El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-25
DICK ALL1NGHAM had had a bad
BY Philip Beaufoy.

place. he had !. violent rald: in
the second place, he had just dropped
so pounds over a horse; and in the
third place, he had lost a favorite pipe,
He was, therefore, in a very unpleas-
ant humor when he went to the tel
ephone to ring up a business acquaint-
ance. and he barked out the num-
Der so fiercely that the girl at the
other end Of the wire thought he had
said something else and switched him
on to the wrong subscriber.
Are you Davis & Co.," roared AL
bingham.
mo, we're the Home for Lost Par
rots.' came the reply; you're on the
wrong number"
Dick banged the receiver on the
hook He waited a second or two and
then wrenched it from it's hook
Number, please?" said the voice
81 want 1884 Cheapside," shouted
Dick-"just remember 27S4 Cheap
side, please. and not anything else. I
daresay the other numbers are just as
nice. but l don't happeu to want them"
Perhaps the sarcasm was too much
for the fair operator-perhaps Dick
was indistinct. At any rate. it hap
pened that again he was connecttd
with person of whose identity he was
rot aware.
OpOA lily WOlQ, lHiS 10 lOO ne
muttered to himself. and then haying
rung off, he again called up the ex-
change and shouted:
This Is simply disgraceful Are you
or are you not going to give me num-
Der 27S4 Cheapside?"
Haven't they answered. asked the
voice dreamily.
mo, they haven't You have given
me the Home for parrots and the So
ciety for Converting the Choktongs. or
some other disgusting tribe.
Consumed with impatience, he wait
ed a few minutes. Nothing happened.
Are you there" he yelled at length.
Yes; what is it,"
"Oh. Heavens," he gasped. Look
here, how much longer are you going
to keep me waiting for that NUMBER"
Il shall not attend to you at all If
you talk like that said the voice.
Il think you ought to be ashamed of
your self"
This was enough for Dick Aban-
doning all hope of getting the number
he desired, he dashed to his desk and
sitting down. wrote to the headquar-
ters of the telephone company the
following irate letter:
Gentlemen:-I have to report to you
a piece of gross negligence and inso-
lence on the part of one of your en-
ployes. This afternoon 1 made va
rious attempts to get on to a certain
number. and in consequence of the
carelessness or i'll temper of the en-
ploye in question, I failed. When I
demonstrated, she made a highly IN
solent remark. and I think in justice
to myself and other subscribers these
facts should be brought to your no.
tice. Awaiting an immediate explana7
ton, failing which / shall withdraw
my subscription am, yours faith
fully,
Richard dillingham;"
A week later he received note from
the telephone company which Informed
him that the operator Of whom he had
complained had been dismissed.
iShe admitted having lost her tenn
per-" wrote the con- .,anv's manager,
also that she made use OF an express
sion which we agree with you was very
reprehensible."
HIM, she admitted it, did she?"
unused Dick by Jove, that was de-
cent of her-awfully decent. Some
girls would have lied like a tombstone
rather than have owned up. Poor little
thing, Hanged If 1 m not sorry I
wrote"
He had recovered his pioe and lost
his cold (almost). and had backed
three winners the previous DAY. lie
was there fore quite a different sort OF
Dick Allingham from the irate person
age who had roared over the wire a !
week since, and being repentant, the |
thing began to weigh on his mind.
He was haunted by the sight Of |
some helpless girl. thrown out OF her /
and va1nly trying'to find |
some means of earning her daily bread. |
Perhaps, he told himself, she was the |
sole, support of some hardup family, |
and he-thoughtless wretch that he |
was. had actually been instrumental IN
depriving them Of that support. All
sorts and conditions of miserable pos
sibilities assailed his brain, and in q
fit of remorse he went down to the
offices Of the company and humbly
begged for the girls address.
.'The fact Is" he explained, I'm in
,ernally sorry for what I've done, and
should like to try and find her some
,ther employment"
cit is against the rules to give the
addresses of any of our employees, past
n present" replied the official whom
lie Interviewed. II am sorry. Mr.. AL
lingham, but it is a rule which we
never break"
Dick blurted out Its awful to think
II IT."
Most of our people," replied the Of
icial severely, "have quite comforta-
Die homes. They do not starve. But
hat is immaterial to the question. 1
am afraid I have nothing more to
Jay"
He bent over his papers and Dick /
vent away feeling very Disguised with
ldom, but still more Disguised |
With himself He was walking mood
ly along the street, towards his club,
rying to think out some way of COM
with the girl, when of a
sudden an idea struck him. He hailed
} taxi, and told the chauffeur to drive
lim to the office Of a newspaper.
I'll advertise" he thought. "Of
very thing"
On arrival at the office Of the Jour-
lal with the abnormal circulation, he
wrote out an advertisement for the
personal column" paid for six inser-
ions, and on the following day had the
Of reading the following:
viii the telephone operator who
vas recently dismissed. owing to some
rouble over No. 27S4 Cheapside, kind
V communicate with R. A, at the of
ice OF this DaDer so that r NAV