The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-04-06
A MODERN
CONVENIENCE
BY EDITH v. ROSS
Copyright. 1911. by American Press
Association.

"You can't do that, because haven't
telephone in the house."
Haven't telephone? How do you
get on without one?"
Couldn't get on with one"
Explain. can't see any reason in
what you say"
well, last summer, when my wife
went to our summer cottage, she
thought it would be nice thing to
have telephone in the house that she
might have one handy to tell what
was going on. We have three little
children. and there's usually some
thing the matter with one of them.
My wife IS timid, one Of those women
who look under the bed every night
before they get into 1t, and as l only
went down for Sundays she was alone
five nights or six in the week. So we
had telephone put In beside her bed
and one beside my bed in our town
home.
"Then we thought that for the first
time in our lives would not be wor-
ried If letters were delayed and she
would have me to rely on in case the
children were sick or she found man
under the bed, though l admit that l
couldn't yank the fellow out over a
telephone.
''Well, the first night it was very
pleasant. When came in, before
going to bed, l called my wife up.
All nicely settled. deary Nicely, dear;
the children are all asleep. Is your
cold better?' "A little better. This wet
weather isn't good for it, We'll, don't
60 out without your rubbers. You'll
find them in the hall closet All
right. dear; good night Good night.
Be sure about the rubbers.'
1.-TWO days later my wife called me
up while l was making deal of great
Importance to say that Tommy had
cut his foot on tin can and from the
way the blood was flowing she was
sure an artery had been severed. If
l had been there to see would have
known whether the matter was seri-
GUS or not. AS 1 was not there l
couldn't feel sure that the hoy was
not bleeding to death. l was so upset
that broke off the negotiation l had
on hand and lost $4,000 by doing so.
Later a telephone message came to
say that the cut was only skin deep
after all.
But the worst came in the finding
Of the man under the bed for whom
woman has been looking since the
days of their first Mother Eve. He
was found one night when my wife
was going to bed. He came not when
she was looking for him, but when she
looked into the room where two of
the children We're sleeping to see that
they We're all right. was called to
the phone while playing a rubber of
whist at the club. heard my wife's
voice speaking family and consequent
~ unintellisibly. Speak louder 4
don't dare; there's man in the other
room, and I'm afraid he'll hear me call
you and kill us ALL
II heard enough Of this to get the
meaning. From what she told me
further I made out that when she
looked into the children's room she had
SNNA NAS ACS VI q AAOA SllChluS Out
from under the bed. At least
thought she said leg but she told
me afterward she said foot
"Well, there she was, and there I
was too. She had shut the man in
with the children in order to send me
word Of the situation over the phone
without his hearing her. l rushed
tn fvn mud tCl>
facts to my friends, and we resolved
ourselves into a committee to consider
the case. Our excited talk attracted
the attention of the others in the room,
who gathered around, and presently
nearly every member was Offering sug-
Eestions as to the best way for me to
proceed. 1t was suggested that I tele-
phone the police Of the town where my
country place was located, reporting
the facts and asking them to surround
the house and capture the burglar, il
possible, before he could do any harm.
'This was quickly done, and 1
phoned my wife to keep up her cour-
age. give no indication Of her knowl-
edge Of the burglars presence and
within few minutes all would come
out right. I would wait at the tele-
phone, holding the wire for news.
pretty soon heard her say, 4 hear
voices outside Then: They are fore
ing a window to get in. Oh. dear, I
hope he won't fight them! If he does
/ know shall faint They are COM
ing up the stairs, the back stairs and
the front stairs Then there was a
pause, during which I heard confusion
Of sounds over the wire,, then a gruff
voice saying:
1.-THE Teddy tainted, sir, but she
has come to herself. It's all right
Did You get him.? oh, it was a mis-
take of the letldy's, sir. The little boy
In gittin' his gum shoes out Of the
closet pulled out one Of your boots,
and it laid just under the edge Of the
bed. The Teddy took it for burglars