herty declared, amid her giggles,
that "the two eyes av the craythur fairly give her a turn," and when
asked to explain she pointed to the gongs at the top of the apparatus.
Lucy Hapgood had heard of live wires, and shrank from touching even the
receiver till repeatedly assured there was no danger of electrocution.
And when at last she did consent to put it to her ear, and heard her
father calling to her from Cole's grocery, she shrieked with astonished
awe. For the telephone was as little known in this hamlet as if it had
been situated a thousand miles from the metropolis, instead of less than
two-score. The limitations of poverty are great, and even fifty-cent
fares to the city were seldom compassed, except where, possibly, a legal
holiday and a wedding fell on the same day, and the occasion was made
memorable by an outing. Even then the returned travelers would have
little to relate, except such scenes as clustered around the great depot
with its neighboring lodging-houses and saloons. Of parks, galleries,
museums, libraries, and palatial dwellings, these tourists scarcely
dreamed, and never thought to visit. All dread those things they do not
understand, and these people would have told you they had no wish to see
such places; they were out of their line.

So all of the older and more conservative Littletonians looked with open
disfavor upon the new "speaking machines," and some absolutely refused
to use them. In fact, a few did not hesitate to say such doings smacked
of the evil one, and one old dame set her sudsy arms akimbo and stoutly
defied the electricians to enter her house.

"You kin string up them wires from here to Jerichy, if you want to," she
said sternly, letting her lance-like eyes rove in scornful leisure over
their equipment, "but you can't bring 'em inside my dure. No, sir! I
don't want any voices rousin' me up at all hours of the day an' night.
If folks at 'tother end o' town wants to speak to me they knows where to
find me. I'm a respictable widdy lady what keeps to home and minds my
own washin', and they can't no man nor woman, nuther, get a chance to
sass me through any mash-ine. No, sir! I know that young Early. He's got
a scheme to see all thet's a-goin' on amongst us day and night, and I
won't have it. Tain't decent, and they ain't no law on his side. So jest
git along with you now, and don't take up my time a-wranglin', for I've
got work to do, if you haven't."

The men, who had stood in d