Miss Nathalie Rogers, aka Nattie, is a telegraph operator in the 1870s. She is nineteen and lives in a boarding hotel, having left her family so that they won't have to support her. She is independent, smart, and aspires to be a writer someday, once she finds the time. One day, at work, another telegraph operator some sixty miles away begins to chat with her through Morse code. After a few unfortunate events, they begin telling stories, laughing ("the circumstance being conveyed to her understanding in the usual way, by the two letters 'H a!'"), and keeping each other company until suddenly things take a most puzzling and mysterious turn. This is the type of story in the "Shop Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail" genre, although this one pre-dates both. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!