midnight. He really was her husband, but Nattie had transmitted the name the writing looked most like, which was one very remote from the real one.
All these mistakes she laid at "C's" door, and grew more disgusted with him, accordingly, especially when she counted her cash, and found herself a dollar short. She managed, however, by frequent excuses, to get along without holding any conversation with him until the latter part of the afternoon, when, the wire not being in use, and business slacking up, he called persistently, savagely, and entreatingly—all of which phases can be expressed in dots and dashes—interspersing the call with such expressions as,
"Please answer, N! Where are you, N? Why will you treat thus a poor fellow who thinks so much of you?"
"I should think he might take a hint! Must I tell him in plain words that a personal inspection leads me to decline the honor of farther acquaintance? when, too, he particularly requested me not to mention his visit, over the wire?" thought Nattie; and then, as he continued to call, she arose impatiently, and answered shortly,
"B m!"
"You naughty little girl!" immediately responded "C," "where have you been all day? Is it
