The Washburn leader., 1914-09-11
A Telegraphic
Filtration
b. MAY c. ETHERlDGE

man telegraph operator was sitting
ct my operating table one night read
ing Il novel to kill time-for had little
, to do-when there came q night mes
sage from Il distant station. AS soon
as it was finished the operator who
sent it said good night to me. l re-
piled that | wished | could say good
! night to all the world for | was tired
and sleepy and would like to go to bed.
This resulted in Il bit of conversation.
in which my correspondent used GER
tain masculine phrases that indicated
him to be man. But when l asked
| if he were Il man he surprised me by
saying that he was Il woman. Next
was asked as to my sex, and, half
suspecting that the operator was try
, ing to humbug me, replied that was
man.
Then followed period of love max
ing, in which l as the man took the
lead. l found it very difficult to make
love as Il man would, and the effort
constituted the principal part of the
amusement l derived from the affair.
When l had nothing better to do
would write out certain lover-like
phrases, then go over them, taking out
the feminine give aways, substituting
masculine phrases. These would use
in the corrected form the next time
my lady called me up. l fiattered my
self that in this way would avoid the
appearance Of being woman.
My correspondent if a man, which
he claimed not to be, surely played the
womanly part very well. He used
very flowing language and expressed
himself with such words as 81 de-
clarev' "That's just too funny for any
thing!" Goodness gracious!' while I
gave vent to "The dickens you say!'
"Cut it out!' and "You bet!''
While l had been led to believe my
correspondent was a man, constant
use Of feminine expressions altered
my opinion. did not believe any man
could avoid making some slip that
would give him away. certainly
found it almost impossible to avoid re-
vealing myself as woman and re-
allied that l could only do so in the
manner l have indicated-that is, by
writing my phrases and correcting
them.
We exchanged, Or pretended to ex-
change, photographs, though mine was
one of my cousin, handsome fellow
about twenty-five. My correspondent
was comely girl with spark of mis-
chief in her eye. 1t was this express
sion that convinced me my correspond
ent was girl. AS l looked at her
photograph it struck me that she was
just the person to indulge in such
wise Irritation as was being carried on
between us. l looked forward with
pleasure to the day when we would
meet and l should see the look of sur
prise on her face when she discovered
her mistake.
To accomplish meeting and apply
a test at the same time proposed that
If my correspondent were coming my
way he should call and see me. If he
were really a man he would not scru-
pie to do So If she were woman
and believed me to be a man she
would not come to see me. but expect
me to come and see her. She stood
the test. When l made the PROPOSE
ton she expressed herself as greatly
surprised that l should do so. saying
that she would not think of going to
call on man. She would. however,
be happy to have the man call upon
her.
Ii there was any doubt left in my
mind. that my operator was woman
this dispelled it. l apologized for what
l called my thoughtlessness and said
that would take an early opportunf-
ty to call upon her. Nevertheless II it
should turn out that some man had
been representing himself as woman
it would be embarrassing for me. SO
I concluded to forego the pleasure of
laughing at the girl and let the matter
drop.
One morning a young man aiighted
from a train, came into the station.
wrote telegram and asked me to send
it. The message was an unfmportant
one. simply stating that he would be
in a certain place at q certain date. 1
counted the words. told him the price
of the message, and he threw down the
money. But he kept me at the win
dow asking me questions about the
town, how far it was to this place and
that place and the running Of trains.
He was deferential. and was not dis
pleased to answer his questions.
Finally I broke away to send his mes
sage. and as I did so he called to me:
"1f the party is not found tell them
to leave the message" ...3.@
He weet off uptown. but returned in
about an hour with some flowers and.
advancing to the window. laid them
on the board over which messages are
received and askedgme IL he might not
send a telegram Himself. Since he
knew the Morse alphabet and thought
he could stumble through one ! as
scented, and, coming into the operating
room. he sat down at the instrument
and began to rattle on with the fiu-
ency Of professional telegrapher the
name and address for the message.
| ~. 49,