Iowa Heritage Digital Collections
State Library of Iowa

1921 Yearbook

1921 Yearbook

Title

1921 Yearbook

Description

THE MESSAGE ON THE TELEPHONE
The night was dark and cold and the wintry blasts without told woeful tales of
death and destruction. The factory districts were in a turmoil due to the recent wave
of strikes and race riots. The Toonerville police force and special deputies were kept
on the alert both day and night during the past two months.
It was on one of these nights, while the squad of reporters sat around the stove in
the office of the editor of The Daily Sandiuich, that the terrible message came. The
editor had just revealed the latest conundrum and the men were silently trying to
grasp the point, when the awful silence was broken by the wierd ringing of the tele- .
phone bell. Who would take courage to answer this terrific summons, was the question uppermost in the minds of all present. The night editor was the first to stir. He
arose painfully and tried to make his way to the instrument of torture when he received a painful blow on the right wrist from a toothpick hurled through the window
by a passing rioter. One by one the others present were felled in a similar manner as
they tried to reach the side of the messenger.
All seemed to be lost and the last ray of hope seemed to have died away, when, amid
a thundering crash and a loud blast Slowie leaped to the rescue. As he slowly placed
the receiver to his ear he shouted in a voice still as death, "Commence!" The moment during which Slowie stood there amid the silent admiration of his fellows, seemed
like ages. With nerves almost at a breaking point the gang waited breathlessly while
Slowie replaced the receiver and turned to his mates. He stood there as a Napoleon
with arms folded, and, clearing his throat, he announced in his splendid voice that-the-
party-on-the-other-end-wanted-the-BAKERY.
(To be or not to be continued)
Page 150

Date

1921

Rights

St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St., Davenport, IA 52803

Identifier

http://cdm16810.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16810coll2/id/4061