A Cheerful Soul

1902

"Hanks always looks on the bright side of everything. Do you know what he said when he lost his job the other day?"
"I haven't heard."
"He seemed to be quite cheerful over it. 'You see,' he explained, 'I applied for a raise of salary nearly six months ago and didn't get it. Think of how much more I would have had to lose if they'd given me the increase." — Chicago Record-Herald.


He Dropped the Subject

He was talking to the pessimistic, sharp-tongued damsel.
"Have you noticed," he asked, "that, as a general thing, bachelors are wealthier than married men?"
"I have," she replied.
"How do you account for it?" he inquired.
"The poor man marries and the rich one doesn't," she answered. "A man is much more disposed to divide nothing with a woman than he is to divide something." — Chicago Post.

Instant Messaging Helps Actor Name His Price

1903

The coolness and self-control which have always been two of John Drew's most marked qualities, both off and on the stage, stood him in good stead once in the early part of his career, says Frank Leslie's Monthly.

It happened that Drew for some reason or other learned how to take and send messages on the telegraph ticker. Harry Vernon, a friend of his, and a skilled telegraph operator himself, was working that time in the office of a certain manager who was negotiating with Drew. When the talk between the actor and manager worked around to the question of terms Drew hesitated to stand out for what he wanted. Finally the manager made an offer. The actor was on the point of acceptance when the ticker began to sound. Vernon was the operator.

"Drew, Drew, Drew," it ticked. "Listen, listen. Hold off terms a minute. Ask for ten more. He said he'd give it before you came in."

With a calm and impassive expression of deliberate consideration, Drew looked thoughtfully at the manager while he rapped with a pencil on the desk the dots and dashes which were good Morse for "Vernon, are you sure?"

"Sure," came the clicks.

Then Drew spoke and got his price.

—Davenport Daily Republican, Davenport, Iowa, March 4, 1903, page 5.

Comment: So Vernon was in the same office as Drew at the time but sent the message over the ticker, yet, being present, was able to respond to Drew's taps on the desk.