The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-08-23
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Ring Three.
BY WILL T. AMEs.
Copyright, 1913, by the Mcclure
Nauapanay- 6vndioataN

Newspaper syndicate.)
fTHE telephone In the east room OF
the Hanford homestead rang
zing-zing- Miss Hanford,
who was writing notes, glanced in
i1iringly at the instrument. The
house was on party line, to be sure;
separate wires In that locality were
not TO be thought OF; but Eleanor did
not remember having heard a ring
three" call that year.
Zing-zine- zing! zing- zing zing!
elamored the telephone. Miss Han
ford was wondering, as ten thousand
bther people have wondered under
similar circumstances, whether she
shouldn't really answer, on the chance
of the operator having made mis-
take when a man burst into the room.
The man was a total, stranger.
Eleanor had never seen him before.
He was a large man and young, and
obviously stark, raving mad; for not
only had he made his entrance to the
house uninvited and without permits
sion Of anybody, but now, without the
first word of apology and without even
giancing at Miss Hanford, he rushed
wildly to the telephone, grabbed the
receiver and yelled in a lavishly re-
dundant voice, "Hello!"
To Eleanor's ordinarily calm eyes
his entire demeanor was that Of lun-
attic, perhaps a dangerous one. With
out too much fuss she shifted her po-
sition so that the drawer with the pis-
tai in 1t was just beside her right
hand.
The intruder appeared to be utter
~ unaware of Miss Hanford's pres.
ence.
Hello! hello!" he bawled, the look
Of wild anxiety on his countenance
becoming still wilder as he appeared
10 wait, in desperate impotence, re.
ply that did not come.
Miss Hanford, who was never pre-
sipitate, had almost made up her mind
10 flee and seek the protection of old
Mark, the gardener, or Hannah in the
kitchen, when a great change came
apon the man at the telephone. The
strained, eager look disappeared, a
happy light sprang into his gray eyes,
md he smiled broadly.
Sure, this is Les.' the unlimited
quest was saying into the telephone
Never SO glad to hear human voice
N my life, sweetheart! Don't seem
rs IL could wait another minute to
see you. What's that? Yes; didn't
know but you'd be up on the two
eighteen. Yes; gets here at five
twenty. You bet; I'll be there Good
~, honey!"
When about half way through this
nonologue the man twisted about oil
lis chair till he was facing the mis-
ress Of the Hanford establishment
Then, still grinning broadly and with
The receiver still at his ear, he winked
1t Eleanor-wfnked at Miss Eleanor
;lanford, if you please! The nerve OF
aim!
Miss Hanford arose to the full height
II her sixty three majestic inches.
She no longer felt any fear of this
mailman; she was experiencing instead
mighty Indignation. Much-any-
shing-might be forgiven in a mere
lunatic; but for a vandal like this to
violate your privacy, to seize upon
your property, to set at defiance all
ME conventions and safeguards of So
Hety -lor the purpose of making love
over your sslephone-to, some other
Roman-ugh!
Miss Hanford was all icy calmness
Is the trespasser, hanging up the re-
seiver, uncoiled his tall length from
The trembling windsor chair and stood
srect She gave him no time for first
Eord-there is no stragety in that.
May l be privileged" inquired
Eleanor, ITO know to whom l have the
ionor Of being hostess-and why? 1t
would be interesting to learn what
there Is about this house to give
Itrangers the impression that 1t Is a
hotel or an office building? l do not
mink II has ever been regarded as Il
mere public utility before"
I'm Nawfully sorry, Miss Hanford-
Eou are Miss Hanford, are you not?
But what's the use of that talk
Know you are. l am-honestly-aw
bully sorry to come tearing in that way.
but I'll tell you how it was.
You see, I've had that little bun
salow that sets back in the woods a
quarter OF a mile above here for a
week. I've been away for a good
while on that little business over across
and she's been in California, so we
haven't seen each other. She got
,>aome to New York yesterday and
: wired that she'd be out here on this
afternoons train. There are two
trains, you know, and put in a tele-
phone call for her at New York. Aft
tr 1t was in, and I'd waited half an
hour, realized that IL l waited any
onger / couldn't meet the two -eigh-
zen, and she might be on that. So I
ltarted. When the telephone man
looked up the bungalow he told me
nat this big white house and that stone
me down below were the only other
lbscribers on the line. My number
Just as ! was passing here I heard
ne ring. Golly! What was going to
70? If l stopped to be polite they'd
x talrnly saw sParfyts bunns 80. a....-.