.

"President Interurban, Franklin," he wrote, "Consinor Westcote tag
company, tags in it. o is in phenix and ph in sulfur and u in armordale.
Westcote."

The president sitting in his private office, received the message and
wrinkled his brow as he read it. Telegraphing does not always improve
the legibility of a message. As the message reached the president it
read:

"Consinor westcote tag company tag sis in it oisin phenix phin sulfur
uin armordale."

The president reached for his pile of various code-books and looked up
the strange words. He found "phoenix" in one codebook with its meaning
given as "extremely ill, death imminent." "Oisin" was not given, but the
word "oisanite" was, and the meaning of that the code stated to be "five
hundred head prime steers." It was enough. The Interurban did not wish
to accept the transportation of five hundred extremely ill steers, whose
death was imminent.

"Westcote, refuse consignment absolutely. Write particulars," he wired.

Flannery showed the telegram to Mr. Warold, who would have sworn, if
swearing had been his custom, but it was not. He took the package of
tags and went back to his office and did the tags up in smaller bundles
and sent them by mail with a special delivery stamp on each lot, and
charged the cost to the Interurban. Then he wrote a long and fervid
letter to the president of the Interurban, in which he gave his opinion
of the simplified spelling, and particularly of a man who would
interpolate it into business by the power of his personal fiat.

And Flannery wrote too.

"President Interurban, Franklin," he wrote, "i sent warold away with his
tags pakag as you say to. he is mad I gess he will try to make trubbel.
i tole him we coud not acsept pakags addrest to Phoenix Sulphur Company
Armourdale and it made him mad. no falt of mine. i ast him to leve out o
out of phoenix and to yous f insted of ph in sulphur and too take that
u out of armourdale agreeble to generl order numbr 719 and he wont do
it. no falt of mine. i got to spell rite when the rules sa so. no falt
of mine. i aint makin rules i sais to him. pres of interurban is
responssibel how we spel. i onnly spel as he sais too. Flannery."

The president received the two letters in the same mail. He read that of
Mr. Warold first, and when he came to a threat to sue the company, he
frowned. This was all new to him. There was nothing in the letter about
five hundred indisposed cattle of any kind. He