Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-04
TIE OLD
a Back Platform Yarn About Jim
and the Miserable Spot
ter.

Phil, clphio Tines.
There was a dreamy, far.away cx
preston on the Old Conductors fac,
rs he 'tked the bell. rope and callec
'"eerud avner" through the hslf
open DIOR. A very small girl with
Verysiarge basket got out and then III,
street car plunged along ON it's mac
career down town.
Toe Old Conductor wiped a FIR ~,
tear from his eye and card it we're cole
TINS morning, very cold. Then h,
stamped his feet viSicusly, bu,touct
his overcoat tight about his chm,
- led up the car aisle like q crab, col
Iected tive fares and rang the bell,
punch only three times, and came
back to the platform with a puzzled
look, as it he had forgotten some.
thing and was trying very hard to re.
member what it was.
The Old Conductor said he were
sad this morpia'-w very sad. Jim
wouldn't be with Us no more. lin
would't. jim were gone, and the o. d
Conductor wiped another frozen tear
from the other eye and settled himself
down comfort bly, on the railing
Were he dead2 Nav! OF course not.
Bounced! Fred! Phist! And the
Old Conductor raised himself upon
his toes and jerked his thumb over hi,
shoulder In a very mysterious way. A
spotter had done it-a mean. miser.
able, contemplate spotter. He said
Jim were not honest, which were a
mean, miserable, contemplate lie, for
there want no nor honester man on
these yere keyars.
Jim and me was chums," said the
old Conductor, Jim and me was. I
have been conducterin' nigh ontor
eleven years on this yere road, and |
knowed Jim six of EN-. Now l
wouldn't take advantage of nobody"
continued the old Conductor, and he
took up q quarter from an old gentle.
man who had left his spectaoles at
home, and gave him four pennies, a
nickel and q dime with a hole in it in
return, and forgot to ring the punch
his eagerness to make the right
change. NOW, Jim were Jest like
me, Jim were, and he couldn't be-
hired to cheat nobody. He ran the
keyar down ahead O. me. seen that
get onter Jim's keyar out to
the depot last Chewsday, but I didn't
no chance to tell Jim of it. Well,
sir, will you believe it, sr, that there
mean, miserable contemplate spotter
actually said that Jim had taken up a
hundred. fares and only punched
seventy five times Now, what do
you think of that2" and the Old Con.
ductor gave the bell.rope a "a ' Jerk
md rang again to 60 ahead before the
I'D lady who was alighting hadtouched
he lower step.
And the worst of 1t were," con.
'inued the Old Conductor, taking no
notice of the old lady who had fallen
n the street, ''the worst of It were
hat in another pocket they found
iollar and a hslf in pennies and
Now, how them nickelg
anne in that pocket is more'n Jim can
ell. If he'd a knowed that them
lickels belonged to the comply he'd
turned 'em right in; but he didn't
ven suspect it, Jim didn't. 1t were
a mistake, of course. When a
'eyar is jam full O. people, and a
lozen on en- is a handin' ur their
to wunst, and you are a gettin'
'ear a crossin', you hain't got no time
o he perticler about pockets, have
GU? Don't it stand to reason that A '
.nductor might throw the money ,
lght into the pocket what comes the
andiest? It's more'n likely Jim done
that thing, but he didn't mean
othin' by it. In the hurry Jim j.,
light have forgot to ring the punch y
ow and then; but that hadn't t
lighter to count agin him, for he "
the best he knowed how. Be. e
des, Jim has got an old aunt up on o
Inc street some where, and she was y
ighty sick last Chewsday. Now,
m thinks a good deal O. that old
mt, and he were awful worried about
#, Jim were. He were distracted l.
,e,. you know, and perhaps he didn't b,
nd what he were up to. Anyhow, a,
. don't know how them nickels =;
ne in that pocket. Perhaps the old '.
mt put EN- there, and an innocent, y,
like look spread itself over the =;
d Conductors face and settled there ~
II 1t meant to stay for the rest of oa
day. Us