The Brookhaven leader., 1884-07-31
The Editors First Pass.

II man never has q pass on
railroad he goes through life pay
ing his fare, and never thinks of it
beipg'a hardship, but when once
the flee pass enters the system he
is no good to a railroad forever
after, and he looks upon the pay ing
of fare on a railroad as wicked
scheme, an outrage, as it were. Up
to 1860 the writer had always paid
fare on the railroads, and probably
had expended as much as 81, all
told, in riding from one town 10
another on the cars, and lie never
missed the money, feeling that it
was the duty of every citizen to
support The great highways of com
merce. In an evil hour the writer
became Interested in a newspaper
at Jefferson, and one day there
came in the mail a pass for himself
and partner, on the Northwestern
Railroad. 1t was great event in
the history of that road. After the
recipient of the pass had recovered
from his astonishment, and had
begun to realize that he was entitled
to ride free between Jefferson and
Chicago, and shown the pass to
nearly all the populace who were at
the Post Office waiting for tho mail
to be distributed, he began to in
quire of the depot agent what time
the first train passed the station.
going either way. 1t did not make
much difference, to the editor which
way the train, was going, as long
as it went. 1t was found that q
freight train would 60 along in
about FIVE hours, bound south, and
the holder of the new pass was com
PEELED to put in those five hours
waiting for the train. 1t seemed a
month, and the. pass seemed to burn
a hole in the pocket, and it was
taken out a dozen times to cool off,
and to show to different persons
who had heard of its arrival and
had come down town to see it.
Finally the train pulled up to the
depot and the editor took his seat in
the caboose, and it seemed as
though the people on the depot steps
were talking over the new era in
railroading. 1t seemed as though
the train. never would start, and
after 1t started it seemed rs though
the conductor would never come
through to look at the pass. A lady
had a crying baby, and the editor
in his kind d-heartedness attempted to
quiet the baby, by showing it the
pass, !, and was nearly paralyzed
when the child put a corner of the,
pass in its mouth and began to
chew it. BY prompt measures Of
choking the, infant the pass was
recovered, and the conductor came
along, and the editor hauled up the
pass with an air of one who always
rode on pass. The conductor
looked at the date of the pass, and
it did not take effect till the next
day, and he, said the editor would
have to put up 90 cents, the fare be,
tween Jefferson and Fort Atkinson.
1t was cruel, and no argument would
convince that freight conductor that
the pass ought to be good until the
day after, and it was necessary to
pay good money for a ride down and
back, 40 cents, a ride that was taken
for no other purpose on earth except
to try the pass. That night the
editor took a solemn obligation to
make that railroad sorry for the
outrage, and for q year afterwards
it was cold day when the railroad
did not have to carry the writer or
his partner somewhere They di-
vided themselves up into reliefs, and
ii was the duty Of one Of them TO 60
somewhere every day. They were
both too lazy to work, and riding on
the cars was Just about exercise