The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-01-21
JUST In FROM DAKOTA.
Now a Neat Little Woman Got the Best OF
the Big Conductor.

Now Neat Little Woman Got the Best OF
the Big Conductor.
"As We pulled out Of La Crosse the other
night, where took the train, said the big
conductor, II went through looking at tick
cts, and when got to the sleeper the coon
gave me ticket Tor woman IN al upper
oiI In, from some place in Dakota TO Chicago,
and said she wanted - TO pay for her berth.
! thought it was singuieI. bat went along
an pulled open the curtain and said tick
etE.' The young woman rolled over toward
me and said halo, bubP and handed me q
roll about as big as wad OF chewing to
baccO, done up in tissue paper. l told her
il was tRo dollars, and she said that was all
right. 1 was little BIT taken back, think
ing may be she had given me al OF her
money 20 keep for her till morning. IN
rolled the paper, and what DO Yon think it
wes"
Hair switch said the Fad conductor.
Cotton batting" said the conductor with
the bad eye.
Nav" said the big conductor. "You are
all wrong 1t was a package OF gopher tails,
forty in all Tails O. these little gophers
TIE boys 'ised to drown out by pouring
watsr IL q holes. J. looked at them and
roll tie 4 p and opened the curtain, and
10 a. ner she had given me the wrong roll.
toid her this company was hard up, and
all that,and found it difficult to pay divi-
dend, but it was going TO try and pull
taking any gopher-tails, and said something
about two dollars. She was lying on the
pillow with her face within four inches Of
mine, and she whispered, 'Lookahere, have
been out in Dakota visiting, and out there
counties pay a premium on gophers, the
same as 'hey do mere on wolves, end they
take the tails as evidence, and IN the scarcity
of small change the gopher tails are used
for currency. In trading at the
stores there got large
quantity of these tails, and got rid of them
all except forty, which at nickel apiece, Is
! jet two dollars, and made up my mind to
y IS them off on conductor. Now put them
riLht =, Your pocket and turn them over TO
the general Office as a sample Of the currency
| out in Dakota, and close the curtains
| tried to reason with her. / told her gopher
tails were no money, and that il l took them
| to the Office they wou give me the laugh.
| and must have mouey. she said If | did
| not go right away from her berth she would
scream and wake up every body on the train,
and the passengers would lynch me, and she
| got ready to scream. Well, was paralyZed
i had been talking with her toe long, any
| wav, and you all know how it would oe it Q
woman should scream at three o'clock in the
morning. in a sleeper. and forty passengers
| should put their heads out OF the curtains
and find conductor with his head in a wo
mans berth. They would all think he was
| bold, bad man. So took my gopher tails
in one hand and my lantern in the other
and went out into the baggage car. thought
| it over and concluded to wait till morning
and speak to her after she got up. We got
breakfast at Portage, and she was Just thS
| neatest little woman ever was. Alter We
| started from Portage 1 went in and sat dowr
opposite her an d began to talk about tht
weather. asked if she rested well. and sh,
said, Beg pardon, but believe there is moth
ing further to be said. paid you my fare,
y - l..
Well, didn't want to pull that handful o
gopher tails out of my pocket and show then
! = .. and call the attention Of all the passen
gers, because felt as though she would &c
on her dignity and say l was lunatic, ant
the passengers would all believe it. So go
up and walked out, and when left the trail
here, as it pulled out for Chicago, she wave,
her handkerchief at me and smiled. l thinl
she is the slickest confidence operator eve
| saw"