Spanish-American war
at the time, and l trusted to his get
ting shot or dying of disease so that
| might not get into trouble by pass
ing him off for myself. In return
received a picture of a rather pretty
girl, who l judged from her features
was full of the Old Nick. the very
one to get up just such a complication
as we were entering upon. On hel
lips was an engaging smile and in heI
eyes very saucy look.
After that the wires began to warm
up with our conversations, till at last
they came to a white heat with love
passages. When we had fired a lot oi
such missiles at each other we begaI
to talk about meeting. At my pro
pOSal to go to see her she cooled dowI
bit, and it was easy to see that hei
6 exuberance was the result of fighting
behind a masked battery. l made sew
eral propositions to go to see her on ;
certain day and hour, but for ever!
time l set she gave some reason VIII.
it would be inconvenient or impossi
BILE for her to receive me. At last
occurred to me to go up and look he
over without an appointment. Neve
having seen me, she wouldn't know
me.
e So one day, having secured a leave
l started to see my charmer. On ar
rival walked up into the village an,
on the street met my girl, whom
recognized at once by her photograph
l followed her into several shops an
i finally to a yellow house that stoo
back from the street. She went int
the house, and having waited half a
. hour for her to come out | conclude
she lived there.
knew a man in the place, ToI
3 Foster. and. hunting him up. told hiI
\ that there was a girl in the town
wished to know. He said there wa
ac- going to be a dance that evening an
nd ali the girls in the place would
there He would take me with hil
he and if he knew the girl l wished
meet he would introduce me.
ny thought that an excellent plan, sine
cut 1t would give me the advantage (
the keeping my affairs to myself. coul
obtain an introduction to differel
in girls without my introducer KNOWN
in IN the one / was especially interested
lse. That evening l went with Fost
TO the hall where the dance was
take place He asked about the 81
ex- wished to know and why l wished
up, know her, and all that. but / evadC
bt bst his questions. l didn't propose to
the girl herself know that was Il
or fellow she had been making love
over the wire-2at least till l had lear
! ed all abSdt her.
- She was there sure enough, lookiI
as pretty as a picture-a brunette, wi
: a profusion of jet black hair, state