The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-07-23
CONFINEMENT.
A Philosophical Pegasus Reveals

A Philosophical Pegasus Reveals
Its secret. ~
II have n wife and six children to
keep upon 81 day." remarked Pegasus,
a car driver on the Sixth avenue surface
Railroad. ~ must own that at times I
find II hard TO make the two ends meet,
but somehow or other manage to keep
out Of debt and educate my children.
The old woman, too, knows few
wrinkles, and kinder steers Teller
through the breakers. I'm n happy man.
DO you know why?"
The stout man who listened to the re-
marks of the Pegasus confessed that he
did not. Nothing but q superfuity OF
dollars and cents. In his opinion, war
ranted any man in remarking that he
was happy. But he condescended to
listen ts the explanation of Pegasus.
"l'm happy" continued that worthy,
"because | compare my condition with
that Of other employees Of the line. You
know | received good education. and
did not intend TO graduate from n street
car. Well, | always remember one
thing ] read when was studying. May
he you recollect what somo one says:
Imagine you're going to DO hanged by
halter. and you'll think il luxury to
die In bed or words to that effect. DO
you remember the passageY"
The stout man, judging from the ex-
preston of his oountenance, remem-
bered nothing Of the sort but he nodded
sagely, and his murmured All, yes, In
uf nd n n mi y
from the word for an indefinite time.
"With whom do you compare YOURSELF"
he asked, changing the compromising
subject Of literature.
"Well," said Pegasus, sin 10 minutes,
when we get into the tunnel leading In
to Vesey street, you'll see ragged old
man, with u half-orazed air, who waters
the horses. lie works at that-if you
call II work--from In the morning un-
til 0 In the afternoon every day. The
cars run on one minutes Roadway. He
and during the course of his days work
supplies 1870 drinks of water. Wen,
| that's kinder barassiDg employment,
isn't 1t. Grows so deucedly monoto-
nous! Poor old Murray was a soldier
| In the -Prooshan war, and came. to
this country to make his fortune. be-
lieve at one time he had some money,
but he lost II all, and, having no friends,
drlfted down 10 horse waterer. He
gets 81 30 a day, and pays s. a week for
| his board. That leaves him 81 to buy
his clothes and anything else he wants.
hope he don't want much, however.
Guess he doesn't, either. make seven
I trips day, but hardly ever exchange a
word with him. He's awful reserved,
and kinder stand-off In his manners"
+" lie doesn't work at nights, them"
"Well, you see the Sixth Avenue Car
company employs two of these horse
watering men, who take II in turns work
ing night and day. Murray works days
this week. The night man hasn't such a
hard job of 1t, as the cars don't run so
often during the night. Then the Eighth
| Avenue company also employs two men
at the same salary. Just think Of four
grown men making but S36 q week be-
tween them. Well, contrast myself
with them, and also with the poor
wretch who changes the switches on
Canal street. He Just inserts rod In
| the line and moves the switch. Hour
after hour he does that for $l.50 day.
| I've never heard him complain. The
fact Is" remarked Pegasus, mystic
| riously, "the less man gets at this kind
| Of work the less he talks about It. You
see, he'd felt hurt II we pitied him, and,
/ vi COulbt, We uuNO W uO tuNt.
Still, I'D sooner do my work connected
with the street cars than be the
man in the employ of the elevated rail-
road company who does nothing but
shout all day long, second avenue this
wny, Third avenue TINT way or, s0ver
the bridge to the city hail. That's q
work which wears ont the lungs, and
nothing less. And then, you get your
eyes full Of clnders. 1t all ends In this
concluded Pegasus, finding that the
stout man was evinoing signs Of fatigue.
"lf you're always moving, you've no
much as do ought to be satisfied, and
/ am"
And Pegasus manifested his far-seeing
| powers by passing two ladies who had
been been frantically gesticulatlng for
the car to stop,-lNew York Times.