The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-02-04
Some Peculiar People.

The unattractive female person who
always thinks You are trying 10 iirt
with her. Brush your lips with a nap
kin at public table and she under
stands that you are trying to scrape an
acquaintanCe-withh her. of course. On
the street wipe the perspiration from
YOUR face and she braces herself to repel
your advances. Jab your umbrella in
TO a crack and drop it--that means you
wish to know her; and rs down goes
your umbrella, up goes her nose. Salute
Il friend across the street, and she will
catch that salute though she be block
out of its range. She is always on the
lookout. Give up your seat in car to
her or offer to raise the window at which
she is tugging. and she knows what you
are up to and freezes you with a look.
Smile at a witticism in your paper. and
like enough she will say something, to
the conductor about q lady's right 10 be
protected. Let us congratulate ourselves.
gentlemen, that she is an old maid, and
let us hope. for the peace of our fellows,
that she will not change her marital re-
lations with mankind.
The other creature-that one in men 5
clothes-the scamp who really does ogle
ladies that don't wish TO be ogled; YOU
can't always tell him at sight; he some
times gels himself up almost like Il
gentleman. You can scent him more
surely than You can sight him. He is
heavy with perfume. Otherwise he is
light. Ii his collar were not buttoned
TO his neckband you would know him
when he stoops; it would slip off over
his head. But he isn't ALWAYS a bad
fellow to look at Sometimes he is real
pretty, as Young girls say. If his father
is rich and he doesn't have TO work, he
has all the more time to u2le the ladies
and say Bah .Jove; and commit sundry
other misdemeanors that would be capi-
tai crimes if civilization had not gone SO
distressingly far. fl YOU really wish 10
see him though l do not advise-you
must come out of the theatre with a
lady on Your arm. He will be standing
in the vestibule. He will look your lady
out OF cOuntenance and struggle with
his mustache. Don't strike him. he
breaks easy. Let him live; he makes d
good black background upon which to
display the whiteness Of real manhood.
The railroad brakeman. He is a
genus. There are two remarkable
species OF him-the brakeman on the
through train and the brakeman on the
suburban accommodation. ! GU wouldn
know they belonged 10 the same family
The brakeman on the through train tells
you what 10 do: his brother On the
suburban train asks you what YOU would
like 10 do One Wells at you: Hi, there.
keep out Of that car, YOU the other
smiles and lets you own the train.
Sometimes the company takes a brake
man off a through train and puts him on
a suburban accommodation. The next
morning there is q string Of suburban u
travellers atthe general superintendent S
door when he comes to his office: and
after that the brakeman is q changed
man. Specializing Oh this one may al
most perceive that the difference. after
all, is not in the brakeman, but in the
passengers. A through passenger is
not so likely to know his rights as o
daily traveller on 81 suburban train.
BraEemen may sometimes take advant-
age OF this. AT any rate. brakeinen all
say nobody else is SO mean as 4 sub
overbearing. pig-headed SAYS the
brakcman-and. besides, the general
superintendent always listens TO him.
The fact that the suburban passenger
won't be imposed OH makes the suburb
an brakeman life an irksome burden
to him; but the through brakeman-he
is harsh ruler, lieSpot, cruel. re-
ientless tyrant, who charges you Sc
cents for seat in the chair-car, and
divides with the porter; who won't turn
your seal over unless you call him mister
and say please; who lets you live if you
keep very still and don't bother him.