The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-12-30
3}tiseeIlaag,
LOST RAILWAY TICKEE
Il - - en aarsli -.
M tTHIEL DACEf.

B 'Is tIiis seat engaged. SIR
: l glanced UP from the paper wa
reading and mettE smiling regart
of a genial-looking gentleman, appa
rently in the prime Of life.
1T is noe, sir
With your permission, them ana
4 lac. seated himself beside me-
IL The train has already started, anC
presently the conductor made his ap
pearaaIce collecting the tickets
Reaching us, he detached the appro
pirate coupons from our tickets, hand
ing back the remainder with the usu
al 'checks.'
! fs Pardon me- said nay companion
but 1 perceive tlat you place youl
ticket IN yoUr wallet
Yes
1t is unWise, unsafe
/ why do you consider 1t So in
quired, with some cnriosity. return.
ing the wallet to my pocket
Suppose through carelessness, or
! will say accident, your wallet is lost
| Your pocket may be picked. for in
! stance
Yes
Your money aHd ticket are both
/ gone. Probably you do not appreci-
ate the manifest beauties of such a
| position; I do not think il possible
! except by experience
1t would certainly be an un3csira-
/ bic situation; can see that clearly
/ enough Pardon the question ma
turally suggcsted-Werc you eyer so
] placed?'
Once, only sOneeS
! How VVg : fh9fF' --e.
'You wish to profit Us luy expert
! cnce? AFeIb don't know that I
mind telling you the story. 1t may
serve TO amuse on, If nothing more
And he continusd as follows:
1t occurred quite number OF years
ago, and over what road / was trav-
cling at the time Is OF little conse-
Quence. / had taken the early ulorn-
Ing express train, and being some
what tired and altogether sle1Dy. had
stretched myself upon the seat Eor-as
comfortable nap rs circumstances
would admit. 1 slept soundly, for
could, in those days, sleep = ell al
most anywhere, and did not awaken
until the conductor came for my tick
ct. The essential bit of paste-bOard
could not be found. ! was positive I
had purchased ticket: indeed, I
Remembered distinctly having shown
II to the baggage clerk at the time of
checking my trunk. The conductor
grew impatient, passed to tie cad OF
tire car, and returned 10 me. had
not found the ticket, but had made
the discovery TINT my p0cke book
also was gone. I explained 10 the
conductor that my pocket had been
picked. and i'm proof Gf my story
showed ham ifly baggage ciIeci,. IL
WAS useless. IF you have travelled
much, EOU are aware that q yirtuOuz
conductor takes 10 mans word in
fact all men have designs uDou the
Company's dividends except himself.
1t was perfectly natural therefore.
that the faithful steward in question
should say.
The. check is all right; but how 90
/ know that it belongs TO YOU? /
viii take the money for your fare. or
stop the train and put you of. as YOU
choose
What could I do? Prolosiations
amount to nothing, and my fellow
passengers, with the usual tendency
of humanity to trample upon a fallen
man showed clearly by their looks
and expressions that they thought me
a sneakiug rogue, who would steal
passage If l could. They had paid
their money why should not | pay
mine? Few men would ever see
heaven if judgment were rendered
by juTy-eXCept themselves.
My search for the lost ticket had
brought to light about dollar ana
eight cents. This, l told the couduC-
tor, was every cent l had about me.
He said 1T WAS fifty cents short of the
usual fare to. LaudeFdale City, bus
that hC would pass me through for it
rather thar stop the train. l gave il
to him. From LanderdaIc, city of
mnch importance, l could write to my
partner for money. 1t would cor
tainly be as well as 10 tramp ten or
dozen of miles back to the city | had
{ LETT, and where l would be no better
of equally q stranger there
In due time ! found myself at Ian
tzderdale went to the best hotel; tele-
graphed for money, and wrote an
/ explanatory letter TO my partner.
This business attended to, I sailed out
/ to see what sort Of place IIanderdale
| City might be. There was nothing
! for me to DO but to amuse myself as
! best l could until the money should
come, and determined to make the
I most of my involuntary holiday. AS
! 1 strollcd leisureIy up the main street,
a newsboy Garted cut of a paper Of
2 fee crying [EEs.
Daily Banner; extra edition.; all
/ about the murder; great accident on
i the E-rOadv etc, etc. Have an ex-
! ira?
4 took the sheet and thrust my
! hand III my pocket for the money
4 without 4 moments thought. You
! may imagine my feelings when COM
/ PEELED to return that two-peuny bit Of
paper to the little boy, with the NUT
I tered excuse that l had no change,
and the utterly cOntemptuous expires
/ sion Of the boys face as, he received
/ it. / Immediately stopped into the
! Office of the Daily Banner and wrote
/ paragraph descriptive Of the receHg
! mishap, taking care TO make &c rs
amusing as possible. When complete
I handed il t0 the clerk. He read it,
4 laughed, and took 1t into the private
/ Office. Coming back a few minutes
after, he told the boOS keeper 10 give
I me fifty cents. 1t was not much. but
more than expected Well, 1 con-
tinucd my walk until / finally reached
the end Of the street, which tcTmi-
natcs at the S=-RiveT, here spanned
i by a long covered bridge. Icrossed
the bridge, and was surprised 20 see
Z upon reaching the opposite side, that
/ would be required TO pay toll. 4
young girl came TO the door of a little
toll Office as Istepped up to it an6
inquired how much I should pay
! drawing forth my solitary shin
plaster.
& 30, she said, with a smile and
slight blush, 1FodO not charg minis
tiers anything
/ 1t was moi a bad joke, 1 supprcsset
the laugh that rose to my lips, ant