, 1889-02-20
haste to oblge him and to offer

APOLOGIES
81 trust have not kept you waiting,p
said L
He went away quite crestfallen.
Another day, / was in u New York local
train These trains have not drawing room
cars with smoking room attached. Neither
first, second nor third class; all the carriages
nre dix / addressed tho conductor, asking
him where l should find the smoking com
partment. In reply he murmured a TOW IN
Ineligible words between his teeth. In my
humblest, sweetest accents, l said;
Excuse me, ! did not hear"
Ho shouted at me at the top of his voice:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. do you hear
this timer
My first impulse WINS to knock him down.
But i bethought myself of tho advice that
had been given me, and answered with a smile:
"Yes, / heard / beg a thousand pardons
You are really too polite"
A popular American actress was dining one
evening in the dining car of a train going
from Boston To New York Being alone, she
ate slowly, and deliberately dawdied over the
meal to kill time. Tho waiter, displeased at
the audacity of such conduct, stood about
within hearing, and began making the rudest
remarks on her proceedings.
When she had quite finished her dinner,
and he came to remove the dishes, tho actress
wrote a few words upon ono Of her cards, and,
handing 1t to him with a sweet smile, she said:
Here Is my card; IL you hand it in at the
Opera house tomorrow evening you will be
provided with a stall / regret exceedingly
that it is not in my power to offer you a box
1t Is such a treat to meet with a polite rail
way servantir
The names Of the stations are hidden. Do
not hope that the conductor VIII clear up the
mystery.
Tho train had just stopped a few leagues
from Richmond ono day.
"What station Is thisT' asked a traveller.
addressing the conductor.
This individual simply shrugged his shout
ders and turned his back.
/ happened to be close to him.
"What inquisitive people there are, to be
surel' | said to him.
To an irritable person, the rudeness of the
railway and hotel servants would be enough
10 spoil oil the pleasure of a visit to America
But tho Americans themselves arc good tenn
pered and pay no attention TO these things
l know some who even get u certain amount
Of amusement therefrom-
The negro who makes your bed Is more
polite; but his po~liteness Is not disinterested.
A few moments before the arrival Of the
train at your destination, he brushes you
down and receives the invariable, 25 cents
for his trouble. These negroes, Independently
of tho salnry paid them by the company they
work for, make sometimes from $40 to S12 a
dow a., eli. ,ro - -. 80 Epn A. 40 mn =
year.
How many a white would turn black for
lessl
Returning to Jacksonville from st Angus
tine, omitted to engage my place in a parlor
car, and was obliged to find a seat in the or
binary cars The evil was not great, seeing
hat the journey takes but fifty minutes.
Besides the parlor cars, the train comprised
three cars, two of which were almost full.
| Installed myself In the third, which WINS
empty.
Up comes the conductor.
Come out, you can't travel in that car"
he said.
"Why notf' l asked,
Because 1t is the colored peoples car"
"Am | not as good as theyP'
II tell you you can't travel In this carr
81 am sorry, for once, that l am not col
ored," / said to him; at is much the cleanest
of your carriages"
| went to the end of the last car, and found
myself just in front of the apple, banana,
jujube, cap and book store.
From my seat l was able to contemplate
the wondrous activity of the commercial
gentleman at the head of this department.
During the whole fifty minutes ride he kept
up an unceasing going and coming.
When his last tour of the train had been
made, he put by all the merchandise which
he had not sold, took off his uniform, put on
a black coat and hat, and fastened into his
cravat a huge diamond pin. l looked on at
the rapid mctamorphosis with great interest
When his toilet was completed, he turned
round, and, seeing that l was looking at him,
he threw mo a patronizing glance, cycling me
from head to foot l thought he was about
to say;
VIVA is 1t you wantr'
well, business is looking up, chr I haz-
arded.
mind your own d. business he re-
piled, and, turning on his heels, no departed.