Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-12-11
Connected With
Long Distance"
By ANNA robson BURR
@ BY Doubleday. Page a coo

NHE children had kept me up. Billy
was fretful--poor little chap las
he had been every night since that day
when the house was filed with white
flowers and people in black. The older
ones, too, were restless and hard to
satisfy. Their world had been upset,
Somehsw they couldn't seem to under
stand the absence OF that person who
hsd never before willingly left them,
and whs. II she did, always came run.
ming up the nursery stair. her voice
calling eagerly ahead OF her to ask IL
all were well there. No wonder they
were troublesome, and | was long In
soothing them. and longer still after
wards Quieting myself, till fell into 4
srief-stricken sleep.
1t was the telephone, struggling to
ring. that reused me. sat up in bed
with an awful dread Of some fresh mis-
fortune catching 1T my heart. The
bell couldn't seem to ring, and the
thing just stood there, fighting to tell
me something, but horribly unable
inarticnlnte, clicking and buzzing. |
pushed the hair out OF my sticky eyes
and seized it, called into II.
The night was unusually still no
wind moved the trees on the floor lay
bars of bright moonlight | looked at
them as ! waggled the hook up and
down and tried TO win some answer
OUT OF the clicking and buzzlng. For q
few minutes there was hopeless
chaos of sounds and then the disturb
ance seemed to clear up and die away.
giving place all 4: once to that tense,
vibrating hum singing over the wires,
which always means long-dlstance
call. Who could be calling me In the
middle Of the night from such long
distance?
Now feverlshly awake and fright
ened, | called again, but only that soft
song of the wires answered me. My
Imagination, as always, seemed to fol-
low those wires where they hummed in
the night wind or shone in the moon
light--across towns and fields and
prairie, over mountains ana rivers,
From far. SO far away beyond the
world, beyond space and from the
stars
Hello who's calling who is
.here?7 ] begged Then. thin and faint
ana far-far as the stars themselves
came the Voice A Voice knew, and,
oh. marvel of Heaven a Voice | ex-
pected to hear
NAN oh, Nan is II you? Oh, Nan.
are sou thereg" So faint, so far, SO
living. that Voice the horrible;
heavy beating of ms heart leaped to
recognize it.
"Yes-I am here-it is |. Speak to
met oh, God. what miracle is thisY
My children-liow are my children?
Nan, can you hear? Tell me about my
ehildren1
50 anguished SO faint 50 far that
Voice
My chldrcn-tel me about them!
Quick, quick; how are my Children
/ pulled myself together ! wasted
no more time. somehow ! seemed to
know that only a moment would lie
vouchsafed to us ana that must make
haste so I spoke INFO the telephone as
steadily as eoad
.erbe CHILDREN IRE all well, dear |
am doing the best can. Billy has
been a little fretfill with HIS teeth but
NTora's cold is better Helen went
back to school today; she wore her
sweater and warm cap. talk to them
about you--every bedtime, | think. ]
hope they will get used to 1t soon
they are so young ! shall not LEI them
forget. am doing the best can
and all is well with them. Be comfort
ed, dearl +. !. Do you hear me? Are
you comfortedY
No sound save that thrilling of the
wires, far, far acknowledgement whatf
| hungered to hear, and | called again
and again:
'"rhe children are well-well, dear
est Tell me you hear-can't you
speak to me?''
No answer save the soft, humming
song from infinite space And
then
What number, please"
That sharp voice recalled me to the
madness Of my waiting and to my
tears For awhile they kept me
from speech. Then | looked out upon
the bars Of clear moonlight and was
suddenly quoted and awed.
. Hello. Are you still connected with
Long Distance-helloY
The operator was persis.ently trying
TO speak 10 me- So. before hung up
7 answered the telephone. THANK
Won" ! said. II was connected with
Long Distance, | believe; but It's