The Press., 1917-12-13
OVER THE
 WIRE
. Telegraph Oper-
 atOr'S Story
By WARREN MILLER

to poke run hL eacn OLneE lhhh ONSA 0 telephone or telegraph wire. There Is a fascination in operating from behind a shield rendering one invisible. girl will delight to say things to a man who can't see her and doesn't know who she Is. I was a telegraph operator when a young man, and l noticed this disposi- lion in many girl operator with whom l talked over the wire. am a matter of fact sort of fellow myself and doubt if it would ever have oeeprred to me to bamboosle a girl in this fash ion had not the girl shown a disposi- ton to bambOozle me.
 She who first tried 1t was an opera tor at a station about twenty miles away from me. 1 was In the town or NI.. while the girl was out at G., way station some twenty miles distant in the country. She had more time on her hands than l., and I suppose this Is what set her on to quiZzing me- She started in one night about 9 o'clock after having taken a message from me, beginning by asking me what was go- ing on in town; how l liked M.; If there was any fun going on there and expressing her dislike at being com pelled to live in a little way station like G. From this we fell to talking about ourselves and naturally, as per sons of opposite sex at that age inva- riabIy do, finally drifted on to love and marriage. From love and marriage in general we dropped into specialties. at last narrowing the topic down to our selves.
 The girl led me along in the channel she laid out herself till I admitted that. marriage being a lottery. would about as lief marry a girl had no knOwl- edge of as one I had met and loved All required was to know thst the girl l was to marry possessed a flair amount of good looks. One thing led to another till it was arranged that she should mail me her photograph and should send her mine. Then If we were mutually pleased we might proceed further toward forming an acquaint- ance with a view to matrimony.
 The next day looked over my stock of phOtographs-noto of myself, but of my fricnds-and, selecting one of sam Atkins. the best looking fellow in the lot. sent it to the girl. Sam was off at the Spanish-American war at the time, and 1 trusted to his getting shot or dying of disease so that might not get into trouble by passing him on for myself. In return 1 received picture of rather pretty girl, who I judged from her features was full of mis- chief, the very one to get up just such lsFsa NNvnr upon. Upon her lips was an engaging smile and in her eyes a very saucy | look.
 After that the wires began to warm up with our conversations, till at last | they came to a white heat with love passages. When we had fired a lot 0f such missiles at each other we began to talk about meeting. At my pro- posal to go to see her she cooled down 8 bit, and it was easy to see that her exuberance was the result of fighting behind a masked battery. made sev. eraI propositions to go to see her on certain day and hour, but for every time I set she gave some reason why 1t would be incOnvenient or impossible for her to receive me. At last 1t Oc- cured to me to go up and look her over without an appointment. Never hay ing seen me, she wouldn't know me.
 So one day, having secured a leave, started to see my charmer. On arrival I walked up into the village and on the street met my girl, whom recognized at once by her photograph. l followed her into several shops and finally to yellow house that stood back from the street. She went into the house, and, having waited half an hour for her to come out, concluded she lived there.
 knew a man in the place, Tom Eos ter, and, hunting him up, told him that there was a girl in the town I wished to know. He said there was going to be a dance that evening and all the girls in the place would be there. He would take me with him, and if he knew the girl l wished to meet he would introduce me. I thought that an excellent plan since 1t would give me the advantage of keeping my af fairs to myself 1 could obtain an in trOduction to different girls without my Introducer knowing the one 1 was especially interested in. . \ 4unb hGuL WILL OSleE LO the hall where the dance was to take place. He asked about the girl I wish ed to know and why wished to know her and all that, but evaded his queS- | tfons.e I didn't propose to let the girl herself know that was the fellow she had been making love to over the wire at least till had learned all about her. She was there sure enough, looking as pretty as a picture-a brunette with profusiOn of Jet black hair, q stately figure and as mischievous an eye as ever saw in a woman. When l first saw her she was talking with another girl about her own age. and that might not give myself away to Foster I asked him to introduce me to the other girl. Y
 She proved to be Miss Ellen Ormsby. staid young woman whom I found; rather hard to talk to. 1 asked her. who Was the girl she was with when was introduced 70 her. and she said she was Agnes Miller and, taking the hint, offered to introduce me. I accepted and was introduced 2. don't think ever chuckled so in my life as- when found myself incog- nitO chatting with the girl whom had been saying soft things to over the wire I made up my mind to staYe of the denouement as long as possible. Not for the world would give her any clew to my identity by the slightest reference to what had passed between us. And as to letting her know even that I was a telegraph operator, noth- ing would tempt me to risk giving away the whole thing by doing so.
 I danced several times with Agnes Miller and once with her friend Ellen Ormsby. [ concluded to go slow with Miss Miller. but got in a number of compliments and several looks indicat-, ing my admiration for her When I, l.E. ha... A-. E,I. =. E,...s.. ,..I.loh | ai.i