“Sure, I’ll do it. But ain’t there some place near there you can call up on the wire, and ask ’em to take the message to her? I do that sometimes, when I’m comin’ home late.”
“No, I don’t know of any place but the drug store, and they might charge for sending a message. Besides, maybe the firm wouldn’t like me to use the telephone for my private affairs.”
“Aw, it don’t make any difference to them. They pay for the wire by the year, and you can use it as often as you like. But I’ll stop and tell your mother. I quit at three o’clock. There’s no brokerage business done after that.”
Tom went back to the switchboard, glad to think his mother would know of his success sooner than he hoped to be able to inform her. During the afternoon he acquired more confidence in himself, and, though once or twice he gave central the wrong numbers, from imperfectly catching them as they were repeated by the members of the firm, Mr. Boise and Mr. Keen did not get angry over the errors. Tom was congratulating himself that he was going to get through the day without further offending Mr. Cutler, when that individual called for a certain number.
Tom gave it to central, and, having made the connections threw up the cam, in order not to listen to what was being said. Then he leaned back in his chair, for he was tired, and the receiver of the telephone, which was fastened to his head by a spring clip, that held it in place so he could use both hands, made his ear ache. He wished he could take it off.
One of the black signal disks dropped, and Tom, depressing the cam, to ask what was wanted, heard Mr. Cutler speaking to him.
“There you go again!” exclaimed the irate lawyer. “You have given me the wrong number. I called for one-six-four-three, Chelsea, and you have given me one-four-six-three. That’s a police station. What do I want of a police station?”
“I’m sorry,” murmured Tom. “I’ll get the right number for you.”
“That was my mistake,” came another voice over the wire—the central girl’s voice. “I beg your pardon,” she added.
“That’s all right,” said Tom pleasantly. He wished Mr. Cutler could have heard the explanation, but the lawyer, in disgust, had hung up his receiver until Tom should get him the right connection.