The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1892-05-19
HE DROPPED THE TICKETS.
An Episode nt the Entrance of tho Isrook.
Iv,, 81.


ivn Bridge.
Tickets for the Brooklyn Bridge rail.
wa- arN sold in lots of ten, NO reduction
by the quantity. That is To- say. ten
tickets cost twonty-hve cents. and null
tiplcS Of ten cannot be bought for any.
thing less than AN equal number OF
multiplcs of twenty-five.
When purchased. the tickets are at
tachrd to each other and numbered from
one to tcn-nut sincerely attached, as
John Phoenix said of the horse that
would not run away with the wagon he
was drawing-but 50 as to be easily de-
tachcd by the application of II littlo
muscular force through the thumb and
foretingcr.
Many bridge travellers find it most
convenient to tear off "A single ticket
each time they wish to use one. Others,
as soon as they purchase IL package,
proceed to destroy the 'tie that binds"
and then, by means of a rubber band,
keep the loose tickets from strayng in.
to out-of-thc-way corners OF their pock.
cts.
1t was one of the latter who arrived
Mt the brooklyn entrance one day last
week when there was more than the
usual allowance of mud to the square
inch. Thousands of hurrying feet had
carried q large quantity of the mud in
side the station and hcaped up ter
minal moraine close to the ticket boxes.
The traveller just mentioned APP
proachcd with the haste characteristic
of Brooklyn man having his office in
New York, and just before reaching the
box thrust his hand into his waistcoat
pocket for ticket.
He got il.
In fact lac got several And he got
more than he bargained for.
The next moment he was gazing with
ruetul cyc--as the novel-writrrs say
upon dozen or more tickets reposing
within the space of u square yard upon
the mud-lccoratCd flooring.
There was nothing for it hut to stoop
down and gather up the nasty bits of
paper. and. with his ovcrcnat dragging
III the mud. the man proceeded to re-
plevin his property. Meantime thirty
or forty passengers were pressing
around the unlucky one muttering
audihly at the delay which his sup
posed awkwartineSs had caused. The
man kept his temper admirably, though
he couldn't keep his face. from growing
red, and his ears viSihly ,inglcd.
All would have gone wrll---at least.
comparatively wcll-had it not been for
the ticllct-choppcr. lie was one of the
men who may he described as "too
fresh. He laughed cuar>rly when the
mishap occurred. and continued to
sIuilc--liilc the man on the stilc when
confronted hv the awful COW whose
heart he hoped to soften-while the
process of recovering the scattered and
hodragglcd tickets went on. When
only two u. three remained to be gath
cred up an idea occurred To him. He
slapped his thigh vigorously, and with
loud gutfaw, eNclaimcd;
I'VE won't charge you anything for
the mud"
That WAS the last straw.
The man with the red face uttered a
smothrrcd cjaculation--it would have
been an imprccation loud as well as
deep hut fo" the proximity of number
of women just entering the station
dropped one of the muddy tickets in the
box and rushed up the stairs two steps
at a time.
AT the top he paused. His face was
redder than when he had been taking a
humble attitude near the ticket-boX.
He gingerly punched the soilcd ticket,
together and then, wrapping them in
bit Of paper, returned them to his
pocket.
I'd like to see myself do that again.
he said under his breath. as he stepped
aboard the train and resumed his jour
nCY to Now York n Y Trihnnn