The daily Alaskan., 1914-04-20
A Telegraph
 Joke
By SARAH BAXTER

No one knows of the serious and comic episodes that have occurred be- tween telegraph operators. refer more particularly to those of the opposite sex. l have been a telegraph operator for twenty years, and I can count five marriages between operators that l know of personally. And three of these began by the sending of mes sages between persons who had never seen each other.
 When I was young man l was To- cated at a railroad station in a quiet place where there was no recreation whatever. l spent most of my time in The office, and in order to get away with the time when l was not busy l kept books there. I read everything I could get to read and even then there were times when 1 was hungry for something to do. One evening l was called on for some information about a train by an operator some dis tance down the road and, being par ticularly lonesome, asked if there was anything going on "at your station" was dying for something to break the monotony of my existence, and if there was a ball or a barn dance I 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 it was a pay dance, the tickets being for sale to any one who could pass the committee, and he didn't think l would have any trouble.
 had said nothing over the wire about whether l was man or woman, nor had my correspondent assumed that he Was a man, and he talked to me as though he supposed me to be a man also. But presently he said some thing that sounded feminine, and l wondered if I was not talking with a woman. asked to which sex he belong ed. and the reply came, "A man." But there vas a hcSitaucy between the "a" and man" which led me to believe that my suspicious were correct. Then 1t occurred to me to say that I was q wO- man
 Upon this my correspondent began to say somc very gallant things to me Some of them were without a manly ring and couched in phrases that a wO- man rather thaR a man would use. l replied. using as feminine language as I could command, and fiatter myself was very successful. Then came a request for my photograph, and l con- sentcd to an exchange have a num- Der of pictures of relatives and friends and sent one of my sisters, who had the name of being a very pretty girl. I received one of a fairly good looking young man. Then my correspondent and I induIgcd in any quantity of flat tcry. he telling me that 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, was still uncer- tain whether I was chatting with a man or a woman. As to my COrre- spondcnt. l couldn't infer from any thing he said that he didn't believe me to be a 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 1 would come on and promised to have a car riagc at the station to take me to the dance l took a lady friend into my confidence and she wrote out a num- Der of questions for me to ask my correspondent as to how l should ar- ray myself.
 When the evening came round l got myself up in the best clothes had and provided myself with bouquet. If my correspondent should turn out to be a man our episode would have little sa- vor; if he were a woman it would be interesting. I wondered if he were in doubt about my sex and how, if wo- man. she would receive me. My train arrived at the station at 8 p. h., and the dance was to begin at 8:30. As the train drew up to the station saw from the window several girls in their best dresses standing together on the platform. One in the center of the group held a bouquet I made up my mind at once that my correspondent was girl and the one with the bou- quet, If she expected q girl she would not be looking out for one. I alighted from the train and walked right past the group, none of them taking any mo- ticc of me, but still on the lookout.
 It was evident to me that they eZ- pected one of their own sex, upon whom they would have the laugh. l stpnDcd uD to them, my hat in one