eager to send a telegraphic message gratis, even if it were only across
Crooked Creek.

Sometimes neither Harry nor Harvey could make out what the other one was
trying to say, and then they would run out of the station and go down to
the bank of the creek and shout across for explanations. A great many
more intelligible messages were sent in this way, for the first few
days, than were transmitted over the wire.

Tony Kirk remarked, after a performance of this kind, "It 'pears to me
that it wasn't no use to put up that ar wire, fur two fellows could a
been app'inted, one to stand on each side o' the creek, and holler the
messages across."

But, of course, such a proceeding would have been extremely irregular.
Tony was not accustomed to the strict requirements of business.

Sometimes the messages were extremely complicated. For instance, Harry,
one day about noon, carefully telegraphed the following:

I would not go home. Perhaps you can get something to eat from Aunt
Judy.

As Harvey translated this, it read:

I would gph go rapd gradsvlt bodgghip rda goqbsjcm eat dkpx Aunt
Judy.

In answer to this, Harvey attempted to send the following message: