St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-13
CAR ROMANCE AND REALITY.
A Conductor Who Pressed Girl 8
Hand.

Hand.
New York Sun.
A man who weaves romances out OF
the commonest threads said this: II
boarded a Madison avenue car on its
way up town, and, dropping down in
the corner near the door, began to study
types. The first thing | discovered was
that the conductor was man of intelli-
gence and refinement, although he
looked very rough. His hands at once
attracted my attention as he placed the
change of 81 into my palm. They
they were shapely and delicate-the
hands of young man who had never
worked hard at anything. My curios-
ity was now awakened, and, reckoning
him to me, | asked question relative to
the departure of the trains from the
Grand Central station. He made reply
in Well-worded phrase, pronunciation
and meditation faultless. | now be-
gan to study his face. | could see that
it was siugularly manly and handsome,
although married by stubby beard and
darkened by dust and exposure. l
began to be deeply interested in my
knight of the bell-pull, and had
carefully noted his number, when, at
the TWenty-third street corner, as
always happens, crowd of homeward-
pushed their way into the car. 1t was
more than full; it was packed. In front
of me stood charming little girl of
eighteen or twenty, i'll a pale green
cloth costume, beautifully braided, the
Medici collar of the Louis XVI. coat
framing face of rare beauty. Imagine
my surprlse-nay, horror-yes, more,
my disgust, my everything-to notice
that my hero, in handing the change to
this dainty girl, deliberately took hold
of her hand and pressed it for an in
slant in his, with an almost cOnvulsive
grip, and then to see the girls big brown
eyes turned up and fixed upon this
young mans face
Aha thought l, here's love play
ing fantastic tricks! File, for shame!
street car, shouting out: Come, now,
step up lively" or Move up in front!'"
but in a few moments l had rea-
soned it QUITO my own satisfaction,
any way. OF course this young man is
not New Yorker, but the girl IS. He
met her in some other city, when his
family had plenty of money. Suddenly
his father fails and the young man
comes ito New York to go into bust
ness and be near the girl he loves. Only
college-bred, no good for banking or
commercial house, he goes down, down,
down and finally becomes a street-car
conductor. The old love in this young
heart is still faithful to him, however,
and takes ride occasionally on his car
in order to get look and a pressure of
the hand.
Its hard to be a street car conductor
and be in love with girl who lives in a
palace Oh the line of your road, but it
has its compensatlons. Her family
would never suspect that the conductor
meant anything when he looked up at
the girls window as mis- car went
rumbling by, and then she can, by wait
ing for his car, often be during the day
quite alone with him. Indeed. it's
quite romantic. He may even dead
head her over the line if he happens to
be quite sure that the terrible spotter is
not hidden behind paper in the corner
of the car. l sincerely hope that the
young man got the girl at the end of
the route. l mean in the end-that is,
in the long rum