The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-10-08
ONLY A BARE.


Fare. MAIN, +" said the conductor. She
was shabby looking old woman, in
| rather rusty looking black, with fTaved
lace scarf around her neck and an old
fashioned, heavily worked lace veil fas-
tened abont her bonnet rim.
-tare!" repeated the conductor again.
The passenger looked at him, dipped
her hand into her pocket, rummaged in
queer little reticule she carried, and af-
ter exhausting all the patience of which
car conductor is supposed to be pos.
sessed, said slowly:
Il haven't got penny. suppose
We lost the change, or else I've had my
pocket picked; and am going TO -
street, too"
There was a pause The conductor
looked at the passenger and hesitated. 1t
was damp, misty evening. The streets
were ankle deep with mire 1t was three
| miles - street, and the car was not
half full. II seemed only common hu-
| manity to permit an old woman TO ride
TO her destination whether she had her
fare or not. But there on the platform,
staring through the glass door, our con
dGctor saw the face of a car spy-a
spotter, the men called him, with green
eyes, anxious TO catch him tripping.
Poor as his place was, twenty men
were waiting for it. His receipts must
tally with the number of passengers re-
corded on the dial provided by the COM
pany for that purpose or off went his
head on Saturday night. Still he could
not put the old woman off his car; only
one alternate remained-he could pay
her fare.
NOW Iare en- The - road was only
five cents, but 6o'clock was coming, and
he was hungry, and the supper he would
have just time to snatch before his even
ing trip began would cost him ten cents
five cents for bread and cheese, five
cents for cup of coffee. He gave up
one of these if he paid that old woman's
fare. You see there was another old wo-
man whom he called granny to be cared
for, and clothes of some sort must be
worn, and there were no pennies to
spare. But it was the memory of old
granny that arose in his heart, as he
dropped in the coin, touched the bell,
and nodded sail right" to his passen-
ger; and as he stopped from his car to
take his brief rest, he handed the old wo-
man to the curbstOne. and saw her safe
upon her way.
'No, don't want anything but the
coffee he said, waving away the restau-
rcnt-keeper's boy, as he pressed the bask-
ct of rolls and sandwiches upon him.
ldkc ludt SUN away.
The bread was out of reach before he
felt quite safe, he was SO very hungry.
At that moment an old woman touch
ed the car-starter upon the arm.
Tell me the name of the conductor
on car number FIVE" she said. There
he sits under the shed drinking some
coffee"
That's Varnham-Tom Varnham."
replied the starter, rather eargerly, for
he had a relative waiting for the place
IF you have any complaint to make
there's the office" But the old woman
todler away.
Oh, the long, long winter, cold and
| cruel-a winter full of terrible storms of
snow and sleet. Two drivers on the
line were badly frozen. Many died of
fered too, but not SO terribly, and granny
had been sick, and there was money to
be spent for medicine and nourishing
luXuries, and Tom Varnham's old great
coat was stolen one night by thief who
made his way into the crowded lodging
| house.
After that he went without il, and he
often wondered what it would be to be
warm and to SIT at Il satisfying meal.
Life seemed very hard, but to give up
the poor situation and seek for one bet
| ter was not to thought of with granny
ali his hands.
The passengers who rode in car num-
! Der five often snubbed their conductor,
| took him to task for the inconvenience
| they suffered, and abused him at their
| dining tables, or as they sat before their
warm CRATES toasting their toes, while
he shivered on the car platform. Per
! haps the shabby old woman with the
| worked lace veil may have done it also,
! for she rode in the car very often, though
she never found herself again without a
fare.
whats .thesmatter 90 asked passen
ger.
"Three cars ahead stopped-some one
hurt" replied the other "What is il
conductor
down." was the response. "Some say
he's dead"
Tom Varnham lay in the midst of {;
little crowd, quite senseless and very
pale.
The men were talking about him.
Hes been starving himself and freez
ing, too" said one. "a sick old grand
mother on his hands; and he was clerl
or something, never used to out-of doc
work. I've seen this coming on 70
days"
"You are the doctors" asked the shah
, by old woman, laying her hand on tn
arm of & gentleman who knelt besid
poor Tom. The gentleman looked up.
you said last week that did not dc
serve to be called one, Madame Hover,
he said demurely.
"Oh! DR. Jones! Well that was wIe
you couldn't cure me of the neuralgia,
replied the old lady. "But / want yo
to do something for me. Have thi
young man brought to my house; h
did me favor once, and do your bes
for him, ana send the bill to me.n
The doctor nodded, and when Tor
Varnham came to himself he lay in
great old-fashioned feather bed in ROOF
he had never seen before, and the oil
: woman whose fare he had paid rookie
to and fro beside his bed.
, "You are not to talk" she said, wa
G ing black fan at him, 'but everythIn
: is all right Your grandmother's boar
is paid to that rapacious old woman
and you needn't mind about anythin.
; Go to sleep. You went withou you
: bread and butter to give me ride ono
: and shan't forget, though happen
: be a rich old woman instead of poe
+ one, as you thought me-"
Tom listened, found himself incapabl
of making any remark, and fell aslee
again. But hard times were over fl
, the poor fellow. When he was able I
work again there was fine positio
; open for him in great wholesale hous
, and he was able to keep pretty suite {
rooms, and a servant for old granny, an
to live with her, TO her great joy. Ant
moreover, it is well known that Madam
I Hover has made her will, leaving all hC
t great fortune TO Tom Varnham.
t Don't ask me why's" she said to ii
lawyer. perhaps you wouldn't thin
il much TO go hungry on stormy wiz
! ter evening for the sake of poor oil
woman. l could have called a coac
and I'd only lost my purse, but he didn
s know that, and l always remembers
!. Just how he looked when he sent tn
bread away. l knew he was a good ft
low, and so he is, and have right
!. leave my money according to my fancy
THE PI0US DEACON.
81 Gil.