The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-12-29
TIE DAILY
SHORT STORY
DAILY SHORT Story * TX TX. *
TIE VOICE OVER THE WIRE *. *
BY VINCENT 6. PERRY.
,.Ifc.onvriniit 1917 nv the Mcclure

(Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
m was a responsible position young
Dr.. Reynolds had. as head su.;eon
OF the General Hospital. and the re.
sponsibiiity at times became weari-
Enrne. : It had been long. tireaome
day, q day when almost all the nurses
had gone of duty complaining Of head
aches and some OF the probationers
had tainted at their work, which, made
4 all the harder for the young doctor.
AZ the hour reached midnight he could
5 see lots Of work still TO do before he
could retire. 1t was nc wonder, then.
that he was in an unpleasant frame
!, OF mind when he found himself at the
Telephone TO make q promised report
TO d relative Of one Of the patients.
whats the matter with you, Cen
trail that's the second time you've
5ni5en me- the wrong number" he
called Grossly through the telephone
after being told twice that he had the
wrong number.
II am sure gave you the number
you asked for both times" came the
answer, in such pleasant tone that,
T.
lsefsWait till see" he muttered as he
located his memorandum book. "That's
right, did give you the wrong mum.
Sber. You will have to excuse ne"
His voice had modulated to smooth
Ter pitch.
That Is all right. / guess you are
tired. We an get that way sometimes
and must make allowances for others,
said the girl without the least trace
lot flippancy In her voice.
twas early morning before DR.. Rey-
dplds was abe to go to bed ana then
he was too tired to sleep. AS he lay
4 n bed he tried to forget the events Of
I the day. but they kept crossing his
K mind. The conversation with the tele-
4 phone operator seemed to have i'm.
pressed him most and It was not SO
Junpleasant to think of as some OF the
lptl1er things. How sweet her voice
Fanunded, he thought, so different to
'any other telephone operators. differ
ent to any other woman's. perhaps
most like his mothers. He wondered
H what sort OF girl she was, very fine
( girl II she was anything like her voice.
ut seemed a shame for nice girl like
that to be shaving away at switch
board. It wasn't any worse than a
nurses life, though, he confessed as he
Thought OF the tired faces he had seen
| That day. His mind kept wandering
but always returned to the telephone
Hcperator. Her voice and polite words
! HAD certainly made more than an ordi-
FInary impression on him and he hoped
some day to meet her. There wasn't
ItEuch chance,to do so. She might not
llccme up to his expectations, IL he did,
iso It was better to picture her as some
lfairy.like creature. He wove all man.
liner Of pictures Of what she would be
Hike an dfeiI asleep with his mind on
,lser. He had very wonderful dreams
In which the girl with the pleasant
syoice was the central figure, and
aWoke with his mind on her.
The hospital was filled and accom-
lm6dations had to be taxed to the limit,
leo for days DR.. Reynolds was not able
10 think Of anything but his work.
But the rush subsidized as quickly as
ts had begun and the hospital was
Hestored to normal routine. In the
eyenings he was able to find time for
RELAXATION and his thoughts went back
t1 the telephone girl. After thinking
Ia over for few nights he decided on
plan. It was not difficult to think
" some one to call up who he knew