The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-11-12

could hear the clicking Of his instru-
ment from my booth and vice versa
After giving me instructions to last
me till his return in the afternoon he
was about to leave when he paused
and said:
IF any Of my girls call me up don't
say I'm not at my instrument 1t
might get me into trouble"
what shall sayT' asked.
"Oh, say Hes very busy just now;
I'll call you later or something like
that"
He was too i'll to say any more, and
didn't detain him further There was
but little doing in my department, so
took some embroidery l kept for dull
hours and sat with it in the ticket of
fee. had often relieved Johnny for
half hour or so selling tickets, and for
tunately on this occasion had nothing
else to do in his behalf AS for stand
ing off the lady operators with whom
he had been involved. had only to at
tend to one. About an hour after he
had left me heard a suspicious call,
something unusual Fancying it might
be from one of Johnny's girls and pre-
Stunning that Johnny in replying simply
repeated it, / answered 1t In that way,
whereupon ! heard nothing further.
the reply to the call. and he sent it to
The, suggesting that say that he was
out to lunch when the call came. | did
SO. and the lady said over the wire that
she was intending to visit L. and would
be pleased to have Johnny call on her.
But her aunt, with whom she would be
only for few hours, was very prudish
and suspicious. and perhaps she had
better see Johnny in his office asked
her In Johnny's name when she intend
ed coming to L. that | might be sure
to be IN the office. She said that she
might come the next day. To this ]
replied that | Johnny was feeling
badly and might Mt any moment have
to put a substitute in my place, re-
naming at home myself. Her answer
to this was that she could make her
visit whenever she liked and would de
fer 1t til I should inform her that
was well and on duty regularly since
1t might be very embarrassing to give
herself away to a substitute She
seemed very solieitous about Johnny's
health. though couldn't understand
how she could really be anxious in the
case of man she had never seen. She
seemed inclined to keep up the CONVEX
sation, and l feared that If tried to
shut her off she might suspect that
some one was telegraphlng in .Johnny's
place, so l let her go on. occasionally
taking the Initiative myself She said
that she was having almost nothing to
do, and time hung heavy on her hands,
asked why she didn't have some
needlework in her office, as had seen
woman operators do to occupy their
leisure hours. In reply she asked me
what kind of work had seen them do,
and I suggested hemstitching. She
said she had done some of that and
wished to do more, but she couldn't get
any worsted.
Worsted! What kind of a girl was
tAAG WIN 6uPPOoCO tAol hClio
was done with worsted? Then it
flashed upon me that Johnny's girl was
a man. Some young fellow was anus
ing himself at Johnny's expense. While
would be reluctant to play part In
the case of a woman. had no qualms
Of conscience in fighting this man
with his own weapons. Johnny was
my friend, and didn't propose to see
him fooled.
Il thought" was my next move.
''that hemstitching was done with
thread"
rs that SO? On what materially"
"Oh, some white stuff Linen, sup.
pose. Being a man don't know
much about such things"
"And /, though woman, have never
been taught them All my time has
been given to teiegraphic work.
This rejoinder didn't serve to change
my opinion that Johnny's ladylove
was a man, and was not unwilling
that he should be duped instead of
Johnny. let him talk on, occasion