Norwich bulletin., 1912-03-12
Frances hurried to the telephone

Frances hurried to the telephone.
"HelIo!" she said brightly. But in
q minute her voice broke No, you
have the wrong number
She put her pretty head on the tele-
phone table. and began to cry "Oh,
dear OH dear! It's always the wrong
number. No one ever wants me Oh,
dear Ina so mfserable."e
When she had first looked cheerfully
at the new white card by the telephone
she did not know that the number
would be of no consequence to a soli-
tary soul in Chicago Occasionally
George, her young husband, would call
her up from his office, but usually all
day long Frances stayed in the apart
ment with silent telephone If it did
ring it was somebody who had the
wrong number.
So Frances cried. She cried because
she was lonesome, for she knew no one
in the big city. She cried because she
was tired, homesick and miserable, and
because her sobs were company for her
in a sad sort of way.
The first few weeks she had not cried.
BE busy and you will be happy" she
would say. The tiny fiat glistened with
cleanliness. She swept, busted, polish
ed and arranged with enthusiasm
George declared that he never had
tasted such meals as she prepared. He
complimented her excellent financial
management He took pride in the
pretty dresses she wore in the evening
and as often as he could afford it he
| took her to the theater
After while this did not satisfy her.
She had reduced her housework and
marketing to system and it took very
little time to keep the fiat in order
| George had seen her dresses again and
again and good dinners were a matter
of course. At first Frances tried ex-
ira homework as an antidote for lone
| illness. but after her violent scrubbing
had taken the shine off the kitchen
ware. after she had broken some vases
by needless busting and spilled the
| furniture polish on the rug she stopped
Her tr0usseau was still new and die
not require the attention of sewing OF
shopping. on the few Occa sions she
had left the neighborhood she had be-
come lost. She had always lived in q
small town and the noise of the city
streets and the crowds in the stores
confused her.
All her experiments had failed. Sc
Frances cried. In the midst Of hel
grief the doorbell rang.
"A peddler," Frances said, dolefully
She wiped her eyes and opened tbs
door. 1t was not a peddler but {
sweet young woman. She carried some
letters.
Il am Mrs. Allen from across the
hall" she said, timidly. Il brought W
! your mail.
Frances took the letters mechanical
| IN Then she noticed that the powder
| vas suspiciously thick around the eyes
! and nose of her visitor. Clearly Mrs
| Allen had been crying, too. lmpulsive-
| " Frances put out her hard.
Il wish you would come in she
| said
| The two tear-stained young womer
sat down in the living room. 1T was
kind Of you to bring the letters" Fran
ces began.
"Oh, it's nothing said Mrs. Allen. a
! pause. Il couldn't help seeing that on'
! letter was addressed to Mrs. Frances
/ Stevens West. ] used 10 hear my
| cousin Eula Thomas talk of Frances
/ stevens of Plainfield."
| "Oh!" cried Frances. That's I. Il
| Eula your cousin She is my bes
friend"
! u heard so much about You" declar-
| ed Mrs. ALLEN, 7 didn't know you livet
/ In Chicago.
a haven't very long, said Frances.