Charlevoix county herald., 1918-01-18
eMALL TOWN PHONE GIRL
WHO RAN THINGS QUITS
HesianInp Her Job to Marry Coll, &c
Chap, She ExpIaIns How She
Stopped Eavesdroppinu

the pretty telephone operator an-
nounces that she is soon to quit her
Job to marry college chap. Some OF
the subscribers \. ont shed any tears
at Susie's departure. Not that The
hasn't been highly efficient and ac-
commodating and all that, but II I'm
long practice and keen wit Susie de-
veloped an almost uncanny gift OF
knowing when anyone was listening
in" and Just who II was.
1t was no uncommon thing to hear
her say. Now, Mrs. Jones please h; ne
up. so these people can talk busine is;
II interferes with traffic you know, 10
have 80 many receivers down. Jud
Ham is listening and so Is some one
at the Gibbs farm; the Babcocks arc
wanting to know what's going on
and Granny Quimby has just come on
"a little late, Granny
Sometimes 1t was Jim Strout, ret
off this line and go and do your m Tx
ing, you lazy boob-these women ire
talking about something that's n, ne
of your business" or perhaps: IN ".
Emma Perkins, you hang up and go
away. Didn't your mother tell you lot
to go near the phone unless some Cue
rang your number? shall tell her and
you'll get spanking"
No one knew how Susie knew; The
eavesdroppers would sometimes [, he
eff the receiver as gently as possible,
making hardly a click.
1t is said that high browed elec'n,
cal engineers have spent many he ITS
of tense thought and thousands Of ,ol-
lars in an endeayor to eliminate ca, es
dropping on party lines, but Susie LAS
evidently beaten them to it. But Il is
doubtful If her method will come ITO
general use. 1t may be all right toI
Hadlocks Mills, but it probably would
ut work out very well in Boston.
The other night the boys had par
ty at Susies-a shower party-where-
"they brought all kinds of nice thi lgs
in bundles and hove 'em at her. as uet
grandmother described 1t to he. gh-
Dor next day.
After most of the guests had gone
Susie was In an unusually gracious
mood and told her friends how sorry
she was to leave Hadlocks Mills and
the telephone office after all. Sudden
ly Jud Ham blurted out: -.
"Now. say, Sue, seem that you are
done with the telephone office and
are goin' away, there's just one favor
] have to ask Of you and that is low
in tunket do you know when I'm but
tirP in on the nne-you always seem
to and give my ears a blisterin' some
times"
"Huh--that's easy enough. l know
you are the only one in Grindle's store
that's got life enough to do it, and
when l hear click and then catch all
the racket that's goin' on in the store
-weighin' nails and grinding coffee,
and people talking and Grindle yelling
at some one-it's easy enough.
Then there are lots of other places
where / can tell when the receivers
of. Now, at the Gibbs farm there's
a canary that sings all the time. Mrs.
Gibbs told some one once that the
bird always piped UP when any enc
went near the telephone. Then down
to Babcock's you can hear the wind
mill Gathering or the dogs bowling,
one or the other. Granny Quir1by
always sits down under the phone ard
rocks her squeaky old chair when
she's listening.
ooh, have lots Of way to get TO
'em. .sCap'n Spencer doesn't bother
much, but he's got the asthma and
you could hear him wheeze in Boston,
If plugged in long distance. They are
forever shaking down the stove at the
Osbornes' and-just between US. OF
course-if anyone butts In at the Pilla.
burys you can hear Ma Pillsbury soold
ing the young 'uns, she's got a very
high pitched voice.
Then at the Strouts' they have a
talking machine and they keep itsgo-
ing day and night. II / hear Sou 'a's
band or 'Trovatore.' or 'Tipperarye or
Silver Threads Among the Gold oil
the line. / know that someone at the
Strouts', usually Jim, wants to know
what's going on. Sure, it's not much
Of trick when you know everybody.
But this is all confidential you know.
cause lots of the people are good
folks"
Il suppose you hear some funny
things sometimes. SUSIE" suggested
some one.
Funny? ! should say so. but you
see things don't seem so funny unless
you can tell about them--and no ono
can say that ever told thing about
what's going on over my lines-never Z"
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