Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 July 1936 — Page 19

Racine

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RLENE PRETT was in love with a voice—the voice of a man she had never seen. jong, through the earpieces of a distaphone transcriber, she hedrd its firm yet kindly tones; for months

it had poured millions of words

into her ear, “Operator, please rush a telegram to the B8t. Louis break-up point. Tell them that two carloads were shipped yesterday via C. & B,, FL &M. Then write a letter to’ our New Orleans agent. Dear Joe: ‘Your order is going forward via Atlantic steamship to Savannah; from there we will ship 1. c. L by afl. . .. Occasionally, the voice would allow itself a brief personal note, and Arlene looked forward eagerly to those rare moments Then, one morning it greeted her thus: “Good morning, operator. I have a slight touch of laryngitis, so if you have any difficulty with my records, please advise me by memeorandum at once.” .

O' Arlene, the words were perperfectly distinct but, her cheeks flushing at a sudden inspiration, she slipped -a yellow memo Sheet into her typewriter and typed furiously, filling out the form according to rule,

“To: Mr. J. E. Walter, Traffic Manager, From: A. Prett, Correspondence Division. Subject: Laryn-' gitis. Dear Sir—Replying to your memorandum of even date, kindly note that I am unable to understand your dictation and would, therefore, appreciate your assistance.” When James Walters came down from his office and sat beside her desk, Arlene surreptitiously surveyed him out of the corner of her eye and saw that his appearance fitted his voice .exactly—he was businesslike and brisk, but a slight smile was caught at the corners of his mouth, and a suggestion of a twinkle brightened his brown eyes.

w took the earpieces of the transcriber and, slipping them on, listened intently to the reproduction of his own voice.

" “Good grief!” he exclaimed. “Do you have to listen to this jabbers wocky all day long? Why I should think my darn voice would drive you frantic.” “It does,” Arlene admitted, interpreting his words in quite dnother way. After that, James Walters more frequently interspersed ‘his dictation with friendly asides. And one afternoon, at the end of a long. cylinder filled with rush letters and telegrams, Arlene heard him cough slightly and say: “Miss Prett, I'm still bothered by the thought that you have to listen to my blather for hours on end. I wish that I had the opportunity to talk to you without the necessity of confining myself to prosaic businzss matters. Uh—would you allow me the pleasure of escorting you to dinner tonight?” u ” 2 ; T was not easy for. Arlene to acknowledge his - invitation,: because all communications leaving the correspondence division passed first through the hands of the supervisor, grim Mrs. Hurson, who trembled at sight of a ‘ misplaced comma, and would have fainted from shock, if in the reams of business mail, she had come upon a private note. It was only after some concentration that Arlene slipped a memos randum blank into her machine and, first addressing it to Mr. Walters according to form, slowly and thoughtfully typed, “Instructions

Dictaphone Love By Hal G. Vermes

All day |

' next boat.

will be to the . Arcade gy p.m

he ail Tames Waliers dined together once a week after that.

NE morning, dreamily Joking forward to their dinner date for that night, Arlene absent-mind-edly took a record from a messenger boy. As she turned to the transscribing i the SYinges slipped from her ers, drop the floor and smashed. Horrifled, she quickly picked up the pieces and hastily thrust them into the bottom drawer of her desk. Then she peskoned to phe Bes sanger and whispered to go upstairs and tell James Walters what had happened. When the boy returned, however, he gave her the startling and dismaying information that Mr. Walters had * suddenly sailed, the night before, on an unexpected business trip to South America! : A month passed without a word from him. Lost in a strange world filled with sharp, strident voices, Arlene was desolate. : She was dismally at work one day, when Mrs. Hurson bore down on her like a battleship with all guns manned. “Miss Prett,” the supervisor boomed, “here is an important cable from Mr. Walters. It is addressed to you, but I opened it—by mistake! Please explain the matter to me immediately!” 2 » LAPPING the message down on Arlene's desk, she yanked off her pince-nez and glared. Arlene read: “Where is the rush shipment which was due in Rio de Janeiro last Saturday?" Steamship Southern Princess reports no record of same. Advise me by return cable. Very important.” “Well?” Mrs. Hurson snapped. “But I—I don’t know anything

about it!” cried Arlene. “You don’t! Why net? This is inexcusable! I shall look into this,

Miss Prett, but I think you had better be prepared for a dismissal!’ Tearfully, Arlene turned back to her desk. Then, suddenly, she re-

cylinder in the bottom drawer. » ” ”

ERHAPS. . . . Well, there was no harm in trying. Carefully fitting - the pieces of the record together, she wrapped some thread tightly around them to hold them in ‘place. Then she slipped the cylinder into the transcribing machine and listened.

“Good morning, Miss Prett.” The old, familiar voice came perkily through the earpieces, but it came. “I am unexpectedly called away to South America, and must rush as the boat sails in two hours. Here— and please pardon the unavoidable haste—are my final instructions. Send a memo at once and have shipment of my special order forwarded, to me on the Southern Princess sailing Thursday. I will pick up consignment at Rio de Janeiro when it arrives. Don't fail me— fail me =" The neédle caught in a crack, and Arlene gave it an impatient shove. “Don’t fail me. do you know who the memo is to?” His deep chuckle tickled her ears. “Why, sweet stupid—it’s to Cupid!” Her eyes suddenly glowing, Arlene snatched up a cablegram blank, jammed it into her typewriter, and hanked the keys madly. “Sorry that your extra spécial order was accidently delayed,” she wrote. “But will rush forward via ‘When consignment. arrives, please have a minister handy to sign the voucher!” THE END.

duly received. Shipment of special rush order, as per specifications,

(Copyright. 1836, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.) (The characters in this story are tictitious)

HORIZONTAL Answer to Pr

evious Puzzle

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membered the broken dictaphone/|.

And, oh, Arlene, |

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THE REFORM.

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TRWILLIAMS, TE

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ISSED FROME

ALLEY OOP

BACK, SAFE AND SOUND - THANKS TO THESE THREE

ON BIG SHIPS! ILL: BE ,

(WELL, ALLEY-HERE I AM ) FRIENDS. OF C

Sock AT, You!

EXPERIMENTS WITH Ww BECAME OF ITS MIND : CERTAIN INSECTS, TAM V7 THAT HALF J WHETHER Z\ ABOUT TO PRODUCE A CHICKEN , TO SWIM “} BEE OF TIRELESS 277» BND HALF OR NOT ENERGY THE IDEA Z¢ PLCKR YOU P| TO Swim, A WILL MAKE ME MILLIONS— )°{ was AND IT X” HAK -KAK Kr T COULD HATCHIN mest i DS EXPLAIN, BUT I FEAR OUT, IN J or : THE IMMATURE MIND. MURPHY'S \ FROM HAVING A WOULD BE UNABLE © J) GARAGE , TUG OF WAR Je GRASP SO © nF . 2) WITH INTRICATE ~Z 4 ° Ty ITSELF — A PROBLEM \g# 7 HO-HO- 2D IN SCENTIFIC Se \ wawp / MATTERS = J ih r~ Ss bmp 2 ss i Z 1 YZ 73 D7 “V= = / : Z r 4, D RX AY usr = & = i) 2 7 / Slt et Tr ~3 NS Ss “% ! U ue “ wu 12404 ho _— 3 = 3 rye ale. ney AMOS == 7 i lhl iH | 7-1 s couLb UNDERSTAND T= a1 i | LA @ 1936 BY NEA SERVICE, INC. T. M. REC. U. S. PAT. OFF. FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS : | were ALL ser YoU GO | (aw PULL IN YOUR © A LISTEN TO HIM, WouLD YA! 1 THE BOAT\AD REFORT... | NECKS, You GUYS, BE- ) ARE WE GONNA STAND § WERE Gol Do FORE I TAKE A: HERE AN' TAKE INSULTS THINGS AS THEYRE DONE

WASHINGTON TUBBS II MIT WORK TO BE DONE, THE RECENT ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE IS DIS —

. THERE! I'VE DRAGGED ALL THE ra RED HOT METAL FROM AROUND TH Gar THE WELL,

WE'VE PRACTICALLY COMMITTED : SUICIDE -50, IF YOURE BY DINOSAURSLL AN' NOW \ GONNA TRY GOIN’ BE PREFERABLE TO ARE Wg / THROUGH TH’ Shaves, WHAT WELL GET IF IN A ‘LE'S GIT -GOIN'~ f WUR'S MEN GET Ns THEIR LANDS "74 ON U

EXTINCTION

BOOTS AND HER BUDDIES iL WOTTA GO ON, NOW ~~ S100" oh. J

THS \S OPALS DAY OFF AND T'™M. BUSY,

GETTING OWNER. al XS ! ” | ; : at 5 rT x l=

(WUR , DO YOU THINK. THE

TROUBLE CATCHING TH: MOOVIANS >

MEANWHILE - KING WUR AND HIS \\ 515TER AwaIT THE | ARREST OF ALLEY §

OOP AND OOOLA.

{GUARDS WILL HAVE MUCH

, PAT. OFF” ERVICE, Oe.

\ ooh ao

MAN PLETZENBAUM REPORTING FOR ouTY

PRETTY HOT, EN, JOE?) NOT BAD, BURNED Sada */ UP ONLY 3 ASBESTOS TNE FRET LOAD, "SUITS SO FAR, SOON ; AS T GET THIS GLYCERIN UP TO THE BLAZE AND SET 'ER. OFF = POOF! SHE'LL BLOW OUT

LIKE A MATCH,

Ng (FOUR GUARDS HAVE JUS’ BEEN FOUND, ALL BUSTED UP, 1 |'N YER SISTERS

p CAVE - WHAT? WELL, FER!

HEY! L, HERE GOES THIF

(WHATS TH ve —

THIS? HAVE You

[ THATS WOT 1 LIKE AROUT BOOTS ~SHES RIGKT AY

LIKE wT

TASTES

SWEETNESS 1

LOVIN’ SORT, WITH SIMPLE

SUDGIN' FROM

WITH WHOM SHE ASSOCIATES » 1 OFTEN WONOER F HER TASTES ARENT TOO

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