The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1917-12-06
THE WRONG SIDE
BY VINCENT G. PERRY.


snubbed-before all the boys of the
staff, too; that was the rub. In the
city his breezy, sunshiny air had won
him many friends and his ready wit
kept them around him in droves. There
wasn't girl in the office who wouldn't
jump at the chance of going out to
lunch with him-that was before this
little girl from his home town came
to push in the plugs on the switch
board.
He recognized her the first day-lit-
tie Madge Murray whom he had
taught in the village school the first
year after he left the normal, the year
he found out he wasn't cut out for
teacher and left for the city to try
his hand in the newspaper game. She
| had written him such nice school-girlie
| letters, that first year in the city, and
when he went home for the first we'll
earned vacation he spent most of it
boating with her. Then after that he
forgot all about her, or thought he did
in the whirl of growing popularity and
gay times in the city. She had written
him once or twice, but he didn't find
time to answer with more than a pic
ture post card now and then. To his
"See who's here! I'm awfully glad 10
see you, Madge!" she puckered her
pretty lips into a stiff and formal,
"How-do-you-do" and turned to her
switchboard.
She had improved, he noticed, as he
passed through the office on the way
back from the lunch he hadn't touched
improved not in her attitude toward
him but in appearance.
Madge answered the buzz of Teddy's
telephone. When he asked for an ex-
PLANTATION of her GOODNESS the only an
swer he got was: "What number did
you want?" He hung up his receiver
with disgust and didn't try again for
days.
The other men on the staff were not
so coolly treated by the new girl on
the switchboard. Teddy noted with
alarm her preference for Billy Gibbs.
Billy and his wife were not on speak
ing terms and Billy was trying to get
q divorce.
Teddy resolved to talk to Madge, but
when she answered his telephone call,
she wouldn't listen to him. He wasn't
going to suffer the humiliation of a per-
sonal Interview. He tried to talk to
her over the phone time and again, so
to get rid of him Madge switched him
on the central line. The girl at cen
trail heard all that was intended for
Madge and made an appointment with
Teddy. He thought it was Madge.
While Madge was trying to get CEN
trail for the manager, she heard over
the wire the telephone operator there
talking to one of the other girls. eyes,
just made a date with one of those
reporters at the Times. He was the
cutest thing" the girl was saying.
"Hello Times, give me the foreman
of the composing room" the operator
broke in on Madge. Realizing the mis-
take she had been the cause of Madge
couldn't help listening to the next con-
versation.
Dreadful headache! Tomorrow night
-good-by."
Madge worried about 1t all after
noon. She had been very foolish in
her treatment of Teddy, she thought.
But she couldn't blame herself for
treating him so coolly. She had cared
so much for him that summer and
thought he cared too, but he had
spoiled 1t all by sending her post cards
as he would to his little sister.
Late that afternoon Madge got
call in q feminine voice for the fore
man of the composing room. Probably
he was as tickle as the girl at CEN
trail, she thought. 1t would ease her
a little if he was, so she
listened to find out.
"This is Peg speaking, Dick. Thought |
I'd let you know Flora has made a
date with one of those fresh reporters |
for tonight Mt WHY'S, think"
"I'll get him." Madge heard Dick |
mutter as he put up the receiver.
Then she was in panic. She couldn't |
lot Teddy go to that place, perhaps to
be murdered.
Madge was at WHY'S first. She |
took good care Of that at the expense |
of hasty preparation. She would |
like to have "fussed' little more, but |
she hoped Teddy would not notice that. |
Perhaps he would be mean and treat |
her like little girl, as he had done |
before, she thought, but when She saw |
the pleased look on his face when he |
caught sight of her waiting for him, |
she knew he wouldn't.
"Now, dear, since you> told me how |
I offended you and have, accepted my |
humblest apologies and my promise
never to send another post card to |
you rs long as / live, won't you tell |
me what made you change your mind
and manner toward me?" Teddy |
asked.
Madge breathed a sigh Of relief as |
she noted the departure of the tall |
girl in green who had been waiting i'm
patiently for more than half an hour.
"Just because / was foolish, Teddy, |
very foolish" she laughed
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)