The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-04-11
An Abuse of
the Telephone
By F. A. MITCHELL

I'll call you up about nine o'clock
ana let you know the result"
You can't call me up because I
have no telephone IN my house"
mo telephone? Why, l supposed
every house had telephone nova
days."
Mine hasn't. 1t had one and l had
it taken out"
"Why SOP"
"Well, there's a little story about If
II you care to hear it, I'll tell 1t to
you. You know, I live out ut Hibton.
an hours ride from the city. When I
was first married, my wife was alone
all day, l being in town at business
so we concluded to put in telephone
so that She could call me UP once in
while to break her loneliness, or if
anything unusual occurred.
well, the first thing to be com
municated was, L caught the mouse
l set the trap for; what shall l do
with itT The next thing to be com
municated was, Someone is i'll in the
house opposite; the doctors convey
ancc Is standing before the door,
Then she called me up to ask me to
bring her spool of thread when 1
came out in the evening. I must walk
six blocks to store where l could
buy the kind she wanted, and she
could get it by walking two blocks. or
send for 1t by telephone. 1 told her
to do this and she said she didn't like
To ask the Storekeeper to send so small
package costing only two cents. 1t
was the same with an yeast cake.
But all this was nothing to what
happened one night when l stayed in
town taking an account of stock At
ten o'clock l was runS up and my wife
said: I'm going to bed, dear. It's
awful to think that you won't be mt
home till tomorrow eveningT l 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:
Reginal! Oh Reginaldr
"'Whut is it, dearT
~ hear sounds below. Someone Is
trying to break into the house.
What could l do? 1 couldn't ask
my wife to go down and face n robber.
l asked her what the sounds were like
and she said they were like those
made by someone boring.
Il now really became frightened
myself. l was not SO much afraid of
burglars attacking my wife; for 1
knew that she had her bedroom door
locked and furniture heaped against
it. What I feared was that she would
be frightened to death. However, l
must plan for her.
Il called a council of those working
with me in stock taking, stating that
my wife was locked In her room at
home while burglars were below bor-
ing in the door. doubtless intending
to make Il hole to put in an arm to
remove the chain and open the door.
All voted it a complicated case. Ii
was suggested that l telephone the
police at Hilton to go at once to my
house, surround it and capture the
burglar. | wondered that l had not
thought Of this plan myself. for 1t
was very simple, and a telephone mes
sage from me from the city would be
as effective as from my wife in Hilton.
Il called up the police in Hilton
and told them To go ut once to my
house, where they would find some
one trying To- bore his way in. The
man ut the desk said that burglars
way, but he would send some men
right over.
while awaiting the result my wife
t"lephOned mc that she had located
The boring. 1t was ut the door of u
storm shed which was held closed by
an iron hook. 1 thought that any
burglar who planned To effect an en-
trance to my house there was Il fool
-\fter unlocking the storm door he
would have To open the door within,
which was protected by an excellent
lock
ut was not long lrfore received
word from the police ut Hilton. We
got him. lie is now III cell
Il at once tclephoned my wife that
the danger WAS past. But realizing
that she had suffered shock, said
that l would go home on the one
o'clock train.
Il reached the house about two
O'Clock and found several of the neigh
bors attempting to SOothe my wife,
whose nerves had been terribly
strained. While sympathiZing with
her | received telephone message
from the police that their prisoner
claimed to be ny wife's brother and
desired that l come Immediately and
identify him.
Great heavens could this be soY
II answered the summons immedi-
ately and On reaching the station,
there waiting for me sat Jim Cham
DerS, my hrOthcr-in-lnW. true enough,