Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-10-01
TIPPING A NECESSARY EVIL
A Passenger Agent Tells His Experience
in a Sleeping-Car.


''Do l believe in tips?'' exclaimed the |
travelling passenger agent of one of the /
trunk line running out of Chicago as he |
was giving small company the benefit
Of his experience as to how to travel
with the least Inconvenience and dis
comfort. 'Well, you may lust bet
your bottom dollar do. 1 believe in
them thoroughly and believe a great
variety of things about them. l be-
1ieve, for instance, that they are one of
the most blankety- blank blank out
RACES that were ever foisted upon any
people.
at is not very long ago since took
trip out to the Yellowstone park Il
had my wife and little boy along and
we had splendid time. We made up
our minds to rough it while we We're
gone. and to throw all Conventional
ties aside for the time being, and to
think of nothing or care for nothing,
but taking the most out of our holiday
Dust-stained and travel-worn we
reached Denver, but hadn't time to
stop there long enough to tidy up bit
We had to leave by the next train In
our sleeping-car we found big negro
as porter. He was as cunning and as
surly-looking as he was big, and 1 made
up my mind that he would be rather a
tough kind of fellow to get into a
squabble with.
"We were all tired and as soon as the
hour warranted me in asking him to
make up our births for us did so.
"'All right, boss he replied in no
amiable tone of voice. I'll make I'D
your birth as soon as can get around
to 1T, but there are lots ahead of you.
You'll have to wait your turn
Would you believe it, that rascal
made up every berth in the car before
he made up ours Had 1, when request
ing him to make up the berth, slipped
quarter into his hand you would have
seen the alacrity with which he would
have done what / asked. We would
have been to sleep half an hour at least
before it was possible for us to turn in.
l knew that very well, but l thought /
would have the fun of keeping him in
suspense concerning his tip as long as /
could.
well, we went to sleep and the darby
had all night to rue the fact that he
had a passenger on board that wasn't
going to tip him.
lon getting up the next morning /
found that my shoes were very indif-
ferently polished, but L thought 1
wouldn't say anything about it. l went
to the toilet-room, washed and dressed,
but my brave porter never offered to
dust me off or render me the least as
sistance in enabling me to look trim
and neat.
AT last thought to myself: This
thing has gone far enough; | had bet
ter give him his tip and see what the
result will be. Well, L slipped him a
fifty cent piece, and you never saw a
more astonished looking darby in your
life when he first caught sight of the
coin in his own hand. His manner
changed from that moment. He was
all obsequiousneSS and an Xiety to help.
81 say boss, my brush must have
been damp when polished your shoes,
he said. They don't shine very good.
Come back here and let me give them
another shine
'''All right / said. Go ahead and
will follow you As 1 did so l noticed
that in passing my berth he picked up
my little boys shoes that he hadn't be-
fore touched at all. Well, he put a
patent-leather shine ON both. He welt-
ed me from head to heels with his
broom till not a specS of the dust that
Idu Dccu Ioi Jill CO "SSho
remained on my garments, and he
turned me out of his hands as tidv as
dude.
s''Say, boss he remarked after
awhile. Il have got some things here
that found in the aisle last night near
your berth. Are they yours? And
opening a locker he took from it a
bunch of keys, little ivory foot-rule
and some other odds and ends that had
carried in my pants pockets. How he got
them don't to this day know. 1t may be
that they slid out of my pocket as l lay
on the berth, or he may have picked my
pocket while 1 was asleep for all l
know. OF this I have always been
sure however that | would never have
got one of those things back had it not
been for that fiftycent tip
Look here, Sam L said after
awhile, you didn't expect that tip, now
did you.'
He grinned from ear to ear as he re-
piled: Well, now, to tell you the
truth, boss, was a little scarey about
it You see, you were a little tough
looking before l busted you off My
sight is beginning to fail me and
wasn't able to see the gentleman under
the dust
THAT is but one experience. l could
relate to you fifty like it to show that
it is hopeless to get along smoothly
through this world without tipping
your way as YOU go''-Chicago Post