Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-06-23
Only "a Eare.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

Fare. ma'am, said The conductor.
The passenger took no notice. She
was a shabby-lookiug old woman, in
rather rasiy-looking black. with a
fraycd lace scarf around her neck, and
an old fashioned, heavily worked lace
veil fastened about her bonnet brim.
Fare = repeated the conductor
AGAIN.
The passenger looked at lin, dipped
her land INTO her pocket, rummaged in
a queer httle rehculo she carried, and
after cxausiine all the patience Of which
a ear conductor is supposed 10 be pos
sossed, said. Slowly:
L haven't gota penny. suppose
I've lost The change, Or else Pee had
my pocket picked, and Pm going TO
street, too.'
There was q pause. The conductor
looked at the passenger and hos;tatcd.
Il was a damp, misty evening. The
streets were ankle deep with miro. II
was three mics to--strect, and the
car was not half full. 1t seemed only
common Humanity to permit Gan ..old
woman to ride to her destination,
whether she had her fare or not. But
there on Tho platform, staring through
,hc rlass door, our conductor saw the
face ofa car spy-a spOtter, the man
called him-who was watching him
with ooecr, Green eyes, anxious to
catch mm tripping.
Poor as his place was, twenty men
we're waiting for it. His receipts must
tally With The number of passengers
recorded on the dial provided By the
company for that purpose, or oil went
his head on Saturday night. Still he
could not put old woman of lis car;
only ouc alternative rcmained-he
could pay her hre.
Now q fare on tho-road was only
five cents. but SIX O'Clock was coming
and be hungry, ard The supper he
would have just time TO snatch before
hls evening trips began, wonld cost h!m
ten ccnts-Gye couts for bread and
chccsc. five cents for cup Of coffee
He cave up one Of these fhe paid that
old woman's fare. You see there was
another old woman whom he called
granny 10 be cared for, and clothes OF
some scrt must be worn, and there
were 10 pennies to spare. Bntit wa
tho-mcmory Of old Granny that arose
in h.s heart as he dropped II the coin'
toa,hod The b,u. and nodded AL right
to his passengers aud, as he stepped
from his car to take his brief rest, hC
handed thc cid woman to The curbstono
and saw her safe upon her way
'On. 1 don't want anything but The
coffee lie said, waving away The rest
aurant keepers boy, as he pressed the
basket Of rolls and sandwiches upon
him. Take that s,aG away
The bread was ont o,rcach before he
felt quite safe, he vas SO very, very
huagry.
!, that momeut an Old woman
touched the car.s,ar,cr upon The arm.
Tell me the name Of the conductor
on the car number five ? she said
There he sits under the shed, drinking
some coffee.
That's Varnham-Tom Yarnham'
replied the starter, rather eagerly, iol
lie had a relative waiiing for a place
/ Ifyou have any complaint TO maze
/ there's the onicc.] But the old woman
toldl.d away.
1 Oh, The long, long winter, cold ano
craol-a winter full of terrible storms
/ orsuow and sloct. Two drivers on The
-linc were badly frozen. Many died
of lung complaints. The conductors
suffered too. though not so scTri5ly,and
/ Granny had been sick, and there was
money to be spent for medicine anC
nourshing loxurios, and Tom Warn
hams old great coat was stolen one
night By a thief who made his way into
the crowded lodging house.
/ After that he went without it, and he
often wondered what it would be to be
warm, and to stat satisfying meal
| Life seemed very hard, but to give up
that poor situation and seek for better
was not to be thought Of, with Granny
on his hands.
The passengers who rode in car num-
| her FIVE often snubbcd their conductor
took him to task tor the lucoayenian-
ces they suffered, and abused him at
their dinner tables, or as they sat be-
fore their warm CRATES. toasting thei
toes. while he shvered on the CIR plat
form. Perhaps the shabby old woman
with The worked lace veil may hav'
done It also, for she rode in The ca
very often, though she never found her
self again without fare.
What's the matter!' asked pas
senger.
Three cars ahead stopped-som'
onehurt,' raplled the other. What l
l., conductorP
:Conductor Of number five dropped
down. was the response. Some sa'
he's dead
Tom Varnham lay In the midst OF Q
I little crowd, quite senseless and yer
pale.
f The man were talking about him.
He's been starving himself anC
freezing, too said one. a sick ol
: Grandmother on his hands; and nc wa
a clerk or something, never used to ou
| ofdoor work. I've seen this comm