Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-25
TheEvening Story
A Telegraph
Joke
BY SARAH BAXTER

comic episodes that have occurred be-
tween telegraph operators. I refer more
particularly to those of the opposite
sex. / have been a telegraph operator
for twenty years, and / can count i've
marriages between operators that
know Of personally. And three OF
these began by the sending of mes
sages between persons who had never
seen each other.
When l was a young man l was To-
Gated at a railroad station in quiet
place where there was no recreation
whatever. 1 spent most of my time
in the office, and in order to get away
with the time when / was not busy
l kept books there. ! read everything
l could get to read and even then
there were times when was hungry
for something to do. One evening
was called on for some information
about train by an operator some dis
ticularly lonesome, asked If there was
anything going on Eat your station"
l was dying for something to break
the monotony Of my existence, and If
there was a ball or barn dance
would run over by the next train.
My correspondent replied that there
was nothing on hand for that evening,
but there would be a dance in Aeolian
hall in a few days. l asked If he
would get me an invitation, but he re-
piled that 1t was a pay dance, the
tickets being for sale to any one who
could pass the committee, and he didn't
think I would have any trouble.
l had said nothing over the wire
about whether l was man or woman,
nor had my correspondent. I assumed
that he was man, and he talked to
me as though he supposed me to be
man also But presently he said some
thing that sounded feminine, and !
wondered IL / was not talking with
woman. I asked to which sex he belong
ed, and the reply came, "a man." But
there was hesitancy between the "a"
and "man" which led me to believe that
my suspicious were correct Then 1t
occurred to me to say that was a wo-
man.
Upon this my correspondent began
to say some very gallant things to me.
Some of them were without a manly
ring and couched in phrases that wo-
man rather than a man would use. l
replied, using as feminine language as
/ could command. and / fatter myself
was very successful. Then came a
60. Nh nh
scented to an exchange. / have num-
Der Of pictures of relatives and friends
and sent one of my sisters, who had
| the name Of being very pretty girl.
received one of fairly good looking
young man. Then my correspondent
and INDUCED in any quantity of fat
| terry, he telling me that l was pretty
enough to kiss and l telling him that
he was "just too handsome for any
thing"
! After several days, with occasional
chats over the wire, I was still uncer-
| tain whether I was chatting with q
man or a woman. As to my CORE
spondent l couldn't infer from any
| thing he said that he didn't believe me
to be woman. He invited me to go
with him to the dance In Aeolian hall,
and 1 accepted the invitation with
| thanks. He asked what train l would
come on and promised to have car
rage at the station to take me TO the
dance. took a lady friend into my
confidence. and she wrote out mum
Der of questions for me to ask my
correspondent as to how / should ar
ray myself
When the evening came round / goi
myself up in the best clothes had and
provided myself with bouquet. II my
correspondent should turn out TO be 9
man our episode would have little sa
vor; IL he were a woman 1t would b.
interesting. i wondered IL he were II
doubt about my sex and how, II wo
man. she would receive me. My trair
arrived at the station at p. M, ant
the dance was to begin at $50. A:
the train drew up to the station I saw
from the window several girls in theil
best dresses standing together ON thu
platform. One in the center of thu
group held bouquet. ! made up m,
mind at once that my correspondent
was q girl and the one with the bou
quet. If she expected a girl she woult
not be looking out for one. I alightet
from the train and walked right pas
the group. none Of them taking any no
tice of me, but still on the lookout
1t was evident to me that they ex
pected one OF their own seq, upoI
whom they would have the laugh.
stepped up to them, my hat in on,
hand and my bouquet in the other. ant
asked the center one If she were ex
pechng me. The look of surprise OIL
her face gave way before twinkl
in my eye to one of defeat; then tn
whole party broke into a laugh.
handed the center figure my bouque
and accepted hers.
You've lost, Kitr cried one of tn
girls, and the rest followed with GOO