St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-15

w
every one he gets acquainted with on the
train. Jerry is one of the oldest conductors
i'm the Northwest, and attends to his duties
with a regularity peculiar to an eight-day
clock. He is one of those over Jealous con-
ductors who never allow pass to get away
from them. If he don't happen to be thor
oughly acquainted with the person who
holds pass up for his inspection, he takes
it for granted that he is an imposter and,
putting it in his pocket, says, in a bland
way:
Pay your fare, please. You're probably all
right, but don't know you. I'll leave the
pass and the money at the general office, and
if you are what, NO doubt, you are, you can
get it back.
1t never occurred to Jerry that he is not
supposed to be intimately acquainted with
everybody to whom the road issues a pass,
and consequently he very often puts patrons
of the river division of the Milwaukee road
to a great deal of unnecessary inconveni-
ence But this little popularity of Jerry's
is his chief fault and he is looked upon
generally by the people as one Of the most
accommodating conductors on the run, and
to ladies is he especially courteous.
Something more than ten years ago Jerry
went down into GoOdhue county and found
a wife in one OF the finest ladies in that
part of the state, and few weeks ago he
came home from his trip and found him.
self the father of a healthy baby, with a
pair of powerful lungs. 1t was the first
time that Jerry had been father, and at
first he wasn't sure just what was the
proper way to act, but in order to bring
himself around to a state of reasonable
thinking, he went out back of the barn,
gallOped few times around the
lot and returned to the house in
a much different state of mind. The news
that Jerry was father soon spread through
the neighborhood, and he began to receive
congratulations from all sources. Butter,
cheese. eggs and poultry poured in from
the farmers; rattle boxes, rubber rings,
shoulder braces, high chairs and baby car
riages came from brother conductors and
railway officials. and in the midst of the
confusion attendant OH the arrival of the
strange but welcome guest, jerry began to
show signs of mild insanity. He would go
out in the front yard and sit on the fence,
hailing every acquaintance that passed, to
tell them of the sensation inside. Climbing
down from the fence, he would go into the
house and playfuly kick the toe of bis boot
into the ribs of full-blooded setter dog
that up to that day had stood second to his
wife in his affections. On the morning fol-
lowing the birth of the treasure, Jerry sat
down to breakfast, and in his absent
mindedneSS, threw piece OF baked potato
into his ear, mistaking it for his mouth, and
emptied cup of hot coffee on the top of
his head. These two little acts destroyed his
appetite completely, and getting up
from the table he went in and borrowed
the baby to amuse himself with until train
time. If little. round-faced, pink-skinned,
blue-eyed cherub ever carried sunshine
and happiness into a human heart, that
baby did into the heart of Jerry Coughlan,
and when he gave it back to its mother
kissedthem both short farewell and went
down to the depot to board the train, he
stepped up in the air three feet at every
step, and refused to recognize any man who
wasn't the father of large family of chill
dren.
He mounted the baggage car and pre-
pared himself for work. AS he passed
through the train he met many people with
whom he was acquainted and who had
heard of his good fortune, and their con-
gratuations quite turned his head. In the
rear car he came to well-dressed man who
held pass out to Jerry.
"PaSS, ney. SAID jerry TAKING Gne caro- De-
tween his fingers.
''Yes," replied the man.
''Well, don't know YOU" said Jerry, land
I'll keep this. If you're all right you can call
at the office and get it. You see L don't pro-
pose to have anybody do me up, not If 1 know
it,
"Let me take that pass minute, please.
want to get the number SAID the man.
Jerry handed the man the pass. The
man turned to the window, went through a
few motions and handed the card back to
Jerry, who, without looking at it, thrust it
into his big pocketbook and went back to
the baggage car to talk with the boys about
the baby.
When the train arrived in st. Paul, Jerry
went to the general Office to turn over his
tickets, and throwing down pile. he pulled
the pass from his pOcketbook and threw it
down saying:
There's pass I picked up. I don't
know whether it's all right or not
The passenger agent picked up the card
and glanced at it. He looked at Jerry with
peculiar smile and said:
You're dandy Jerry, you are. The baby
will drive you crazy if you don't look out.
''Why, what's the matter?' inquired Jerry
with look of surprise.
MATTER" repeated the agent, 'look at that
pass" ard he tossed it across the desk in the
direction of Jerry, who picked it up and read
as follows:
........'....s....x