The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-07-31
Getting a Free Pass.
" Is the Superintendent about ?"

The clerks at the Boston and Provl-
dence railroad office in Boston looked
up from their books and accounts and
saw a specimen of the genus New En-
gland Yankee, since the days of railroad
enterprise yearly getting scarcer. An
old man of 81 or 70 years OF age, whose
face, by continued exposure to the sun,
had Drowned to mahogany color,
whose thin, iron-gray hair struggled
ont from under felt hat little the
worse for wear, whose "store-clothes"
were dozen years old in fashion,
whose expanded bony hands and vast
extent of wrist projected far beyond the
coat-cuffs, and broad square brogans,
tied with leather strings and guiltless
of backing, stuck far through the ends
of his pantaloons.
One of the officials, in answer to the
inquiry, pointed toward a desk, where
sat an alert-looking, clean cut, all-alive
sort of man, and said, "That, sir, is
Mr.. Folsom"
Handsome ?" said the old fellow,
"yaas, SO, SO, but praise to the face is
open disgrace, as Aunt Jerusha used to
say"
"What can / do for you to-day ?"
asked the Superintendent, curiously
cycling the visitor that stood before him,
in the midst OF subdued smoker from
the clerks.
Day? Yaas, very fine day. Don't
suppose you remember me, DO ye?"
"Your name must have forgotten. !"
Mustanha Cotton ?" Thunder no
Cotton was the Teller what did the grad
in; L furnished the sleepers.
"What grading do you mean?' said
the Superintendent.
"Gradin' done mean ?" Gosh all
hemlock L should think it was. Bot
tom dropped right aout ont"
What contracts are you talking of,
sir, and what do you want with me p
said the official, little nettled.
"Who do l want to see? Why yew,
if yew are the Superintendent. Yew
air, ant ye?
Yes" said the railroad officer, with
nod, ct am"
"Wall, you see, I'm little deaf, an
l used to furnish sleepers for this road,
L did. Sold nigh 600, an only forty
thrown aout.
"You must be mistaken" said the
railroad man, shouting into his visitor
ear eve haven't made any contracts
for some years"
"Seven years Wall, darn it all,
twas longer ago n that. / made trade
with Raymun Lee-d'ye remember
Raymun Lee-little Teller, not ser tall
as yew-smart ez er steel trap"
" Yes, l remember him he was Su-
perintendent of the road twenty years
ago."
"Twenty years ago, yaas, yaas.
Wall, L moved East more'n ten years
ago was farmin' on it then up back
of Attleberry owned piece of land VI
there on sheers with Joe Farbink-him
as broke his legs in harrer in the wild.
der Burt's feld-darned fool-told him
the steers would start, and he might
hev known"
"Well, well" said the railroad officer,
impatiently Y" what is your business p
wall, Ihev been runnin a thrashin
machine last fall down ter Agusty
Maine, tendin aisaw-mill till last week
lumber ant mov'n so quick ez it used
to, and"
"What is your business here. ]
mean ?" bawled the Superintendent
"What do you want ?"
Want? Why L want to go to Attic
berry"
well, why don't you go? There's
the station, and the train leaves in tel
minutes"
"Wall L hain't got no ticket-en e.
you could give me a free pass"
"Why should l pass you free? I car
see no reason"
Why, you know, 1 sold them sleep
ers to Raymun Lee a cussed sight toe
low, an he said"
"What shouted the exasperated Off
Ger, Do you mean to come to me fol
a free pass over this road because
twenty years ago you sold Mr.. Lee SGT
worth of sleepers? This is too much. ,
"Tew much No, sir, yew couldn't
buy them air sleepers naow for double
the money, and Raymun Lee he wan't
so close of his passes, fur when L cum
down here and settled with him an got
talkin' with him, he told me if I'd only
go up to Attleberry he'd gin me q
pass"
"Good gracious " said Folsom,
sinking in his chair, hoarse and ex-
hausted with shouting, with the great
drops of perspiration on his forehead,
$50 will L if you'll only go. Mr.. s..
buy him a ticket for the next train and
charge it to my account. l won't write
him pass, he might come back here