HELLO, THERE!

North Otago Times, 1 November 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

HELLO, THERE!

Having a pressing engagement with a good client, an oil merchant was obliged to leave his office in solo charge of a charwoman. "Now, my good woman," he said, indicating the telephone, "when you hear the bell ring attached to that little box, you go to the tube and shout 'Hello, who are you ?' and wait for a reply." The merchant had been gone about half an hour when the telephone bell rang furiously. The woman rusheh to the tube, shouted out the necessary query, and put the receiver to her ear,

"I'm Gussan," came the answer. "Got a lot of oil for you, and wish to send it on at once. Be ready to receive it."

Presently the merchant returned, and to his amazement saw the charwoman holding an empty bucket under the telephone tube. "What on earth arc you doing with that pail ?" he asked. "Well, sir," she replied, "as soon as : you was gone a man shouted through the tube that he was sending a large, supply of oil, gnd asked some one to receive it, so I'm a-holdin' the bucket, waiting for it to run ■through,"