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  CHAPTER III.

  VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE FRIENDS.

  With perhaps one or two less frowns than usual at the destiny thatcompelled her to forego any morning naps, and be up and stirring at theearly hour of six o'clock, Nattie arose next morning, aware of a morethan accustomed willingness to go to the office. And immediately on herarrival there, she opened the key, and said, without calling, just toascertain if her far-away acquaintance would notice it,--

  "G. M. (good morning) C!"

  Apparently "C" had his or her ears on the alert, for immediately camethe response,

  "G. M., my dear!"

  A form of expression rather familiar for so short an acquaintance, thatis, supposing "C" to be a gentleman. "But then, people talk for the sakeof talking, and never say what they mean on the wire," thought Nattie.Besides, did not the distance in any case annul the familiarity?Therefore, without taking offense, even without comment, she asked:

  "Are we to get along to-day without quarreling?"

  "Oh! it is you, is it, 'N'?" responded "C," "I thought so, but wasn'tquite sure. Yes, you, may 'break' at every word, and I will still beamiable."

  "I should be afraid to put you to the test," replied Nattie, with alaugh.

  "Do you then think me such a hopelessly ill-natured fellow?" inquired"C."

  "Fellow!" triumphantly repeated Nattie. "Be careful, or you will betrayyourself!"

  "Ha, ha!" laughed "C." "Stupid enough of me, wasn't it? But it onlyproves the old adage about giving a man rope enough to hang himself."

  "Don't mention old adages, for I detest them!" said Nattie. "Especiallythat one about the early bird and the worm. But I fear, as a _mys_tery,you are not a success, _Mr._ 'C'."

  "A very bad attempt at a pun," said "C." "I trust, however, you will notdesert me, now your curiosity is satisfied, Miss 'N.'?"

  "Don't be in such a hurry to _miss_ me. I have said nothing yet to giveyou that right," Nattie replied.

  "Nevertheless, it's utterly impossible not to miss you. I missed youlast night after you had gone home, for instance. "But _you_, a great,hulking fellow! No, indeed! In my mind's eye--"

  But what was in "C's" mind's eye did not just then appear, for at thisinteresting point some one at Nattie's window, saying. "I would like tosend a message," obliged her reluctantly to interrupt him with,

  "Excuse me a moment, a customer is waiting."

  She then turned as much of her attention as she could separate from "C"to the customer, enabled, perhaps, to answer the volley of miscellaneousquestions poured upon her with unusual affability, on account of thesettlement--and in the right direction!--of that vexed question of "C's"sex.

  But she could not help thinking, as she glanced at the message finallywritten, and handed to her that had the writer attended a little more tothe spelling-book, and a little less to the accumulation of diamondrings, it might have been a very wise proceeding. But perhaps

  "Meat me at the train," was sufficiently intelligible for all purposes.

  "What was it about your mind's eye?" Nattie asked over the wire, at thefirst opportunity.

  "C" was again on the alert, without being called, for the answer came,after a moment, just long enough for him to cross the room, perhaps.

  "As I was saying, in the eye aforesaid, me thinks I see a tall slimyoung lady with blue eyes and light hair, and dimples that come into hercheeks when I stupidly betray my sex."

  As "C" said this, Nattie glanced into the glass just over her head atthe reflection of her face. A face whose expression was its charm; thatnever could be called pretty, but that nevertheless suggested apossibility--only a possibility, of being handsome. For there is a vastdifference between pretty and handsome. Pretty people seldom know verymuch; but to be handsome, a person must have brains; an inner as well asan outer beauty.

  "How fortunate it is you are not near enough to be disenchanted!" Nattiereplied to "C." "Your mind's eye is very unreliable. Tall! why, I'monly five feet! never was guilty of a dimple, and my eyes are of somedreadfully nondescript color."

  "If you are only five feet, you never can look down on me, which is agreat consolation," "C" responded. "And for the rest imagination willclothe the unseen with all possible beauty and grace."

  "I am sure I am perfectly willing you should imagine me as beautiful asyou please," replied Nattie, "As long as we don't come face to face,which in all probability we never shall, you will not know how differentfrom the real was the ideal."

  "Please don't discourage me so soon, for I hope sometime we may clasphands bodily as we do now spiritually, on the wire--for we do, don'twe?" said "C" asserting before he questioned.

  "Certainly--here is mine, spiritually!" responded Nattie, without theleast hesitation, as she thought, of the miles of safe distance between."Now may I ask--"

  "Oh! come, come! this will never do! You are getting on altogether toofast for people who were quarreling so yesterday!" broke in a thirdparty, who signed, "Em." and was a young lady wire-acquaintance ofNattie's, some twenty miles distant.

  "You think the circuit of our friendship ought to be broken?" queriedNattie.

  "Ah! leave that to time and change, by which all circuits are broken,"remarked "C."

  "Yes, but such a sudden friendship is sure to come to a violent end,"Em. said. "Suppose now I should report you for talking so much--not tosay flirting--on the wire, which is against the rules you know?"

  "In that event I should know how to be revenged", replied "C." "I shouldput on my 'ground' wire and cut off communication between you and thatlittle fellow at Z!"

  Em. laughed, and perhaps feeling herself rather weak on that point,subsided, and Nattie began, "Sentiment--"

  But the pretty little speech on that subject she had all ready wasspoiled by an operator--who evidently had none of it in hissoul--usurping the wire with the prefaced remark,

  "Get out!"

  The wire being unusually busy, this was all the conversation Nattie and"C" had during the day, but Just before six o'clock came the call,

  "B m--B m--B m--X n."

  "B m," immediately responded Nattie.

  "I merely want to ask for my character before saying g. n. (good night).Haven't I been amiable to-day?" was asked from X n.

  "Very, but there is no merit in it, as Mark Tapley would say," repliedNattie. "You had no provocation."

  "Now I flattered myself I had 'come out strong!' Alas! what a hard thingit is to establish one's reputation," said "C," sagely; "but I trust toTime, who, after all, is a pretty good fellow to right matters,notwithstanding a dreadful careless way he has of strewing crow's feetand wrinkles."

  "Has he dropped any down your way?" asked Nattie.

  "Hinting to know my age now, are you? Oh! curiosity! curiosity! Yes, Ithink he has implanted a perceptible crow's foot or two; but he hasspared the hairs of my head, and for that I am thankful! Did you eversee an aged operator? I never did, and don't know whether it's becauseelectricity acts as a sort of antidote, or whether they grow wise asthey grow old, and leave the business. The case is respectfullysubmitted."

  "Your organs of discernment must be very fully developed," Nattiereplied. "It is fortunate I am too far away to be analyzed personally;but I don't think I will stay after hours to discuss these things tonight. I am tired, for I have had a run of disagreeable people to-day.So g. n."

  "G. n., my dear," said the gallant "C," in whose composition bashfulnessseemed certainly to have no part. But then--as Nattie previously hadthought--he was along way off.

  It must be confessed "C" could hardly fail to have been flattered had heknown how full Nattie's thoughts were of him, as she went home thatnight. A little foolish in the young lady, who rather prided herself onbeing strong-minded, this deep interest; but hers was a lonely life,poor girl, and "C" was certainly entertaining "over the wire," whateverhe might be in a personal interview--of course, not very likely tooccur. No! it was all "over the wire!"

  As she reached her own door, absorbed in these meditations,
she heardthe sound of a merry laugh over in Mrs. Simonson's, and saw a largetrunk in the hall. From this she inferred that Miss Archer had arrived,a fact Miss Kling confirmed, with uplifted eyebrows, and the remark,

  "There must be something wrong about a young woman who has _three_ immensetrunks!"

  Although Nattie felt a desire to make this newcomer's acquaintance, itwas less strong than it might have been had she arrived a week sooner;for it was undoubtedly true that the interest she had in her new,invisible friend far exceeded that towards a possible visible one. Suchis the power of mystery!

  The office now possessed a new charm for her. To the surprise of an idleclerk in an office over the way, who had always noted how particular shewas to arrive at exactly eight A. M., and to leave precisely at six P.M., she suddenly began to appear before hours in the morning, and tostay after hours at night. Of course this benighted person was not awarethat by so doing she secured quiet chats with "C," uninterrupted, andwithout being told in the middle of some pretty speech to "Shut up!"or to " Keep out!" by some soured and inelegant operator on the line, towhom the romance of telegraphy had long ago given place to themonotonous, poorly-paid, everyday reality.

  And it came to pass that "C" soon shared all her daily life, thoughtsand troubles. Annoyances became lighter because she told him, and hesympathized. Any funny incident that occurred was doubly funny, becausethey laughed over it together, and so it went on.

  That "good-night, dear," previously unchallenged, became a regularinstitution and still, on account of those long miles between them,Nattie made only a faint remonstrance when his usual morning salutationgrew into "Good-morning, little five-foot girl at B m!" then wasshortened to "Good-morning, little girl!"

  And all this time it never occurred to them that excepting "N" was forNattie, and "C" for Clem, they knew really nothing about each other, noteven their names.

  Thus the acquaintance went on, amid much banter from thebefore-mentioned "Em.," and interruptions from disgusted old settlers.

  It was by no means to the satisfaction of Quimby, that Miss Rogersshould thus allow the telegraphic world to supersede the one in which hehad a part. That intimacy with Miss Archer, of which he had dreamed, asa means of improving his own acquaintance with her towards whom hissusceptible heart yearned, did not make even a beginning. In fact, whatwith Nattie being engaged all day, and stopping after hours for a quiettalk with "C," and Miss Archer having many evening engagements, the twohad never even met. And how a young man was to make himself agreeable inthe eyes of a young lady he only caught a glimpse of occasionally, was aproblem quite beyond solution by the brain of Quimby.

  Two or three times, in his distraction of mind, he had stood in verylight clothing, about Nattie's hour of returning home, full twenty-fiveminutes at the outer door of the hotel, with a cold wind blowing on him.But Nattie, utterly unconscious of this devotion, was enjoying theconversation of "C;" and so at last, half frozen, poor Quimby wascompelled to retreat, his object unaccomplished. He would willingly havewandered about the halls for hours, and waylaid her, had it not beenthat the fear of those two terrific ones, Miss Kling and Mr. Fishblate,"catching him at it," prevailed over all other considerations. As forgoing to her office, Quimby, in his bashfulness, dared not even walkthrough the street containing it, lest she should penetrate his motives,and be offended at his presumption. Under these circumstances he beganto despair of ever having the opportunity, to say nothing of theability, of making an impression, when one afternoon he chanced to meetMiss Archer in the vicinity of Nattie's office, and was instantlyoverwhelmed by a brilliant idea; that was to ask Miss Archer--to whom hehad talked much of Nattie during their short acquaintance--if she wouldcall on her with him, omitting the fact that he dared not go alone.

  Miss Archer, a little curious to see the lady with whom, she wassecretly convinced, Quimbv was in love, readily consented to theproposition and so it came to pass that Nattie was interrupted in anaccount she was giving "C" of a man who wanted to send a message to hiswife, and seemed to think "My wife, in Providence," all the addressnecessary, by the unexpected apparition of Quimby, accompanied by astylish and handsome young lady.

  "I--I beg pardon, if I--if I intrude, you know," he stammered, beginningto wish he had not done it, as Nattie, with an "Excuse me, visitors," to"C," rose and came forward. "But I--I brought Miss Archer! To make youacquainted, you know."

  "I am indebted to you for that pleasure," Nattie said, with a smile, asshe took the hand Miss Archer extended, saying,

  "I have heard Quimby speak about you so much, I already feelacquainted."

  Quimby blushed, and nervously fingered his necktie.

  "Such near neighbors--so lonesome--thought you ought to know eachother," he said confusedly.

  "Yes, I began to fear we were destined never to meet," Nattie replied,as she held the private door open for her visitors to enter, aproceeding contrary to rules, but she preferred rather to transgress inthis way, than in manners, and leave her callers standing out in thecold.

  "I don't know as we ever should, had it not been for Quimby," said MissArcher, glancing curiously around the office. "I believe I never was ina telegraph office before. Don't you find the confinement ratherirksome?"

  "Sometimes," Nattie replied; "but then there always is some one to talkwith on the wire,' and in that way a good deal of the time passes."

  "Talk with--on the wire?" queried Miss Archer, with uplifted eyebrows."What does that mean? Do tell me. I am as ignorant as a Hottentot aboutanything appertaining to telegraphy. Nearly all I know is, you write amessage, pay for it, and it goes."

  Nattie smiled and explained, and then turning to Quimby, asked,

  "You remember my speaking about 'C' and wondering whether a gentleman orlady?"

  "Oh, yes!" Quimby remembered, and fidgeted on his chair.

  "He proved to be a gentleman."

  "Oh, yes; exactly, you know!" responded Quimby, looking anything butelated.

  "It must be very romantic and fascinating to talk with some one so faraway, a mysterious stranger too, that one has never seen," Miss Archersaid, her black eyes sparkling. "I should get up a nice littlesentimental affair immediately, I know I should, there is something sonice about anything with a mystery to it."

  "Yes, telegraphy has its romantic side--it would be dreadfully dull ifit did not," Nattie answered.

  "But--now really," said Quimby, who sat on the extreme edge of thechair, with his feet some two yards apart from each other; "really, youknow, now suppose--just suppose, your mysterious invisible shouldn'tbe--just what you think, you know. You see, I remember one or two youngmen in telegraph offices, whose collars and cuffs are always soiled, youknow!"

  "I have great faith in my 'C,'" laughed Nattie.

  "It would be dreadfully unromantic to fall in love with a soiledinvisible, wouldn't it," said Miss Archer, with an expressive shrug ofher shoulders.

  Nattie colored a little, and answered hastily:

  "Oh! it's only fun, you know;" at which Quimby brightened, and MissArcher inquired gayly,

  "_Pour passer le temps?_"

  Nattie nodded in reply, as she took a message from a lady, who had onlya few words to send, but found it necessary to ask about fifteenquestions, and relate all her recent family history, concluding with thebirth of twins, before being satisfied her message would go allright,--a proceeding that made Quimby stare, and afforded Miss Archermuch amusement.

  "Oh! that is nothing!" Nattie said, in answer to the latter'ssignificant laugh, when the customer had retired. "Some very ludicrousincidents occur almost daily, I assure you. Truly, the ignorance ofpeople in regard to telegraphy is surprising; aggravating too,sometimes. Just imagine a person thinking a telegraph office is managedon the same principle as those stores where they at first charge doublethe value of the goods, for the sake of giving people the pleasure ofbeating them down! It was only yesterday that a woman tried to coax meto take off ten cents, and then snarled at me because I wouldn't, anddeclared she
would patronize some other office next time, as if itmattered to me, except to wish she might! And there was some one callingon the wire with a rush message all the time she was detaining me!"

  "They think you ought to be harnessed with a punch, like a horse-carconductor," said Miss Archer, laughing, and added,

  "I wish I knew how to telegraph, I would have a chat with your 'C.' I amgetting very much interested in him!"

  Quimby twirled his hat uneasily.

  "But--I beg pardon, but he may be a soiled invisible, you know!" hehinted, seemingly determined to keep this possibility uppermost.

  Before Nattie could again defend her "C" a woman, covered with cheapfinery, thrust her head into the window.

  "How much does it cost to telegram?" she asked.

  "To what place did you wish to send?" Nattie inquired.

  With a look, as if she considered this a very impertinent question, thewoman replied, with a slight toss of her head,

  "It's no matter about the place, I only want to know what it costs totelegram!"

  "That depends entirely on where the message is going," answered Nattie,with a glance at Miss Archer.

  "Oh, does it?" said the woman, looking surprised. "Well, to Chicago,then."

  Nattie told her the tariff to that city.

  "Is that the cheapest?" she then asked. "I only want to send a fewwords, about six."

  "The price is the same for one or ten words," said Nattie ratherimpatiently.

  The woman gave another surprised stare.

  "That's strange!" she said incredulously. "Well"--moving away--"I'llwrite then; I am not going to pay for ten words when I want to sendsix."

  "That is a specimen of the ignorance you were just speaking of, Ipresume," laughed Miss Archer, as soon as the would-be sender was out ofhearing.

  "Yes," replied Nattie, "it's hard to make them believe sometimes thateverything less than ten words is a stated price, and that we onlycharge per word after that number. And, speaking of ignorance, do youknow I once actually had a letter brought me, all sealed, to be sentthat way by telegraph."

  Miss Archer laughed again, and Quimby inquired,

  "I--I beg pardon, but did I understand that the last came within yourexperience?"

  "Yes," Nattie replied, "and I had a young woman come in here once, whoasked me to write the message for her, and after I had done so, in asomewhat hasty scrawl, she took it, looked it all over critically,dotted some 'i's,' and crossed some 't's,' I all the time staring,amazed, and wondering if she supposed I could not read my ownhand-writing, then scowled and threw it down disgustedly saying, 'Johnnever can read _that!_ I shall have to write it myself. He knows mywriting!'"

  "Can such things be!" cried Miss Archer.

  "But," asked Quimby, from his uncomfortable perch on the edge of thechair, "Isn't there a--a something--a _fac-simile_ arrangement?"

  "I believe there is, but it is not yet perfected," replied Nattie.

  "Ah, well! then the young woman was only in advance of the age," saidMiss Archer; "and what with that and the telephone, and that dreadfulphonograph that bottles up all one says and disgorges at inconvenienttimes, we will soon be able to do everything by electricity; who knowsbut some genius will invent something for the especial use of lovers?something, for instance, to carry in their pockets, so when they are faraway from each other, and pine for a sound of 'that beloved voice,' theywill have only to take up this electrical apparatus, put it to theirears, and be happy. Ah! blissful lovers of the future!"

  "Yes!--I--yes, that would be a good idea!" cried Quimby eagerly; theninstantly fearing he had betrayed himself, turned red, and clutched atthe mustache that eluded his grasp. Miss Archer looked at him andsmiled, and Nattie was about to expound further when she heard "C"asking on the wire,

  "N, haven't your visitors gone yet? Tell them to hurry!"

  "You wouldn't say so," Nattie responded to him, "if you knew what ahandsome young lady one of my two visitors is. We have been talkingabout you, too."

  "Introduce me, please do," said "C."

  "What are you doing, now?" asked Miss Archer, watchful of Nattie'ssmiling face.

  Leaving the key open, Nattie explained, to Quimby's unconcealeddissatisfaction but Miss Archer was delighted.

  "Oh! do introduce me! Can you any way?" she said.

  Nattie nodded affirmatively, and taking hold of the key, wrote, "She isas anxious as you are. So allow me to make you acquainted with MissArcher, a young lady with the prettiest black eyes I ever saw!"

  "Is she an operator?" asked "C."

  "Doesn't know a dot from a dash," Nattie answered him.

  "Then tell her in plain language, that this is the happiest moment of mylife, and also that black eyes are my especial adoration!"

  "What have you been telling him about me, you dreadful girl?" queriedMiss Archer, shaking her head remonstratingly when this was repeated toher. "But you may inform him I am delighted to make his acquaintance,and hope he has curly hair, because it's so nice to pull!"

  "With the hope of such a happy occurrence, I will hereafter do up myhair in papers," "C" replied when Nattie had repeated this to him. "Butdo not slight your other visitor."

  "Shall I introduce you?" asked Nattie holding the key open, and turningto Quimby, who had betrayed various symptoms of uneasiness while thisconversation was going on, and who now grasped his hat firmly, as if tothrow it at the little sounder that represented the offending "C," andanswered,

  "Oh, no! I--really I--I beg pardon, but it's really no matter aboutme--you know!"

  "He says he is of no consequence," Nattie said to "C."

  "He!" repeated "C," "a he, is it? Ought I to be jealous? Is it you, orour black-eyed friend who is the attraction?"

  Nattie replied only with a ha!

  "Is he talking now?" asked Miss Archer, mindful of Nattie's smile, andnodding towards the clattering sounder, at which Quimby was scowling.

  "No, some other office is sending business now, so our conversation issuspended," answered Nattie, as much to Quimby's relief as to MissArcher's regret.

  "I shall improve the acquaintance, however," the latter said. "I am verycurious to know how he looks, aren't you?"

  "Yes, but I do not suppose I ever shall," Nattie answered.

  "Then you--I beg pardon, but you never expect to see him?" queriedQuimby, with great earnestness.

  "In all probability we never shall meet. I think I should be dreadfullyembarrassed if we should," Nattie replied, as she handed the day's cashto the boy who just then came after it. "Face to face we would really bestrangers to each other."

  Quimby evinced more satisfaction at this than the occasion seemed towarrant, as Nattie noticed, with some surprise, but several customersclaiming her attention, all at once, and all in a hurry, she was kepttoo busy for some time, to think upon the cause.

  As soon as she was at leisure, Miss Archer, with the remark that theyhad made an unpardonably long call, arose to go.

  But you must certainly come again, "Nattie said, cordially, alreadyfeeling her to be an old friend.

  "Indeed I shall," she answered, in the genial way peculiar to her. "Youhave a double attraction here, you know. Can I say good-by to 'C?'"

  "I fear not, as the wire is busy," replied Nattie. "But I will say itfor you as soon as possible."

  "Yes, tell him, please, that I will see him--I mean, hear the clatter hemakes again soon: You, I shall see at the hotel, I hope, now we havemet."

  "Oh, yes!" Nattie replied. "I am very much indebted to Quimby for makingus acquainted."

  "Oh! really now, do you mean it?" exclaimed Quimby, with sudden delight."I am so glad I've done something right at last, you know! Always doingsomething wrong, you know!" then hugging his hat to his breast, andspeaking in a confidential whisper, he added, to the great amusement ofthe two girls, "I have a presentiment--a horrible presentiment--I'malways making mistakes, you see. I'm used to it, but I couldn't get usedto _that_, you know--that some day I shall marry the wrong woman!"
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  So saying, and with a last glance of implacable dislike at the sounder,Quimby bowed awkwardly, and departed with the laughing Miss Archer.

  Soon after their departure, "C" asked,

  "Has Black-Eyed Susan gone?"

  "Yes," responded Nattie. "She left a good-by for you, and means toimprove your acquaintance."

  "Thrice happy I! But about this he? Who is this he? I want to know allabout him. Is he a hated rival?"

  "Ha! I never heard him say so, but I will ask him if you wish. He livesin the same building with me, and brought Miss Archer, a fellow-lodger,down to introduce her."

  "Do you ever go to balls, concerts, theaters, or to ride with him?"asked "C," who seemed determined to make a thorough investigation ofmatters.

  "Dear me! No! He never asked me!"

  "Do you wish he would?" persisted "C."

  "Of course I do!" replied Nattie, somewhat regardless of truth.

  "It is my opinion I shall be obliged to come and look after you," "C"replied, at this admission.

  "But you wouldn't know whether you were looking after the right personor not, when you were here!" Nattie said, with a smiling face andsparkling eyes turned in the direction of an urchin,' flattening hisnose against her window-glass, who immediately fled, overwhelmed withastonishment, at being, as he supposed, so smiled upon.

  "And why wouldn't I?" questioned "C."

  "Because I should recognize you immediately, and should pretend it wasnot I, but some substitute," replied Nattie.

  "You seem to be very positive about recognizing me. Is your intuitivebump so well-developed as all that?" asked "C."

  "Yes," Nattie responded. "And then you know there would be a twinkle inyour eye that would betray you at once."

  "Indeed! We will see about that, young lady. But now, as a customer hasbeen drumming on my shelf for the past five minutes, in a franticendeavor to attract my attention, and has by this time worked himselfinto a fine irascible temper, because I will not even glance at him, Imust bid you good-night, with the advice, watch for that _twinkle_, and besure you discover it!"