The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-13
SHE HADN'T THE CHECK.
An Impatient Young Lady and an Obstinats
Baggage-Master.


Baggage-Master.
Boston Letter in Providence journal.
There are perhaps few places where one may
more easily study human nature in a.variety on
phases than at the railway stations, and there ID
perhaps no branch of human experience in
which the ethereal vagaries of the feminine
mind are more fully displayed than in the inge-
nuity shown in the invention of mistakes and
wrong -headedness at the stations. | was re-
Gently the involuntary listener to a controversy
between an exceedingly irate young woman and
! q baggage master which may serve to illustrate
what / mean. The young woman wished to
claim trunk which she said belonged to her,
but the check for which had been thoughtlessly
left in a hand bag which friend had taken down
town shopping. The young woman. who was
pretty, vivacious and Of remarkably intelligenf
expression, explained to the baggage master.
and incidentally to line of waiting people, max
OF whom were in danger OF paying for tna
pleasure of hearing her artless tale by losing
their respective trains that she had come to town
for wedding; that she had had gown manu-
featured especially for the occasion, and thas
the gown was in the trunk in question.
.'Of course" she explained lucidly, 1T isn't az
IL didn't want the dress to wear to-day, and
then | have the check, you know; so it's all
right"
''If you have she check it is all right" the bag
gage master replied with some appearance, suf-
fciently ungallant, of considering that the con.
versation had continued as long as he had right
to monopoize the pretty young lady's attention;
''but can't give up trunks to anybody that asks
for them. You haven't anybody to identity you.
and you haven't any check"
"Oh, but Lucy has the check she interposed,
dimplipg and smiling" and I'll send 1t to you to.
morrow. | said I'd send it down in the morning,
and / can't do any better than that, for / shant
see Lucy till after breakfast, and you know
must have my dress before o'clock"
Her interlocutor took check over her shout
der from hackman, aud the vivacious lady ex.
planned all the circumstances to a strange but
sympathetic old lady who had elbowed her way
UP to the window, so that when the unfortunate
official came up again there were two women ia
tell him the facts in the case, and explain TO him
that the gown had really been made to wear this
afternoon, and it was after II already. and that
1T Lucy hadn't gone off in such q hurry the
owner of the trunk would, of course, have re-
membered the check and that the importane
bit of metal should be sent down in the morning.
"And | know the number the vivacious
young damsel added. upon second thought, as
clinching argument; "or. at least know it be-
gan with seven, and there were three numbers"
feel positive that the baegage-maste would
have yielded in time No man could endure
such siege long; especially "a the young
woman, reinforced by the sympathetic old one.
pretty effectually blocked the window and
stopped the entire business OF the department Of
inner baggage at busy time of day. Fortu-
nately for all concerned however, at this stage
of the controversy a furred and disheveled
young lady appeared on the scene, and made hef
way InFOuRn tu6 crown aS only u young WOmdn
or fire engine can.
sob, Florence she gasped thrusting forward
the missing check, II got clear up to Winter
street before l found it, and l took herdic and
came tearing back. and knew what. an awful
fix you'd be in, and If you hadn't got your dress
I'd never have forgiven myself"
She stopped from sheer want of breath and
her friend fell upon her with incoherent but
satisfactory expressions of rapture, while the
sympathetic old lady glared through her wida
spectacles at the offending baggage-master. to
remind him that he was taken as it were, red
handed In a crime against all that was highest in
individual rights, and remarked with biting en-
phass:
There now, hope you are satisfied, after all
the fuss you have made and the time you have
kept all these folks waiting"
Personally. felt that collection ought to be
taken up for the much-abused baggage master.
but he had so strong an air of being perfectly
used to this sort of thing that concluded, upon
the whole, that it was hardly necessary to press
this point.