River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-26
HE GOT A SEAT.
The Company Was Not Unreasonable in
the Requirements as to Deadheads.


New York Sun
There were number of parlor cars
ard two ordinary passenger coaches on
train which left New York for Phila-
delphia at O'Clock few nights ago.
Every seat in the passenger coaches was
occupied in one way and another when
the last boat arrived from New York.
Among the people who came in at the
last moment was fiery and untamed
looking Irishman, whose face was
fringed with wealth of ecru hair. He
walked through the smoking IN, found
every seat occupied by two men,
and then burst into the next
car impetuously. The air at once
became redolent with rum. He
cast his eye up and down on either side
of the car and saw that every seat was
occupied by parcels, luggage, feet or
the sprawling forms of passengers.
One or two of the seats had been turned
and one gray haired man, who had
specially lank complement of legs, sue
ceeded in occupying two benches by
dint of stretching himself out like an
octopus, and ingeniously filling in the
spaces not occupied by himself on the
two benches with bits of luggage. The
Irishman directed toward him glare
of unusual ferocity. He walked the
long length of the car twice, but the
passenger carefully avoided his gaze.
Apparently they were all sleeping Sc
renely. Then he leaned against the door
and carefully placed his hand on the
stove. He removed his hand, walked to
the other end of the car and washed his
hands carelessly with water from the ice
tank. The train was now speeding
across the Jersey meadows. Still,
no one offered to share his seat with
the latest arrival, and the Irishman
leaned against the door once more. FL
nally he raised his voice so that he
could be heard considerable distance
into the next car and remarked, with
an air of philosophical observation:
People don't seem to realize that
this here is second class It is, just the
same, and the frst-class cars are in the
rear. The second class chumps, which
is now occupying the safes puts on twice
as many Tugs as the first-cla ladies
and gintleman behind us. That is be-
cause they are not first-class ladies and
gintlemen themselves, but simply sec
ond class chumps."
A silence of several minutes followed /
this speech, which was finally broken
by two or three men moving toward the I
corners of their seats and placing their
bags and satchels ON the floor. Then
the voice of the man in the rear rose
again above the hum of the wheels:
There is no hog like an old hog" he
remarked, sententiously. "a man
would think that gray beard and bald
head would go along with wisdom and /
experience, but it amt always the case.
There is bald-headed men in this world /
who wouldn't give man lift to save
their souls, though their own business
may be saving sowls. Any bald-headed
man with gray beard who will wear a
preachers clothes and occupy four seats
in second-class car, while working
men are standin' up, Is large, fat, bevel
edged hog"
The gray-haired man who occupied
the two benches and who wore the ha-
biliments of a clergyman rose here, /
looking very red in the face, and hur-
ried forward into the smoking car. A
moment later he came back, followed by
tho brakeman, who wore the usual, easy
going, noncbalant and blase expression
of a man of his calling.
"This man" sputtered the Clergyman
angrily pointing to the red headed Irish
man, has been indnlging in the grossest
sort of personal abuse toward the passen-
gers in this car, directing the bulk of it
toward me-"
The brakeman dived down in the in
ner recesses of his clothes, produced a
tpaper of tobacco, partook thereof gen.
ereously, and said pleasantly to the man
in the red whiskers
whats up, Irish?"
II was making q few general remarks
about the hogs that travel on this road,
and occupy four seats when they only
have right to occupy one"
"Who does?"
"Your frind, the praist there"
The brakeman glanced down, turned
the forward seat back into its proper
form, tossed the clergyman's bundles
on the rear seat, and then said to that
gentleman:
You're travelling on free pass, any I
how, aren't you? Yes? Now, you be- /
have yourself just exactly as if you were
paying your fare, will you? That's all
the road asks of you.