The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-02-08
The Street-Oar.

To person not much accustomed to
travel, there is mild excitement in
getting on board of q street-car; it Is in
the nature of an adventure. The roar
of the wheels in the iron track, the
cheerful jingling of the bells, the effort
to attract the attention of the driver,
who, with one hand on the break and
the other controlling his fiery steeds, is
always looking for bclated and hurry
ing passenger up the wrong street; the
scant courtesy of the conductor, who
watches with his hand on the bell-pull,
the placing of your foot on the step in
order to give you the little shock necessa-
ny to settle your ideas-this mere get
ting on board has its pleasing anxieties
and surprises. And then there is al
ways the curiosity as to your fellow
passengers, and the advantage of study
ing character in vehicle where peo-
pie usually think it necessary to conceal
their real natures. Ihave noticed that
the first-comers in car seem to think
they have a sort of property in it, and
they resent with q stare of surprise the
entrance of the last-comer, as If his
right to a seat depended upon their
courtesy. In no other conveyance, /
think, does one SO perfectly realize how
queer people are. Nowhere else, per-
haps, are ugliness and oddity and &C.
centricity in dress such an offense.
And.then the passengers, ugly as they
may be, are SO Indifferent to your opin-
ion. 1t is something amazing, the con-
ceit of ugly people.
The car which l entered was nearly
full-no car is ever full. 1t was one of
the short cars called by the light
minded "bob-tailed," having one horse
and no conductor-one of the contriv-
ances that presumes upon the honesty
of everybody except the driver. The
car was dirty; but as this is the only
dirty line in the United States it would
be ill-natured to mention its name and
city; besides, it is unnecessary to do so,
as no doubt most of my readers have
been on it. / was interested in study
ing the legends in English and German
posted above the windows. They re-
lated, mostly, to diseases and the bene-
fit of soap applied. There were also
directions about negotiating with the
driver for change, and one, many times
iCPOboCu, onu WliltCh ONCI buC
box by the door, requested the passen-
gers to put the exact fare in the box"
This legend always annoys me by its
narrowness and petty dictation. Often
] do not feel like being bound by this
iron rule; sometimes / would like to
put in more, sometimes less, than the
exact five cents. But no allowance is
made for different moods and varying
financial conditions. l often wonder
if this rule is founded on real justice in
the bosom of the company, and whether
it would be as anxious to seek out the
traveller who should by chance overpay
and restore the excess, as it is to fol-
low him when he puts in too little. If
this is not the meaning of ''exact,"
then the company is more anxious to
make money than to do justice. l do
not suppose this is so, but there is one
suspicious thing about a horse car.
The floor is sometimes grating, and
straw is spread on this, SO that if the
passenger, who is often nervous and
obliged to pass his fare from hand to
hand to the box, lets it drop in the
straw, he never can find it.-"Fare in
a Street car" IN 50. Nicholas.