Radio Enthusiast Leaves Baby on the Street Car, December 1922

The Hen-Pecked Radioist

By Edward Widenhouse

Alfred Gould was “listening in” on his radio set at his small home in Wichita, Kansas. He had been a radio bug for quite a while and had just finished a fine set, on which he was listening for the first time.

All the broadcasting stations had stopped; W.G.Y., which he had been listening to, had just signed off. Alfred had almost decided to stop listening when he heard some code coming in like a ton of brick.

He readily recognized it as the S.O.S. or distress signal. What a wonder! He was hearing from the far off ocean! But no! it could not be! “Far too strong to come that distance,” he commented. “I wonder where it’s from.”

Just then the signals stopped! “I’m going to investigate,” said Alfred.

Quietly putting on a coat, he rushed over to the house of his fellow radio-bug, John Cotton.

Upon arriving there he found that a scuffle was going on inside. He rushed in and saw Mrs. Cotton beating John.

With a ruffled look, “What’s this all about?” he asked.

Mrs. John paused a little in her exercise.

“I was so anxious to get home and listen in,” gasped John “that I left the baby on the street car.”

“That’s too bad,” said Alfred, “but do you know here those strong S.O.S. signals came from?”

“Yes,” from John. “I sent them between the words while the old lady was resting.”

“You did? I’m so disappointed. I thought I had broken the long distance record.”

“Come help me!” said John, as his wife resumed operations.

But Alfred left grumbling about his bad luck.

From page 3 of The Midget, published by the students of the Albemarle High School, December 1922