Bud, Not Buddy
Why doesn’t Lefty’s telegram to Herman E. Calloway make very much sense?
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Left condenses the message, so the telegram will not be as expensive to send.
From the text:
Lefty Lewis said, "When you send a telegram the more letters you use the more money you have to pay, so you try to keep your messages as short as you can.
Here, let me see it."
I handed him the paper.
He said, "OK, 'HEC,' that stands for your dad, Herman E. Calloway. 'Bud OK in Flint,' that lets him know how far you got and that you're safe. And you did get pretty far, Bud, maybe he won't be too hard on you when he sees how resourceful you were at running away. I know I'd've been darn proud of one of my kids if they'd've gotten that far, but I used to offer them money to run and they'd never take it.
"'At 4309 North St,' that's my daughter's address. And 'Return 8PM Wed' lets him know I'm bringing you home by eight tonight."
I said, "What are all of those 'stops,' sir?"
He said, "That's the telegram office's way of saying 'period.' It just means that the sentence is over."