“I see,” said the calm voice after a moment of what seemed thoughtful silence, and there came a soft click.
“Who is this? Say! Who is this? Operator! Operator! You’ve cut us off. What’s that? Who’s calling? That’s what I want to find out. You cut us off before the man told his name. Look that up and let me know at once where it came from. What’s that? What number? Why that’s your business. You ought to know where a call came from just two minutes ago. You’ll look it up? All right. Get busy then. I have to make a train.”
“Who was it?” demanded Nannette appearing wide-eyed with dish cloth in one hand and a piece of burnt toast in the other.
“Shut up!” said her husband rudely, “Don’t you see I’m busy? I never saw such service as we have here in this town, can’t find out who a call came from.”
“Was it a man calling or a woman?”
“A man, of course. Isn’t there always a man where a girl is concerned.”
“I never saw a man come to see Joyce,” meditated Nannette wonderingly.
“Joyce was sly. Haven’t you learned that yet? You women are all fools about each other anyway. This was a man, and a young one. I’ve heard his voice but I can’t place it. Hello! Central! Central! Are you going to keep me waiting all day? What? You can’t trace it? That’s all bosh. Oh! You say it was a local pay station? Well, ring it up at once. What? You don’t know the number—Aw! That don’t go down with me. Give me the chief operator. Operator! Operator!—
“Hang it all, she’s hung up again! What time is it anyway! Gosh hang it, I’ve missed my train. No, I don’t want any coffee. Give me my hat; I must make that train. No, I can’t stop to tell you anything! Where’s my coat? It’s strange you never can help me when I’m in a hurry. Get out of my way, Dorothea! Dang that cat, I believe I’ve broken my toe.”
He was gone leaving an agitated family and a breathless cat emerging from the lilac bush where it had been savagely kicked.