La Junta tribune., 1913-02-15
Operator No. l3
Was 1t an Unlucky
Number?
BY cLARissA MAcKIE

Giles Ellwnpd fresh from his native
| city Of the progressive west. bounced
out OF his hotel bed aud ran to the
window A clatter OF hoofs on the a.
phsl,. the clane -! gonGs. the swift
rushing OF electric vehicles. the glitter
/ Of are lights on red aud nickel. trail
! Ing piumes OF black aud white smoke
and the mr.. engines disappeared M the
avenue
1 The wsSierner sat down on the edge
~ the bed and yawned sieepiiy At
1 home ia his own city IRE was trst
announced by the ringing OF alarm
/ bells that respectable citizens might Toe
Informed Of the coming spectacle and
10. on hand 10 witne>, the couhasra-
ton Inside his vest pocket was tn.
list of box numbers at which he was
] IN the habit VI glanciue when the bells
! in the towers brayed forth the alarms.
I Here In New York II was different.
! Tn. silent alarm system might have
/ its advantages. but 1t certainly de
/ nrivrd Interested strangers from wit
Messing that much advertised attrac-
| tion-a three alarm Gotham hr.
! Then again, at hom" II he was
without nj. irusty alarm card. all h.
had tn do was to telephone to the cen
fral Telephone office aud nss where the
I fire was DID he dare de- that In New
York. Yet p"ssihiy y thre. alarm Dire
was eating MP dollar- within a half
dozen hlocks NJ his hotel
| He snapped on the el..rrir light look
I'D ~ his watch saw that II was .
O'Clock and went To- the telephone.
/ Their. We're two ~ these one that con.
n.-''cd with tho hotel switchboard and
III. nih-r y long disrsnc. instrument
lie elanr.d at them and chose the hotel
I telephone
Number came in such sweet reply
I that Ellwood redeemed with sudden .I
Z cit.m.nt
'Er ! don't want anybody that Is
will you please tell me where III. tr-
I is h. S'ammerrI
why. It i in the hotel here around
on the broadway sid. There is no
danger 3, is under control now" :" said
the voice swcetly. though rather wes
| rly
Thanks. very much said Elwooi
Z III. receiver
~. iumhled into h",i. lnyr,llY aware
/ that something strange hrd happened
lie ronld ~car..iy define the feeling
| that prompted him {" EARNESTLY r"oN~r
In his mind his yearly im"n~ and
wonder s~ the nr., time " he could
afford Ia marry on u. u VAS tire ifr.f
I time he had taken that into con.id~ra-
! tion.
EIiwood laughed NJ his own folly and
fell asleep. feeling very Hight hearted
over nothing In particular When
morning can~ and with u the business
he hsd prescribed for the day he could
not drive from his recollection the
voice he had heard In the night lie
made up his mind to talk with her
again n possible.
After breakfast he hobnobbcd with
the clerk and profe->-si n desire TO >~-
! the switchboard OF the house telephone
service
A double row OF straight backed ng
ure. With becoming black straps over
their ymricolor-,i heads rewarded his
, curiosity. Then II wss that he r~co''
i-~t-d thar his particular voice must
h~ on the nirir shift. for he had sf'"
ken with her 1T 3: o'clock that morn
Ing lie determined To wander hotel
ward In III. Nee snis hours ~ the next
morning
/ Night came and with II the coveted
Z opportunity to enter into zone com
/ usupicsiion with the voice that had at
tracied him. lie looked sitpi~ssiy from
the window snd ~ish~i for another
hre Bn, nnr~ a~ not made 10 order
50 I've took down the receiver. and his
mouth settled into the line. Of deter
ninaiion that had been craven on hi.
face
! Number came her adorable voice
'ob can YOU tell me where the nrc
isf b. asked frsntically.
"fit~' didn't know Their. ~a. one"
sbe said rather ~esrily.
Neither did l. blurt-d t:iiwood II
thought there might he one. you know. ''
oh she said cr,spiy and cut the
conn~rt,on
Eii~o"d h~n~d back IN his chair. hi.
hand over his henri lie VA. frankly
worried i don't know but what I've
got heart trouble" h~ mutf~red dubj.
"u.iy Cant be my dinner. for 4 A..
carefully. snd nothing hut heart trou.
hl~ could cause such shorfnes. ~
breath and pnipI'ation.' liz would
'sll the house physician and ha,. hi.
heart ~sSmin~d s' once.
VI. order ~as res'eivssi aud answered.
and presently the doctor came 10 hls
soom ils ~s. = tall. fair rawtoness
isdividuai who srnnn~d the face of his
iN'i~ni With -~arhins gianrs "Goni
",~n'nr- "r. rrther. morning.. he ssid
snahly "v"u nre In need os doctor y