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Edgar Guest - The Value Of A Telephone
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LAST night we had a hurry call to go to daughter May, 
Her husband said that Ma and me were wanted right away,
An` so, though it was after 12, an` bitter cold outside, 
We hustled out of bed an` dressed an` took a trolley ride; 
An` Jim—that is her husband—met us with a gracious bow
An` said to me as we stepped in: "Well, you`re a grandpa now."

An` Ma went flyin` up the stairs, an` Jim an` I stayed down, 
An` talked about the great event, Jim in his dressin` gown, 
As comfortable as you please. An` then he sorter smiled 
An` said: "An hour or two ago I thought that I`d go wild,
The stork was hoverin` above, an` I was all alone, 
I`ll tell you, Dad, I burned the wires of that old telephone.

"I telephoned the doctor an` I telephoned the nurse,
An` I`m sure the sort of service that I got could not be worse;
I telephoned the druggist, an` I `phoned the neighbors, too,
An` then when I was through with them, I telephoned to you.
Each minute seemed an hour to me; I thought they`d never come,
You bet I was a busy boy. I made the old wires hum."

An` then I laughed an` said to him: "Why, when your wife was born, 
We didn`t have a telephone the neighbors `round to warn;
They got me out of bed at 1 a. m. an` said to me: 
`You`d better get the doctor now, an` get him here at 3.` 
I had to run four miles that night to bang upon his door, 
An` then to get the nurse I had to hike about two more.

"That isn`t all the hikin` that the women made me do; 
I had to get her mother`s folks—the same as she made you; 
There were no trolley cars back then, at least that late at night; 
I ran four stitches in my side, and finished ten pounds light;
I walked an` did a double trot, a gallop and a pace, 
An` I didn`t even stop to wipe the sweat beads from my face.

"An` here you`re in your dressin` gown, an` sittin` by the fire, 
An` everybody`s on the job, all summoned by the wire. 
You haven`t even left your house or felt the winter`s Chill
Just think, my boy, without a `phone, why, you`d be running still! 
You`d still be hiking somewhere an` wearing out your shoes, 
An` pausin` for your second wind—that`s how I spread the news!"
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