The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-01-11
A STREET CAR NUN.
The Queer Ghost Story Told by an
Ex-BGb Tail Driver.
BY Macy KYLE DALLAS.

I'm a Chinaman. Foolin'? No, no: I'm
not. I'm not one to fool; 1 drove a bob
tailed car too long for that! What with
the greenies that put their fares into the
kerosene lamp box and the crooks that
try to get of without paying at all,
and the old gents with principles
that make the driver come in and
collect ''for their own good" and
the young ladies that will stop to
kiss each other on the platform, and
the old ladies that are afraid to get
off, and the boys that hitch on behind,
and the old gents that are going to write
to the papers, and the folks that want
twenty-dollar bills changed, and the
folks you run over, and the wagons that
run into you, l tell you a bob tail car
driver gets savage after awhile and don't
feel like foolin'.
was savage that day. There were
two folks in the cara man and a wo-
man-and only one fare in the box. I'd
rung and I'd shouted, but neither of
them attended to me. I laid the missing
fare to the man because of his looks. He
was about as poverty stricken as l ever
saw. Not your laboring mans poverty.
A laborer out of work never looked like
that. 1t was tramp's rags this fellow
wore, and he had the hands of a tramp
too. Under their dirt a tramp's hands
are like the hands of a fine gentleman
same reason, he don't work. This mans
hands were clean, and his face wasn't
bad; but it was more likely he was try
ing to beat me out of five cents than that
the lady was. And if he was a tramp he
had money enough about him-they al
ways have-and after I'd done my best
from outside, / stopped the car and went
to attend to him. The minute I got in |
saw-what it seemed to me sort of queer
/ hadn't noticed before-the lady was a
Sister of Charity. She wore a black bon
net and veil, and q white thing under it
around her forehead and under her chin.
Her haHds were crossed in her lap. She
was as holy and pure to look at as if
she'd been an angel. | looked at her, and
then / said to the man:
81 want your fare"
He looked at me-hungry eyes he had
and says he:
81 paid five cents into your box-isn't
that right, driver?"
t'All right, if you did it," said I.
Then / went down toward the lady. It
was my duty, but I found it hard to do.
I stood before her feeling as queer as
ever ! did in all my life, and all 1 could
say was:
MADAM, shall / take your fare?"
She did not answer me, but pointed to
a paper somebody had left upon the seat
"a common newspaper.
"Give it to him." l seemed to see her
say with her lips-and by ''him" | saw
she meant the tramp.
Now, a paper left in the car belonged
to me, and I'm a mar with a temper,
and at my wages the price of a paper
was something; so, what do you think,
then, of my going and handing that
paper over to that tramp, as meek as
Moses?
"Hers," says I, poking it toward him.
sit ism mine" says he.
But my eyes were on the sister all the
while.
1.-The lady says you must take it,"
says |.
Now, she hadn't said anything; she
had only lifted her hand.
what LADY," said the man., taking
the paper.
''The sister there" said /.
Then all of a sudden, while I looked
at her, the seat the lady had been sitting
on was empty! She hadn't got up on
her feet or moved. She just wasn't there
any more, and / got out to my horses
again as quick as 1 could. Men do go
out of their heads from overwork, I'm
told, and l began to think l was going
out of mine. l did not dare to look back
into the a until the nan inside pulled
back the slide and spoke.
Driver" he said, "give me your
name and residence"
"What for?' l asked.
"No harm,' said he.
"Do you mean to try to get me into
trouble?' l asked, knowing that there
were '.spotters" about and making up
my mind that this was one in disguise.
81 tried my best to get that lady's fare,
but [ couldn't be rough to a sister"
81 saw no lady. What do l care about
the fares!' said the man. ''If you give
me your name you'll not be sorry for it,
/ think"
He spoke like a gentleman, for all his
clothes.
sob, well, I'm not ashamed of my
name-it's Jim Brown. This car is No.
=, and if you want me you can find
mel"
cali right" he said; and I saw that he
bad folded the paper square and was
iassenIng IL up III MS coat, plnaing AZ
with a black headed pin.
At the next corner he got off.
That night I went to DR.. -, as kind
q man as ever lived. l knew he wouldn't
charge me for an opinion. l told him
my story.
"Now. DOCTOR" 1 said, ''if I'm looney,
out with it!'
"No, no, Jim," said he; every sane
men have optical illusions nov and
then"
81 don't want any more of EN-" said
/. Collecting fares Of optical illusions
don't pay"
81 should say not" said the doctor.
"But my opinion is that you turned
your back a minute and that the woman