the matter with you this morning? Here I am, N."

"G. M., my dear. I'm off, and wanted to say good-by before I went,"
responded "C."

"Off?" questioned Nattie, with a sudden fall in her mental temperature.

"Yes, I am going to a station five miles below to substitute, to-day.
The operator there is obliged to go away, and couldn't find any one
competent to do his work, and as there was a fellow that could do mine,
he comes here and I go there."

"Oh, dear! what shall I do all day?" said Nattie, sinking into a chair,
very much aggrieved.

"I am very sorry, but I couldn't well avoid accommodating him. But what
will you do when I leave entirely, if you can't get along without me one
day? happy I, to be so necessary to your existence!"

"But there is no prospect of your leaving at present, is there?" asked
Nattie, forgetting in her alarm at such a possibility to challenge the
last of his remark.

"There is some probability of it now," "C" responded. "I will tell you
all about it to-morrow. I may come nearer to you; near enough even for
you to see that twinkle."

"You don't mean you have a prospect of an office here in the city?"
questioned Nattie, not knowing whether she would be glad or sorry if
such were the case.

"Not exactly," replied "C." "I haven't time to explain; train is coming,
so--"

"Where did you say you were going to-day?" broke in Nattie quickly.

"B a--five miles down the line nearer you, but not on this wire. Used to
be, you know, but switched on wire number twenty-seven last week," "C"
responded so hurriedly, that Nattie could hardly read it, although so
accustomed to his style of making his dots and dashes; for, with the
key, as with the pen, all operators have their own peculiar manner of
writing.

"Ah, yes! I remember," responded Nattie quickly. "That hateful operator
signing 'M' had it, that used to be fighting for the circuit always, and
breaking in when we were talking. I wouldn't have gone for him."

"Couldn't well avoid it. Here is train. Good-by; shall miss you
terribly, but will be with you again to-morrow. Good-by."

"Good-by. I am lonesome already," Nattie answered.

As "C" made no reply, it was supposable he had gone, and probably had to
run for the train, thought Nattie, as she took off her hat rather
dejectedly.

A broken companionship of any kind must ever leave a certain sense of
loneliness, and this was none the less true now on account of the unique
circumstances. I