National Republican., 1876-09-07
at the very least, is an intimate frieni of


those who are.
About the time that the old fellow has
become safely seated and slightly pacified
by the relation of his grievances and the
efervescence of his wrath, he reaches
junction at which he desires to transfer TO
a branch line. He sees the car which he
desires to take starting on its route, and
vsinly endeavors to hail it, SO that he can
make the connection. He fiads that the car
he is in cannot halt until it has reached the
further side of the crossing. 1t is against
the rule, if not against the law. BY the
time he has obtained his ticket and slighted
from the car, the oRe-horse single ender
which he is chasing is far beyond his reach
in the distance. His irritation is now not
only renewed but greatly increased. He
boils with rage, and the fact that many
younger persons, not yet arrived at the age
when rheumatism, gout and corpulence are
chiefly indulged, were able to take their tick
cts and alight while the car was in motion,
(entirely against the rule again. and are
speeding on their way to their homes and
their dinners over the branch line, while he
is left to Wheeze, fret, chafe and wait for
the next car, in no wise acts as a. a-coOler. In
the words of Scripture, ''the last state of
that man is worse than the first" He has
no one present to abuse, although he is
boiling over with wrath. He is certain
that the driver of the one-horse line
FASTENED off purposely to annoy him.
hoc IFra inst
That driver knew that it was only trans
fer ticket that he would get by waiting. Of
course he did. But then, the company get
the money all the same, and both lines be-
long to the same company Hang
it! The branch lines take the
money going the other way and give
the transfers at the junction, don't they2
So it is just as broad as it is long. OF
course it is! These fellows shall be ex-
posed They shall be complained of to
the company They shall be discharged
And the old fellow tramps about and frets
himself, keeping his anger at white heat
until the next car arrives, when he de-
mands of its driver the number of the car
which preceded him. This he may or
may not get. The chances are that he gets
impudence from the driver for the asking.
If it is No. S5 he gets laughed ut and prob
ably talked at through bevy Of surround
ing boon companions or half grown boys,
who make it a practice to dance attendance
upon this Jehu as an audience. Your IS
driver is sortof lawyer among Car divers.
ic olcn nf nplaI,ritu
among the youth who travel by his line.
No doubt he fancies himself wit He de
lights his youthful audience with tales of
how he has teased this old gentleman" or
that old lady," making them hurry up
and follow him half square, when he
saw them from the first, and could just as
well have stopped for them, and could have
saved time even by stopping when first
hailed; but he wanted the fun of seeing
them chase him and hearing them puff aud
scold and threaten him afterwards. "But
Lord bless yer hearts, they never think
" of these things after they get home 1
" was never complained of in my life, and
II carries lots of newspaper fellers,
" too" He added, soto rocs, "They
"are generally the worst of the heap"
The experiences related by this driver
to the great merriment of his young audi
tors, as may be imagined, was very graft
flying to our wheezy, equity old gent. 1t
afforded him food for serious reflection for
some time, and enabled him to arrive at
some highly important Conclusions. He
determined never again to chase a street
car. 1t being only a question of few
minutes of time at most, (unless when it is
the last car at night he wants. he philo-
concludes that it is better to
devote the time and save his temper and
health. Secondly, he decides never to
enter into dispute with car conductor
or driver, for the reason that he is sure to
be worsted in such word battle. Thirdly,
he eonceives it to be just possible that
car conductor and driver may find it quite
as difficult to turn their eyes to all points
OF the compass at one and the same time as
it Is for US ordinary mortals to accomplish
the same omniscient feat. And fourtbly,
he considered that in the multitude of pas
sengers which these public servants are
called upon to please in the course of the
day it is not impossible that many things
may be said and done by the latter calcu-
lated TO try their tempers and discOmpose
their natural complacency. The moral of
all this is, Don't fret" Especially, don't
iret at street car. In order to be sure
not to fret at street car, resolve never to
chase one.