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"Oh, dear!" exclaimed nurse; "it is that horrid son of hers and they are having a regular drunken quarrel clown there dear, I shouldn't wonder if they killed each other! dear, what shall we do?"

Nobody dared go down and separate them, but suddenly mamma thought of the District Telegraph that had been brought to the house only a few days before.

"Why, we can send right away for a policeman -- I never thought we should need our telegraph for this!"

A little click of the magnetic wire, twice repeated, -- an answering "click click "at the office, -- and then a third "click, click" at the Police Station (for there are wires from each District Telegraph Office to the various Fire Departments, Hack Stands and Police Stations in the city); and then, before Harry was half through his crying, the policeman stood at the door.

The boys tell me that, of the four uses made of the District Telegraphing, the call for messengers to run errands comes the most frequently, then the call for hacks; while the alarm of fire is about as frequent as the double click for policemen.

At the Office at Hotel Brunswick, many of the boys understand how to manage the telegraph battery themselves; and one little fellow who has been there quite a long time receives an extra dollar a week for work done in the Office.

At the State House Office thirty "District" boys are employed; at the South End Post Office ten; and at the Brimmer Street Office only three are needed.

It is about four years since the system of this District telegraphing was put into working order, and a year ago last August a Telephone Despatch Company was formed. The three offices of this latter Company are on Washington Street, Charles Street, and under Hotel Berkeley.

Only sixteen boys are as yet employed in all the telephone offices combined; but as the business increases the number needed will of course be larger.

Their uniform is hardly distinguishable from the "District" boys except by the caps which have "Tellephone Despatch Co." in gilt letters upon the black band.

The different circuits go to private houses in the city, and the principal advantage the telephone system has over telegraphy is that spoken words travel even faster than those electrically written.