Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-06-14
An Abuse Of
the Telephone
By F. A.

Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.)
.Tl call you up about nine o'clock
and let you know the result
"You can't call me up because l
have no telephone in my house"
"No telephone? Why, 1 supposed
every house had a telephone nova
days."
mine hasn't. It had n and I had
it taken out"
"Why sol"
"Well, there's a little story about 1t.
II you care to hear it, I'll tell it to
you. You know, 1 live out at Hibton,
an hours ride from the city. When l
was first married, my wife was alone
all day, l being in town at business,
so we concluded to put in a telephone
so that she could call me up once In
a while to break her loneliness, or II
anything unusual occurred.
"Well, the first thing to be com
municated was, I caught the mouse
/ set the trap for; what shall l do
with it?' The next thing to be COM
municated was, Someone is Ill in the
house opposite; the doctors convey
ance Is standing before the door.
Then she called me up to ask me to
bring her a spool of thread when L
came out in the evening. l must walk
six blocks to a store where l could
buy the kind she wanted, n she
could get 1t by walking two blocks, or
send for it by telephone. l told her
to do this and she said she didn't like
to ask the storekeeper to send so small
a package costing only two cents. 1t
was the same with an yeast cak
But all this was nothing to what
happened one n%ightewhen l stayed In
town taking an account of stock. At
ten o'clock I was rung up and my wife
said: I'm going to bed, dear. It's
awful to think that you won't be at
home till tomorrow EVENING" I tried
to cheer her by promising to go
home early the next evening, and after
telephoning half a dozen kisses L
hung up the receiver and continued
my work. Ten minutes later I was
called again:
"sReginal! Oh Reginaldr
"'What is 1t, dearT
"T hear sounds below. Someone Is
trying to break into the house.
"What could l do? I couldn't ask
my wife to go down and face a robber.
1 asked her what the sounds were ike
and she said they were like those
made by someone boring.
ST now really became frightened
myself. I was not so much afraid OF
b,-glars attacking my wife; for l
that she had her bedroom door
and furniture heaped against
1t. Wnat L 1eiireu as Lnot1 she 7SouaS
be frightened to death. However, J
must plan for her.
"I called a council of those working
with me in stock taking, stating thai
my wife was locked in her o al
home while burglars were below Dor
ing in the door, doubtless intending
to make a hole to put in an arm tt
remove the chain and open the door
All voted it a complicated case. Il
was suggested that I telephone the
police at Hilton to go at once to my
house, surround it and capture the
DuISluI L WOuIClCd LldI L q hO'
thought of this plan myself, for Il
was very simple, and a telephone mes
sage from me from the city would be
as effective as from my wife in Hilton
ST called up the police, in Hilton
and told them to go at once to my
house, where they would find some
one trying to bore his way in. Tit
man at the desk said that burglars
didn't really effect entrance In thai
way, but he would sepd some mer
right over.
"While awaiting the result my wife
t%elephoned me that she had located
the boring. 1t was at the door of 6
storm shed which was held closed by
an iron hook. I thought that any
burglar who planned to effect an en-
trance to my house there was a fool
After unlocking the storm door he
would have to open the door within
which was protected by an excellent
lock.
at was not long before I received
word from the police at Hilton. we
got him. He is now In a CELL
~ at nee telephoned my wife that
the danger was past. But realizing
that she had suffered a shock, l said
that I would go home on the one
o'clock train.
81 reached the house about two
o'clock and found several of the neig..
bors attempting to soothe my wife.
whose nerves had been terribly
strained. While sympathjlno with
, her I received a telepbne message
from the police that their prisoner
claimed to be my lies brother and
desired ina l cGGie Immediately and
identify him.
Great heaynsi could this be SOP