Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-09
A CONDUCTORS TALE.
Curious People Met by a Nickel
Collector.
Mean Women Who Pay Their Fares In
Battered Pennies and Are Insulting
How "English George" Was
Captured.

nickel. SAID the conductor. as ne
turned it over in his hand obviously.
give Just had a row with a chap who
who wouldn't take it."
The coin was not really bad-looking.
and would doubtless have passed mus
ter almost anywhere but on a street-car.
81 hate to see a man make a fuss
about a little thing likes lead Nickel"
he continued, ''but some folks are
mighty small about such tritles."
''fcs:?" remarked the reporter in
quiringly, seeing that the conductor
was inclined to be loquacious.
''Now, there's a heap of trouble all
along of some women. If you ever
read the papers-but mebbe you
don'te" and he gave the rope a vicious
jerk as a fat woman swung off back
wards.
The young man admitted that he did.
swell, then you've seen how it is.
It's been written up lots of times. Just
like that woman dropped. for example,
facing the wrong way. And now two
to one she'll start around back of the
a without looking to see if there is a
grip coming from the opposite direc-
ton. There! What did l tell you?
Seems as if they try to be awkward,
some of 'em--and that's useless. But
when women want to act mean they
are all there, every time. [ believe
they'd rather keep a conductor in hot
water then ride home in a carriage.
Now, there's 'Ansome Henncry -.
What? 0, the boys call him that be-
u he looks like Irving, the actor.
You see, he runs on State Street, and
that y little the meanest run in the
business. He was coming down one
day with two crowded cars, besides an
Archer road on behind, and was nearly
four minutes. late. About Sixteenth
Street in got two women disguised as
ladies, who sat right down by the door.
Hennery stepped in the doorway and
called out as politely as you ever heard:
.''Fares, pleased! and one of 'em rum
mayed through her pocketbook. One
at a time, after carefully pokin' over
the contents, she ished out ten of the
most disreputablc-lookin' pennies that
were ever dropped in a beggar's cup.
Then one of the women was a little bit
thoughtful and says:
so, l wouldn't give him those,
Sarah; conductors don't like to take
pennies. Here, l have a dime,' and
started to hand it to him. The one
with the coppers grabbed her quick as
flash and says in the most spiteful way:
They're plenty good enough for
him-they're too good for him. and
her nose turned up in the most con.
temptful way. Hennery got a little bit
hot under the collar about that time,
but he didn't say nothing, and didn't
even stop to look at the antique collec.
ton. He quietly rung up two fares,
and, cool as an old g%riddle-cake, flung
the whole lot out into the street. NY
wasn't that a mad woman! She dasn'1
say much, but l tell you she looked a
heap. The next day 'Ansome Hennery
gets a summons from the downtown
office. The old freak had reported him
for insolence.
''Wha was the result?"
80, he went down and saw the chief
and told his story, but he had to
knuckle down, just the same. He was
obliged to go to that woman's home
and apologize. 1t was mighty tough,
but it was either that or off went his
head"
"The company doesn't c~ountenance
anything of that kind, then?"
'.Not for a minute. These low-down
snobs that make a conductors position
no sinnycnre are the worst trials we
have. Some of the boys brace up oc.
'c~asionally and try to get back at 'em,
like Hennery did, but it does no good
in the end. There was another fellow
that had a little scrap with a fresh
woman Eighteenth Street! Hello,
Jim! 686 ahead. What's your nun,
Der? 1877, hey? All right!' and he gave
a double ring to the man on the grip
as the green al was coupled on.
'sWhat were those numbers?:" quer
led the reportorial mind.
why, CSC is the number of the grip
Jim, there. on the Indiana, has to take
the number of the grip that pulls hin
down town, and l have to take the
number of his car"
''For what r%easonP"
"Well, l s'pose SOS to know wha'
cars composed the train in case of al
accident. But as [ was sayin' 'bou'
this other fellow. There was a woman
got on at T%hirty-frst Street, logged on