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Show Dad Murphy's Brevity. Old Dad Murphy, as he was affectionately affec-tionately known to the boys on the road, "was a conductor on a trunk line transporting large shipments of livestock live-stock from the west. Dad had been in the service so long that the rules of railroading had become second nature to him, and the result of the superintendent's superin-tendent's frequent orders to the trainmen train-men to answer with military brevity all questions and messages, especially those by telegraph, to relieve the burden bur-den on the wires had reduced Dad to habitually short, concise replies, even to his conversation. On a baking hot July day, when not a breath of air was stirring and the sun beat on the car roofs till the pitch pulled the soles off the brakemen's shoes. Dad in looking over the train discovered that eight hogs had succumbed to the heat. When passing the next telegraph station sta-tion he threw off a message to the superintendent: su-perintendent: VBurhans, Supt. Eight hogs dead acc't heat, advise. MURPHY, No. 78." At the second telegraph office he received re-ceived his answer: "Murphy. Condr. 78. What is the present condition of the hogs? Ans. qk. "BURHANS." Dad grunted, shifted his quid of fine cut and wTote as follows: "Burhans, Supt. Hogs still dead. "MURPHY, 78." Judge's Library. |
