The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-05
A Telegraph
Joke
BY SARAH BAXTER

No one knows of the serious and
comic episodes that have occurred be
tween telegraph operators. Irefer more
particularly to those of the Opposite
sex. / have been telegraph operator
for twenty years, and | can count five
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 | was a young man l was To-
Gated at railroad station in quiet
place where there was no recreation
whatever | spent most of my time
in the office, and in order to get away
with the time when / was not busy
| kept books there. l read everything
/ 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
lance 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 IL
there was a ball or barn dance l
would run over by the next train.
My correspondent replied that there
was nothing on hand for that evening.
but there would be dance In Aeolian
hall in a few days. asked If he
would get me an invitation, but he re-
piled that 1t was pay dance. tie
tickets being for sale to any one who
could pass the committee, and he didn't
think / would have any trouble.
/ had said nothing over the wire
nor had my correspondent. ] assumed
that he was a 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 l
wondered If was not talking with
woman. asked to which sex he belong
ed, and the reply came. "A man" But
there was a hesitancy between the IA"
and man" which led me to believe that
my suspicious were correct, Then 1t
occurred to me to say that / was wo-
man.
Upon this my correspondent began
TO say some very gallant things to me.
Some of them were without manly
ring and couched in phrases that wo-
man rather than man would use.
replied, using as feminine language as
could command, and l fatter myself
was very successful. Then came a
request for my photograph. and con-
scented 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.
received one of fairly good looking
young man. Then my correspondent
and INDUCED In any quantity of fat
terry. he telling me that I was pretty
enough to kiss and I telling him that
he was Just too handsome for any
thing"
After several days. with occasional
chats over the wire, l was still uncer- |
tain whether | was chatting with a
man or a woman As to my CORE |
spondent, / 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 | accepted the Invita- ton with |
come on and promised to have a car
rage at the station to take me to the
dance. | took lady friend into my
and she wrote out num-
Der of questions for me to ask my 4
as to how should ar
ray myself.
When the evening came round I got II
myself up In the best clothes | had and
provided myself with bouquet. II my
should turn out to be
vor; IL he were woman 1t would be
! wondered If he were in
loubt about my sex and how, If wo-
nan. she would receive me. My train
arrived at the station at p. M. and
he dance was to begin at $50. AS
he train drew up to the station saw
rom the window several girls in their
,est dresses standing together on the
platform. One in the center of the
'roup held bouquet. / made up my
mind at once that my correspondent
vas a girl and the one with the bou-
Iuet If she expected girl she would
lot be looking out for one. / alighted
rom the train and walked right past
he group, none of them taking any no v
Ice of me, but still on the lookout.
1t was evident to me that they ex- Y
ected one OF their own sex, upon +
Fhom they would have the laugh.
topped up to them, my hat in one f
and and my bouquet in the other. and IL
sked the center one IL she were ex-
Getting me. The look OF surprise on a
er face gave way before a twinkle o
4 my eye to one of defeat; then the \
7hole party broke into a laugh.
anded the center figure my bouquet
nd accepted hers. I
You've lost, Kit" cried one Of the !,
iris, and the rest followed with good r,
atured taunts.
81 have carriage for you, as prom G,
ed said Kit Come is
Going to the other side of the sta
on. | got into a carriage with her, il
lille her friends entered another. d