Without thinking twice before she spoke once, Nattie answered candidly, as she placed a chair for her visitor, "Yes, I believe I do, often." "I do not know whether to take that as a compliment or otherwise," Clem said, looking at her as if half vexed. Nattie glanced up inquiringly "It certainly is a compliment to my abilities for, making myself agreeable at a _distance_. But--" said Clem, with a shrug of his shoulders, "a poor fellow does not like to feel as if the farther away he is, the better he is liked!" "Oh! I did not mean it that way at all!" exclaimed Nattie, in hasty explanation. "Only, you know, I had more of your company on the wire!" Clem looked pleased. "If that is the trouble--" he began, but Nattie interrupted, her face very red. "I did not mean that, either; I meant it was in such a different way, you know--and I--I could talk more easily, and--I do not believe I know what I do mean!" stopping short in embarrassment. Clem looked at her and smiled. "Let us see if it is any easier talking on the wire," he said; and taking the key, he wrote, "Good P m, will you please tell me truly, and relieve my mind, if you like me as well as you thought you would?" Taking the key he relinquished, and without looking at him, she replied, "Yes; and suppose I ask you the same question, what would you say, politeness aside?" "I should answer." wrote Clem, his eyes on the sounder, "that I have found the very little girl expected!" And then their eyes met, and Nattie hastily rose and walked to the window, for no ostensible purpose, and Clem said, going after her, "It _is_ nicer talking on the wire, isn't it?" Nattie was saved the necessity of replying by some one down the line who just then inquired, "Who was that talking soft nonsense just now? We don't allow that sort of thing here!" "How impertinent!" exclaimed Nattie. "Possibly our red-headed friend is somewhere about," Clem said; then taking the key, responded to the unknown questioner, "Don't trouble yourself; I shall not talk soft nonsense to you!" "That sounds like 'C's' writing! Is it?" was asked quickly. "My style must be very peculiar to be so readily detected," Clem said to Nattie, laughingly; then replied on the wire, "If you will sign I will tell you." "Em." "Ah!" said Clem, and immediately acknowledged himself. Then followed a short chat with "Em," in which she endeavored to make him confess what office he was then sending from, which he persistently refused to do. Having bade "Em" good-by, and closed the key, he said to Nattie, verbally, "We ought to have a private wire of our own, since a wire is so necessary to our happiness! I see," glancing around the office, "that you have an extra key and sounder here." "Yes;" Nattie replied, "we had at one time a railroad wire, and when it was taken out, the instruments were left, and have been here ever since."