[What Might Have Been Expected by Frank R. Stockton]@TWC D-Link book
What Might Have Been Expected

CHAPTER XX
2/4

Perhaps you can get something to eat from Aunt Judy.
As Harvey translated this, it read: I would gph go rapd gradsvlt bodgghip rda goqbsjcm eat dkpx Aunt Judy.
In answer to this, Harvey attempted to send the following message: What do you mean by eating Aunt Judy?
But Harry read: Whatt a xdll mean rummmlgigdd Ju! Harry thought, of course, that this seemed like a reflection on his motives in proposing that Harvey could ask Aunt Judy to give him something to eat, and so, of course, there had to be explanations.
After a time, however the operators became much more expert, and although Harvey was always a little slow, he was very careful and very patient--most excellent qualities in an operator upon such a line.
The great desire now, not only among the officers of the company, but with many other folks in Akeville and the neighborhood, was to see the creek "up," so that travel across it might be suspended, and the telegraphic business commence.
To be sure, there might be other interests with which a rise in the creek would interfere, but they, of course, were considered of small importance, compared with the success of an enterprise like this.
But the season was very dry, and the creek very low.

There were places where a circus-man could have jumped across it with all his pockets full of telegraphic messages.
In the mean time, the affairs of the company did not look very flourishing.

The men who assisted in the construction of the line had not been paid in full, and they wanted their money.

Kate reported that the small sum which had been appropriated out of the capital stock for the temporary support of Aunt Matilda was all gone.

This report she made in her capacity as a special committee of one, appointed (by herself) to attend to the wants of Aunt Matilda.


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