Life — April 21, 1921 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

9 i “Sorry, the Line Is Busy” 'O, operator, not 4097, 4003—" “—<can't tell you now. I say, I can’t tell you now. Well, because I can’t. I don’t want to say it over the telephone. I say, I don’t want to—” —you, Wallie? Guess who this is talking. No, you must guess. I won't tell you who it—” —awfully sorry, dear, but I'm tied up down-town, Now you just go right ahead and have a nice little dinner by yourself, and I'll be—” “—is this 4003? I beg your pardon. please? Hello, operator—” “—met him just as I was coming in here, and he said—isn’t this an awful connection? I say, isn’t this an awful connce- tion? You'll simply die when you hear what he said. you'll simply die when you hear—Oh, I couldn’t now. till the next time I see you—” “—can't you guess? Oh, you can so, too. This is someone you know very well. No, I will not tell you—” Will you ring off, —know you are, dear, and I'm disappointed, too. I was looking forward to getting home early to-night. Thought we could have a nice, quiet evening together—” “4093? Oh, will you kindly get off the wire? I realize that, madam, and I'm sure I don’t want to talk to you, cither. I don’t doubt that for a moment, but even though you are a lady would you please hang up your receiver? Listen, operator, this is the second time—” “—asked him how his wife was, and you'll just scream when I tell you what— Oh, can’t you hear me? Well, remind me to tell you when I see you. Oh, I don’t like to, now. I always feel that someone may be listening—” “—how did you know? Some little guesser, aren't you? Say, listen, Wallie, where do you think I am now? You'd never imagine in a thousand—” “—can't help these things, you know, dear. You read a nice book, and get to bed nice and early, and the first thing you know I'll be home—” “—4003? What? Speak up, can't you? I is this 4093? What's the matter with you, anyway, can’t you understand” English? Oh, is that so? Never mind that kind of talk—all I want to hear from you is, is this 409, Yes, that's so! Ye-es, you would—you'd do a whole lot if you were here, you would! Get off the wire, Listen, operator, there is no § in that number, it’s: “—so I told him I couldn't this week, because I was too busy, I told him I couldn't this week, and he and tell you when I see you. Only the other day my sister-in-law was talking to her butcher, and there ill you? was someone on the wire all the time, and they heard every word— I say, my sister-in-law was talking to her butcher, and— “—bet you don’t know what I did this afternoon! You don't know the half of it! Qh, go on—try to guess. Oh, call you up to-morrow? Fair enough, Wallie, I'll do that little thing for you. Well, olive oil,—sce you in church. Don’t take any flannel moncy, and don’t drink unless you're thirsty. And listen, Wallie, don’t do anything that I wouldn't—" “bother to wait up. You get a nice rest, and I'll be home as early as I can make it, just as soon as I can finish things up down here—” “4093? No, I want 4093. let me speak to the manager—” Ring off, can't you? Operator, Dorothy Parker. N° girl would ask her new skirt to fit her right down to the ground, comicbooks.com