Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

was going to take longer to complete my drawings than I had anticipated, so I went into the station to call up home, and say I wouldn’t be home to lunch. When I dropped a nickel in the slow I heard distinctly “Number please” – but when I gave the number, the ‘phone went absolutely dead. So I hung up and tried again with the same result. Growing irritated at what I thought was carelessness in the part of central, I tried a third time, and when I heard the usual “Number please” I said crossly “Now central, don’t go away, I want to tell you about this phone,” but dead silence was the only result – So, I went to the next booth, which happened to have a dial ‘phone – I put thru my call to home without any trouble, so I then dialed the operator to report my trouble on the other phone. She asked me to test the ‘phone again, which I did with the same results as before. She then called me on the dial phone, and said she could not hear me at all. She asked me if I would get someone at the station to put an “out of order” sign on the booth – At that moment I saw a young lady about the enter the boot in question – so excusing myself, I went out and stopped her – then went back and gave my name and address to the operator so she could send me a refund. I had left my portfolio in the first booth, so having complete my business, I went and got it, and started away, when the young lady who had been waiting all this time for a booth, called to me “I beg your pardon, but that’s my suitcase” – To my complete surprise –