Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-28
THE OFFICER WIlTED.
4 Traveller whites Away the Time While
Waiting for . Train.

Waiting for = Train.
Don't you know better than to pile all
your baggage on that seat:" demanded a
policeman at one of the railway depots yes
terday morning, sharply addressing a trav-
eler who seemed to be waiting for a train.
II don't see any sign here prohibiting my
piling all the baggage 1 want to on that
seat" returned the traveller. pushing his
hat back and preparing for an argument.
when you want to keep persons from
smoking you stick up sign, don't you
There's half a dozen No smoking signs in
| this room, and not one forbidding a man
from putting his valises on the seat beside
him."
I've take it for granted" retorted the
policeman, that everybody knows these
seats are made to sit on. There's plenty
of room on the floor for bandboxes and
| gripsacks."
"There seems to be plenty of room on the
seats too. More than half Of them are
| empty. These traps of mine don't appear
to be crowding anybody, do they."
THAT doesn't make any difference. It's
| against the rules"
Whose rulesf''
"The rules of this station. If you don't
| take them DOWN.
Take down WHAT"
Those traps"
81 didn't know but you meant the rules, {"
rejoined the traveller. But we won't have
any fuss over it. If it's contrary to the
regulations I'll put them down on the
floor Of course
He lifted his valises up, hesitated q
moment. and then replaced them on the
seat.
Look herel'' he said, pointing his finger
sternly at the policeman, didn't / put
these things on the floor when i came in ?"
NO. growled the officer. "You slapped
'em down on that seat. They've been
there half an hour"
And you've let me violate the rules of
this depot for a whole half hour, have
your" said the traveller, raising his voice.
What kind Of
''But''-
Don't attempt any explanation, sir! /
come in here break one of the rules, and
you see me do itl You deliberately permit
a total stranger to you, sir, to defy the
authorities of this depot for thirty min
utesi Is that the way you carry out the
instructions of your superiorst Do you
call that sort of thing doing your duty
Don't you know, sir, that If you permit one
man to override the established rules and
regulations of "a passenger station like
this, where thousands of men come and go
every day in the week, that everybody else
will feel at liberty 70 do the same thing.
and all discipline will be at an end: If
YOU hsiNSI HlbptI Itsdt'a icI OA- IUtN,
who, in the name of truth and justice. has
or ought 20 have? Permit man to pile
his baggage on one of these seats, regard
less of the rights OF the travelling public,
right under your eyes, and let him keep it
there half an hour before you even lift
your voice in protest! Officer, consider
it one of the most fragrant, one of the most
ineXcusable and Unwarranted lapses from
official duty of which have ever known
man in ya,1r- TlD-iT i'm IN he entity of Take
my advice and don't let it happen again"
The traveller sat down by the side of his
baggage again, took a paper from his
pocket and began to read.
The policeman, with his jaw hanging
down and a wild, hunted look in his eye,
wandered in an aimless sort of way to the
outside of the building, sat down on the
curbstone took off his hat and famed him
self with it.
IN bet 81 ,GOO,'' he soliloquized in a hol-
low voice, ines the president of the roadr'
Chicago Tribune.