St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-02

afforded mankind On TINS lnul-
dane sphere. The ticket agent
always has an eye for business. HIS
eve rSy be likened to that of the
philOyssSher, who, it is said, with MS
eve could draw a duck out OF poild.
There is this difference: The city agent
has no desire to draw duck out OF a
pond, but, having located with his eye
a likely customer, with the aid Of per-
suasiye tongue he draws the dollars
out of his pocket. But the life OF @
ticket agent Is not altogether one OF
butter and molasses. He has SO many
divers classes of people I'd zeal WIFI
that to please everybody Is all almost
superhuman task. There il no Detter
place than the city ticket office 70 STUDY
human nature. You get 1t there I'D us
highest state Of civilization, ana III ICS
most pronounced rusucity. Inc voKel
hob-nubs with the philosopher, the wage
Garner with the millionaire. The scene is
kaleadiscnpic. There is the seasoned
traveller. WHO knows exactly what he
wants and gets it; there is the tussy m
dividuaI. who does not know what ne
wants and expects the agent to lie aOle
to tell him: there is the pOmpous, self
satisfied passenger the person VINO
wants the earth and fulness thereof
who will spend the morning In proving
to the agent that it is to the advantage
of his road 10 allow him TO travel nfSt-
class on a secOnd-class ticket. Ihere
are people of all nationalitles, and itcan
quite easily br seen that the city ticket
agent must be a man of many parts.
A typical ticket agent is Cal Stone.
of the Nnrtnnrn Pacific. Genial, whole
s0uIed, hrimful of hearty good humor'
he is prince among men. Inc ladies'
like him awfully, the elder ladies es-
ppcially. They fly to him for advice
when about TO take journey or any
Importance, and look askance at the
other fly young dubs, with their bud
ding mustache and biaZ0ned diamonds.
But Cal Stone is not to be envled When
he is thus sw0oped down upon by
an elderly lady exhibiting unmistakable
signs of distress. They are very diff
cult to handle, and none but on expert
enced hand can undertake the work.
The number Of questions which an ell
DERBY lady will ask, preparatory to pur-
chasing a ticket, would almost talk OH
the hind leg of mule. Cal Stone has
consequently pretty hot three-quarters
| of an hour when among his daily WIS.,
| itors is a lady of las Charles Dickens has
| it, a certain undeterminate age. He
MAY not get hot in the collar: put the
avalanche of questions showered upon
| him is enough to raise the remaining
hairs which form the background to
the growing badness which adorns the
top of his head.
Three ladies visited the Northern Pa
cific office the past week. Lady No. l
was going to Tacoma and wanted q
lower sleeping berth.
Cal Stone was full of regrets; all the
lower berths were taken. He could
oblige the lady with a central upper
berth.
No; that would not do. III don't
mind" sweetly chimed the lady, ''sleep-
ing in an upper berth. but I'd hate to
! sit up there all day."
The heads of the other boys in the
office here disappeared: Cal pinched
himself twice anu commenced a long
explanation on the makeup of sleep
ing car.
Lady No. was going to Seattle. She
had what she repeatedly called "a