The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-24

A long line was waiting in front of the
ticket Office, and the reporter stood in the
middle of the room and watched things.
When the last of the line had disappeared
through the doorway, and the train had
whistled before starting, Miss Daley sat
down in an armchair and with her chin
on her hand looked reflective. The re-
porter said Him" This startled the
Young woman. She turned, jumped up,
and with one hand on the box where the
tickets were, asked:
Where to-"
The reporter explained that he wasn't
going anywhere just then, but that he had
come to have talk with the ticket agent.
Anything the matter with your bag
gage"
The reporter explained still more. When
she understood, she said. "OhP'
YES" said the reporter, that's what
came for"
DIDN'T WANT TO BE PRINTED.
Then Miss Daley invited him into the
cage, and after saying, For heavens sake
don't put me in the paper" composed her
self to answer questions.
In the first place, Miss Daley, how do
like the work?"
"Oh, it's too lovely for anything. The
people are very cranky sometimes, but
know how to manage them. Now, please
don't put anything in the paper about
this Oh, you newspaper men are just
dreadful.
You wanted me to tell you something
about the work here. Perhaps you had
better ask me questions and Pll answer
them. Otherwise | don't know what to
tell you. You see there's so much to do
here Pm ticket agent and telegraph
operator and freight agent and express
agent and baggage master all in one, and
sometimes | really think my heads going
to split, Pm that busy. 1t took me long
time to learn all about the work, and, to
tell you the truth don't know half yet.
/ came here last May and didn't know the
first thing about it. Before that | was
telegraph operator at the Peoples line
dock in New York. That's where | learned
to write left handed. Can you write left
handedi It's awfully handy The men
used to come r1shing in there while was
busy sending messages and wanted me to
check an invoice or something like that,
and had only one hand left to do it with.
1t comes in very nicely here. When get
tired of sending messages with my right
hand l begin to enter up my books with
the left. That's the worst part of the work
here-the books. Every month we have to
make a report to the superintendent, and
he's so frightfully particular about it.
They won't let you make a single mistake.
Oh, how hate the end of the month";
al first came to Sea Cliff for my sisters
health, and friend of mine helped me to
get this place. | learned telegraphy in
Cooper Union, and you always meet lot
of girls there. just dote on sending. l
don't get a chance to do much of it here,
because this isn't the regular station.
There's another one up in the village. But
when l do get a chance to send long mes
sage l just delight in it, It's more fun
than answering lot of idiotic questions
that some people ask
WANTED TO SWEAR.
zone day a man came IN very angry and
said, Where is the ticket agentY | said,
Here / am He looked surprised and
said, Where is the baggage master? Pm
baggage MASTER l said. We'll, who rep
resents the express company here? L do,'
| said. He looked astounded, and said,
Pardon me, miss, isn't there man around
here somewhere? | told him that my
usually CdI16 dEOuHQ dJ . . ClOCh 10
fix the lamps for me. Then he laughed
and said: L found my trunk broken, and l
came around here to swear at some one.
Pm awfully disappointed l had to laugh,
and told him that if he didn't use any very,
very bad words be could swear at me
little Then we both laughed, and now he
sometimes sends me some flowers. But
they amt all like that. Some of the people
are real cross when they don't get their
baggage as quickly as they expected it.
Next summer am going to ask for an
assistant. The work is growing bigger and
bigger, and l can't afford to make any mis-
takes. have to get here at o'clock in
the morning for the early train, and then
Pm busy clean up to noon. After lunch |
enter my books and then Isometimes have
little leisure time. Pm reading 1.-THE
Moonstone" now-have you ever read ita
It's beautiful story, and so awfully mys-
terious Pm very fond of reading when
ever get chance, but don't have much
time. Sometimes ! bring my needlework
down here, and pass away a leisure half
| hour at it. Then the afternoon trains
come in, and Pm kept busy until 1:40,
when the last train gets in. After that
/ I'm off There's very little to do here,
though, in the evening. It's an awfully
dull place, nothing like New York, and
/ you find it hard to kill time. The young
men here are regular country lumpkins.
! They're good natured, and sometimes they
come down and help me with the baggage
and run errands fer me; but they can't
/ talk, don't you know, and they're so terri
bly, quiet
THE people that live here all the year
( round are all right. When | first came
here had some trouble with them. The
last ticket agent used 70 let them run up
their bills for tickets and express, but
wouldn't allow anything Of the kind, be-
cause it isn't business, and then it means
so much more work So put my foot
down and shut of sll credit. They all got
indignant at first. but now Eve got them
all down so that they pay cash" Just
/ then stage load of passengers for the next
train arrived, and Miss Daley said:
I'm have to attend to these now. Just
you make r0te of tbe oVsrtjoDs you want
10 ask, and I'll answer them as soon as this
train leaves"
But the reporter thanked her and said
that be really couldn't think Of any Ques-
ton to ask, at which the ticket agent
| looked much surprised--New York Sun
The Country's Debt to a Kentucky Man.
! When Zebulon NJ Pike was in New
! Mexico in 1907 he met at Santa Fe 8 car.
penter, Pursley by name, from Bardstown,
1 Ky. who was working at bis trade there
because he could not well get away. lie
had. in Is92, while out on the plains hunt
ing met with a series of misfortunes, and
| found himself IN 1904 or 1895. with hunt
Ing party near the mountains The hostile
| Sioux of the plains drove them into tbs
| high ground IN the rear of Pixies peak
Near the hesdwsters OF La Platte river