The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-29
Tho Operator.

Men who travel great deal, never
cease TO wonder how 1t Ia that tho crossest
depot agents that can be found, are nearly
always located at functions, wnere there is
nothing but depot aud store, and
saloon, but such ls the case. A traveller
gets to a junction and goes into the depot
to hnd when the train goes. and the ticket
window Is closed. lie look arouGd and
finds that the agent Is helping unload
freight or ls on side track coupling cars,
or Is over across the track helping farmer
kill hogs,or has gono to the adjoining town
with team, to carry some passengers. Or
| If the agent is in tho office, he has g )t moro
business than the general manager of the
road. You speak to HIM and ask ques.
tion. and his brow corrugates, and he goes
or counting pile of one dollar bills, and
acts as though he thought he had dim
idea that he had been spoken to, but he
waits until he gcts the money in the safe.
and turns the knob aud then he answers
you SO short that you almost conclude to
walk to the next station, and then he
bustles out Of the office and locks the door,
and you think he has gone to attend to
some Important business. upon which
depends tue fate OF the road, aud you go
oat and walk tho platform, and pretty
~
out clothes, or you see him out IN tho
back yard hanging clothes on the line, or
splitting old railroad ties for wood.
You may be a millionaire, and you may
pay your hOstler more than the junction
agents salary, but he looks upon you as a
three card monte man, and locks the stove
door for fear you will put In stick of
wood, or steal the lining out Of the etovc.
The agent is in his element when train
is few hours behind, and he sits at the
telegraph instrument working as if the
world rested on his shoulders. You listen
to the constant click of the instrument,
and would give a ten dollar note to know
what IS going over the wires.
OCCASIONALLY he will laugh at something
the instrument says, and when you begin
to think the news OF the world IL coming
over the wires and is stored in that massive
brain, the agent turns to a country galoot,
who has on blue drilling roundabout, aud
his pants in his boots, and who wipes his
nose Oh his mitten, and says "Thcrc Is 60
ing to be dance at the hop yard at John
ston Siding tonight. and they want us to
come up on No. 4" Then you realize
that the agent; all these long hours that
you have been watching the varied cx.
PRECISION Of his calE, mysterious face, has
been chatting with the female operator at
the next station, and as the country galoot
takes chew Of plug tobacco and says he
will go and brush up little and put on q
clean shirt before No. 4 comes, and the
operator says they will have daisy time
.: the dance, you 90 on the platform and
try to get acquainted with the fellow who
runs the horse power wood saving ma
chine.
There ls no man EhO knows moro than
the junction AGENT about everything. If
you can only draw him out. Though only
four trains day stop at his station. and
they only stop for a minute to let Off aome
poor devil who has got to get off there, the
agent Is III his element fol Il brief moment
lie addresses the conductor as "Jlm." or
"George, "or "Billy," and asks with a
show OF interest as deep as division su-
perintendent would have where he passed
mo. l." and if 'sNo. . is gong to be on
time. Ho may ask something about rail
road stocks, and you imagine that ho is
bulling the market, when the chances :.ro
he hasn't got eleven dollars left from his
last months salary. If he was polite, and
did not seem to own the road, you would
like Inn, but when he snubs you, and
treats you as though information was
worth more than your ticket, you hate him,
and if you should hear there was talk OF
promoting hnm to a station where there
was six bouscs, you would want 10 prevent
1t. There may be some rule by which tho
crossest man on line is given an issoated
Junction.