The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-16


motor cars for years and who have
never changed tires; were forced last
evening to undergo their initiation
into the mysteries of punctures and
one motorist said today, but I
brought home a lot of extra bolts and
nuts that 1 couldn't find places for"
Clever husbands, who usually yield
to the temptation to play another
eund on the golf links and leave the
job of offering telephone apologies to
"the wife" to the steward, were con-
fronted last evening with the duty OF
speeding home in time for dinner or
running the risk of domestic up
heaval.
The evening dates" that were
made previous to las o'clock We'd
nesday afternoon were kept without
any confusion but the "fellers about
town." who make it point to slip
over an eleventh hour" engagement
wandered the streets.
Topekans' who couldn't remember
lust what time evening trains de-
parted, spent many hours languishing
around the railway stations awaiting
their "rattlers." And it was grand
and glorious afternoon and evening TO
Conditions, sit for hours with their
ears glued to the phones.
Employees in telegraph Off ice $
spent a most enjoyable evening.
Persons sending kilograms found II
necessary to write out their messages
and take them to the telegraph desks:
Long night letters read and re-reao
over the telephone were only mem
ories.
week of this telephoneless condi-
ton and the local long tongues Wouio
be absolutely without material. No.h-
ing kills gossip quicker than the
drouth of a welcome ear.
The economy boys already are talk
ing about how much less tneir teie
phone bill will be next month tut
your money up on the economy poss'
There was a general "hooray
when the sometimes unwelcone lele
phone jing1es gave their welcome
alarm this morning.
Topeka doctors who did not nave
patients in serious condition last nlght
collected their families in the old poat
and spent a night in motoring ana re-
newing of domestic acquafntancesni
saI slept like a child the entire mig nj,
one physician said today. fne iarniiy
was overjoyed at my vacation.
Confidential: We had great after
noon around The State Journal orfce.
No one sent us to the records to fino
oIt how MANY rounds Corbet fought
in the last year of hi battling career.
No one asked the population OF MIN
neapolis, MINI. No one wanted 10
know on what date and on what col
umn and page was there an item about
the election of officers of the Order
of Oom-pah-pah.e No one asked
about the flood situation in Great
Bend. No one inquired concerning the
name of the newspaper in Tra-la-la,
South Dakota The State Journal al
ways is anxious to please its inquirinG
readers, but even at that, If the truth
must be exposed, there is such thing
as change.
The father of Topeka family,
which includes three grown daughters
and a grown son, declared this morn
ing that dinner Wednesday night was
which was not interrupted by at least
a dozen phone calls.
Bill Kercher, on his way home
| shortly after midnight from an ath-
| letic session at the Press club Wednes.
day night. asserted that in spite of ths
fact that the phone service was "out.
! he had been called the regulation mum
| ber of times during the evening-"Ant
| never had more than a dinky little
pair" Bill said.
There was a young man named Malone
He called up his girl on the phone;
But no answer came
From the beautiful dame,
\ So he spent the whole evening alone.
There were a lot of tired bushes:
men who walked home or rode stree
accustomed to phone for their cal
when ready to leave the office. Wed
nesday night they closed their office
and decided between walk or stree
| car ride.
! Dead phone wires. had their effec
on the men at play, on the golf courses
| There was an anxiety about things VI
town which somehow crept in the dis
cussion on the links. Many of tn
! sweet stick shooters missed thei
afternoon game, tho, because of tn
necessity of reorganizing business t
meet conditions which had grown ou
of the new emergency.
One fond mother stayed awake mos
of the night waiting for her beloved
twelve-year-old to return from
party. He had decided to spend tn
night with a friend. The fact that tn
telephones were not working. didn'
mean much to him, perhaps-but
kept mother awake.
| The phone service break played
cruel trick on the banks. Usually tn
banks clerks have a busy half hou
before closing time notifying custo
liners who have thoughtlessiy = o
erwise-oyerdrawn their bank &C
counts. Wednesday there was nothin
to do except send the checks bac
thru the clearing house or boost tn
overdraft showing and pay them
/ Emmett George. private secretary I
the governor, was looking for the re
turn of his boss from Atlanta. Ca
The phones wouldn't work and h
could get no information. Then h
tried to use the long distance wire:
i But "the voice with smile in 1t
wasn't at the other end of the line
So the governors secretary gave up I
despair-and went for a game OF goli
Any number of people went TO be
with feeling Of apprehension seldor