The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-07-06
A FREE PASS.

A FREE PASS.
A FEW years since l was agent for a
large manufacturing concern, and my
duties caused me to make long and fire.
quent journeys. Among my warmest
friends was the treasurer of the Black
water Railway Company. One day
while he was at our Office, | happened
to say that the next morning | intend
ed starting for the West, and proposed
visiting several of the larger cities.
Pulling out a number of railroad pass
es, he threw them to me, saying that
as he had no use for them | might as
well use them. Upon my remarIng
that they We're made out in his natle,
he replied that that was immaterial, as
most of the conductors knew neither
of us; that he received the tickets
through exchange of cOlutesies with
different railroads, it being customary
to send passes to the principal officers
OF other railroads.
With that, the conversation was in
terrupted, and in Il short time he de-
parted leaving the passes in my pos
session.
Without thinking much about the
matter, | placed the passes in my
pocket-book, where they remained sew
eral days without my noticing them.
When | arrived at st. Louis, the
parties whom | wished to see had gone
to Chicago, and would not return till
the latter part of the succeeding week,
and, it being necessary that | should
see them before / proceeded on my
journey, l was forced to await their
return. While bemoaning my ill-luck
in being tied i'll st. Louis for a week, l
recollected that my old college chum,
Jack Bartlett, had located down in Ar
kansas, and, aS | had not seen him in
several years, | determined to visit
him now.
No quicker said than done. Packing
my traveling-bag. | fastened to the
depot, arriving there just in time to
get on board an outward-bound train.
Not having had time to procure a
ticket at the station, | commenced
getting my fare in readiness for the
conductor While rummaging around
my pocket-book for change, what
should | find but the forgotten passes,
and among them one for the very rail-
road | was travelling on. For Il few
moments there was struggle between
conscience and economy; but, you
know how it is, when dollars and
cents are at stake, conscience is very
elastic. very soon concluded to use
the pass, thinking that the conductor
would merely examine it, pass on, and
that would be the last of it, and | be
a few dollars the gamer.
| wished it had been the last of it. l
knew | was not doing exactly the right
thing, but then my funds were low
so when the knight Of the punch came
along l handed him my pass. He
glanced at it for a moment, then eX-
tending his hand, said:
Il am very happy to meet you, Mr..
Ferguson, and hope you will enjoy
your trip over this road. Please eX-
cuse me; duty first, you know. y
Yes. Mr.. Ferguson would excuse
him; or, at least, /, the bogus Mr. Fer
guson, or ideal Mr.. Ferguson-which
ever you. like, would excuse him..
Gladly, too; for l felt just little un-
comfortable when he was by. l soon
found out what "duty first meant.
1t was evident that railroad had in
structed its employees to be specially
courteous to railroad men. '.
Whenever that internal conductor
had moment to spare, he would come
and sit down alongside Of me, address
me as Mr.. Ferguson, when everybody
knows my name is Kelly. Then he
would prate about this road and that
road, signals, switches, self-acting
brakes, spiral and elliptic springs, and
a whole category of railroad fixtures.
Then he would ask me about our rail-
road; whether we used this article OF
that; which method of this something
or that something we preferred. All
this being Greek to me, | had to be
very cautious and non-committal inmy
replies. Being only drummer for
a factory knew nothing of his lingo,
SO tried to change the conversation.
l tried talkidg poetry, politics, religion
made original remarks about the
scenery; said that the mountain around
whose base the railroad wound was
grand and sublime.
"Yes," said the conductor, it's
sublime and grand enough, | suppose
but it is the meanest grade on the
road
/ saw that 1 would have to try new
tack, as he was very practical In his
ideas. 1 asked him everything imagin-
able and unimaginable, but the only
effect it had on him was to change him
from talking brakes to talking auto
matte couplings.
| was almost driven to despair. !
longed to tell him I was humbug, but
pride forbade that; for by SO doing l
would not only debase myself, but 1t
would be unjust to my friend Gratl-
tude demanded that l should endure
my martyrdom.
You may imagine my dismay
when presently l beheld my well.
meaning prosecutor pushing his way
toward me, accompanied by middle.
aged gentleman, who seemed to carry
himself as if he owned the whole road
Stopping at my seat, the conductor
said: ~ ~. sse
"Mr. Ferguson, permit me to intro
duce MI. LOvelace, President of this
road