Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-20
Euening Story
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE WRONG LINE
~ Vincent G. Perry.
{Copynght, 1917, by Mcclure
Newspaper Syn6 Lte.)

Teddy Brent wasn't used to being
81 snubbed all ne boys of the
4 stan, too: that VIZ me rub. In the
city his breezy, ...shiny air had won
him many friends and his ready wit
1 kept them around him in droves.
= There wasn't girl in the once who
wouldn't Jump at the chance OF gong
I out to lunch with him-that was be-
( fore this little girl from his home
4 town came to push In the plugs on
4 the switchboard.
He recognized her the first day
little Madge Murray, whom he had
I taught In the village school the hrst
year after he left normal, the year
he found out he wasn't cut out for a
teacher and left for the city to try
his hand in the newspaper game. She
had written him such nice school
grille letters. that first year In the
\city. and when he went home TOR the
FIRST well-earned vacation he spent
most of it boating with her. Then at
ter that he forgot all about her, or
thought he did in the whirl OF grow
ing popularity and gay times in the
city. She had written him once or
twice. but he didn't find time to an
swer with more than picture post
card now and then. Then the letters
ceased and so did the cards. He was
too busy to notice that. There were
no more vacations in the country;
the nearby beach was too lively and
attractive for such thing. But when
khe saw Madge at the switchboard he
REALIZED he hadn't forgotten her and
Ihastened to renew old acquaintance.
ssscebergs! Plew!" Even the red
headed, dreamy-eyed stenog.apner no.
ticed she didn't take his pronered
hand. To his "See who's here! I'm
awfully glad to see you Madge!" she
puckered her pretty lips into stin
and formal "How- do-you-do" and
turned to her switchboard. 1t was
&just Teddy's luck that 1t was noon
ehour and the fellows from upstairs
who were passing through the busi-
Aness ONCE on the way to lunch could
INT help seeing his reception. The way
they jollied him about 1t afterward
assured him Of that.
She had improved, he noticed, as
| he passed through the ONCE on the
j way back from the lunch he hadn't
touched-improved not in her attitude
toward him but in appearances. In
the old days she had been q very
pretty little country girl, but she
had developed into belle that made
the city girls look faded and washed
out. She was deep contrast to the
red-headed stenographer; her bright
and sparkling eyes made the dreamy
ones appear insignificant; her fresh.
beachlike natural bloom made the cos.
complexion Of the other
look like ''the morning after the
hight before;" and clothes-well she
Always had good taste in dress and
Ea6orded the opportunity Of city buy.
ing she made the best of 1t.
Madge answered the buzz of Teddy's
telephone. When he asked for an ex.
aplanation of her GOODNESS the only an
ysver he got was what number do you
wsnt?' He hung up his receiver with
disgust and didn't try again for days.
The other men on the staff were not
(eo coolly treated by the new girl on
Ethe switchboard. Teddy noted with
alarm her preference for Billy Gibbs.
Billy and his wife we're not on speak
inx terms and Billy was trying to get