The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-04-04
ONLY A FARE.
MARY KYLE DALLAS.

was shabby looking old woman. in
rather a ruSty-looking black, with a
frayea lace scarf around her neck, and
an old fashioned heavily worked lace
veil fastened about ner bonnet-brim.
Fare" repeated the conductor.
The passenger looked at him, dipped
her hand into her pocket, rumaged
in queer little reticule she carried.
and after eXhaustins all the patience
of which a car conductor is supposed
TO he possessed, said slowly:
Il haven't got penny. | suppose
I've lost the change, or else I've had
my pockets picked, and I'm going to
! --- street, too.
: There WAS a pause. The conductor
looked 1T the passenger and hesitated.
Ii was damp, misty evening. The
streets We're ankle deep with mire.
Ii was three miles to - street. and
the car was not half full. 1t seemed
only common humanity TO permit an
old woman 10 ride to her destination,
whether she had her fare or not.
But there OH the platform, staring
/ through the glass door, our conductor
saw the face of Il car spy-a spotter,
the men call him-who was watching
him with eager, green eyes, anxious
to catch him tripping.
| Poor a his place was, twenty men
we've waiting for it. His receipts
must tally with the number of pas
sengers recorded on the dial provided
bv the company for that purpose. or
off went his head on Saturday night
Still he could not put the old woman
of his car; only one alternative re-
mained-he could pay her fare.
Now, fare on the-road
was only five cents. but six o'clock
was coming and he was hungry, and
the supper he would have just time to
snatch before his evening trips 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 womane
fare. You see there was another old
woman whom he called granny to be
cared for, and clothes of some sort
must be worn, and there were no pen
MES 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 ''all right to his pas
sengers; and, as he stepped from his
car to take his brief rest, he handed
the old woman to the curbstone and
saw her safe up OH her way.
"No, don't want anything but
the coffee" he said, waving away the
restaurant keepers boy, as he pressed
the basket of rolls and sandwiches
upon him. take that stuff away"
The bread Was out OF reach before
he felt quite safe, he was so very
hungry.
At that moment an old woman
touched the car-starter upon the arm.
Tell me the name Of the conduct
or on car No. 30" she said. "There
he sits under the shed, drinking some
coffee"
THAT'S Varnham-Tom Varnham,"
replied the starter. rather eagerly,
for he had a relative waiting for that
place. ''If you have any complaint
to make, there's the Office But the !
old woman toddled 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 lung complaints. The
conductors suffered, too, though not
so terribly, and granny had been sick.
ard there was money to be spent for
medicine and nourishing luxuries, and
Tom Varnhamis old great coat was
stolen one night by thief who made /
his way into the crowded lodge
After that he went without it. and
he often wondered what it would be
to be warm. and to sit at 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 i'm car No.
5 often snubbed their conductor, took
him to task from the inconvenience
they suffered, and abused him at their
dinner tables, or as they sat before
their warm CRATES toasting their toes
while he shivered on the car plat
form. Perhaps the shabby old
woman with her worked lace veil may
have done it also, for she rode i'm the
car very often, though she never
found herself again without fare.
WHATS the matter?" asked pas
senger.
"Three cars ahead stopped-some
one hurt, replied the other. "What
"a 4