Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-27
TALK WITH A CONDUCTOR.
He Tells Of the Peculiarities Of Those
Who Ride on His Car.


'Iook at that brute" said the conductor OF
a l4th-street car to STAR man who was stand.
ing on the rear platform.
The car was filed upon one side and on the
other there were two vacant seats one on
either side of the individual referred to. The
car had just stopped to admit young couple
and when they entered they found only these
two seats. Did the man move either
way? No; he sat still, and although
the young fellow scowled and
the girl gave him an appealing glance he
never budged. So the girl sat down ON one
side Of the 'brute," as the conductor called
him, and the young fellow on the other
Whenever the two wanted to speak to each
other they had to lean across the man between
them, and Of course he was q listener to all
that was said. Fortunately for the young PEG.
pie, the man got off a couple of squares be.
yond, and then the young folks had some
| comfort.
DO you find many such menu" asked THz
| Yes" was the reply. 'You would be sur.
prised at the number Of ill-bred men, not to
call them by any harsher term, who ride up and
down day after day. There are some who
always aim for the farther end of the
how many ladies get in and are compelled to
stand up. don't blame gentlemen sometimes
for refusing to give lady a seat, for MANY wo-
| men Will drop into the seat that has been va
Gated by courtesy without word of thanks,
and apparently with the idea that the man in
getting up only did what he ought to
have done. But always hate to
| see woman stand, and sometimes can secure
| seat for her by making those sitting move up.
some men will sit sideways and take up good
deal more room than they are entitled to. I
always take delight in making one of these sell
| hsh fellows move up."
But don't you find that women are more apt
to occupy more than their proportionate shaie
OF sitting space?"
''Yes; and l must say that as a general rule
women are more discourteous and disobliging
| to their own sex than are the men, They have
a greater habit of sitting sideways than the men,
and they will spread out their skirts so that
two women will easily cover the space that
should be occupied by three people. Now. 1
have no hesitation at all in asking such women
to move up"
"Do they comply readily with your reauest?"
Generally they do, but sometimes it is done
with very bad grace. Sometimes they talk
back at me. but always keep my temper. In
fact, 1t wouldn't do for me to get angry. There
10 more trouble on an open car than on one like
this. was running summer car last week
and one night when the car was quite full a
delicate-looking woman got ON just as we had
gone around the curve from New York avenue
The seats on a summer car. while they ought
only to hold four, can contain five people with
out subjecting them to any great incouyep-
fence. L motioned to the new conner to get into
one seat which had four already and asked
them to move up. Three were women and one
was man. The women moved up and the
new passenger sat down at one end The
man. who was at the other end, got up and stood
ON the long step that runs the whole length of
the car. The woman who sat next him said
loud enough for me to hear, i don't think a
man should be crowded out Of his seat but I
paid no attention to the remark. supposed
she was the wife of the man who had volunta-
rily got up, for there was plenty of room for
him to have renamed seated. You may imag-
inc my surprise when she got off the car and
the man then resumed the seat he had vacated
She didn't even know him.
Don't you know" he continued, ''that a
horse car is mighty good place to study
human nature? I've got SO that know nearly
all the regulars on this line, and am sure 1
could tell the histories of many by simply what
/ have observed in their actions and express
sions since they have been riding with me.
There is one man who always wants me to break
bill for him. / don't think he ever gave me
q nickel or ticket in his life. Generally il is
only dollar bill, but it's bill all the same I
used to give him half, a quarter and two
dimes in change, and then one day gave him
nine dimes and a nickel He undertook to
kick, but l told him that was the best I could
do and he said no more. Another time / gave
him nineteen nickels in change but he didn't
Say anything. What he does with his change
don't know. but he always springs bill on me-
There Is one man who, about once a
week, will give me four cents and say he
will hand me the other cent in the evening.
He never comes up with me that evening, and
the next morning he will hand me his regular
fare without saying a word about the &C 1t due.
Then l remind him o. it and he pays 1t over
don't know why he waits for me to remind
him. but he always does
do men often try to avoid paying their
fares?"
"Oh. yes, and you would be surprised at the
class Of men who try that dodge. They don't
attempt it so frequently with a conductor, but
when We had the bobtGil cars on this line
there were some who made a regular practice
of going up to the box and pretending to drop
In a ticket but never putting in a thing. The
driver would get on to them all finally, ana
some he would have to order out of the car. On
the other hand there are men who, il hap
pen to miss them in collecting fares when the
car Is crowded, will always give me their fare
when they get of. There is one man whom 1
have missed purposely at times, but when got
to his street he would give me ticket, saying
that had skipped him in the crowd can
pick out all the honest people who ride on nv
car and can tell further whether they are honest
from principle or only because they have had
no good opportu nifty to be dishonest"
Washington Needs an Unusually Good
Police Force