The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-02-20
ON A "MIxED" TRAIN.
1t Was So Slow the Boy Had Outgrown
His Ticket.

His Ticket.
The particular point of the following
I have heard in different ways, but the
incident have in mind, coming under
my own observation, was too good to
pass, and we will consider it fresh and
new, for l am very sure that the dis
gusted grandmother of my story had
not the remotest idea that she was lay
ing herself liable to the accusation of
plagiarism.
Dear reader, did you ever ride for
any considerable distance on mixed"
railroad train-that is, train made up
of passenger coaches and freight cars?
If you never have, then you know not
how steam-power can be insulted; you
know not what weary, wretched wait
ing on railroad really means.
Years ago, when the Western Della
ware and Reading railroad was first
opened to public travel, purchased a
ticket at Wilmington, Del, for Read
ing, Pa, distance Of somewhere about
sixty miles; aGd when I came to enter
my car, l found myself on board one
of those mixed trains There was vast
ly more freight than there were passen-
gers.
For myself, however, did not par
ticularly suffer. The road ran for its
whole distance through the beautiful
valley of the historic Brandywine, and
as | was not driven for time, found
plenty of enjoyment in the picturesque
scenery that was continually opening
to my view. Much of it was grandly
magnificent, and all of it interesting;
and, what was very favorable to sight
seeing, l lost no pictures of the pano-
rama through rapidity of transit.
But it was not so with Others Many
were in a hurry, and the grum bling and
growing was general At nearly every
stopping place there was freight to be
left, and freight TO be taken on. The
regular hands of the train were not
paid they declared, to handle freight,
and they worked charity; and, more
over, those stopping places were many
and frequent You can, perhaps, inn
agine the speed of that train.
We left Wilmington at 1880 a. m. At
noon we had made not more than half
| the distance to the end of orr route At
4:3O p. m. we arrived at the junction
| of the Philadelphia and Reading rail-
road, about five miles distant from the
latter city, nine mortal hours on the
road thus far!
AS we approached this place, where
| we were to strike on to the other road,
our conductor came along to take up
the tickets of the passengers Very
near to me sat an elderly lady, accom-
panied by boy, who, during the long
and tedious trip, had called her grand
ma. When the conductor came to her,
she gave him two tickets, one of which
had a corner cut off, signifying only
half ticket The official looked at the
ticket, then at the strapping boy, and
then he looked back upon the elderly
| lady.
Say, my good woman. dye call that
| boy of yours the kind of a boy to ride
on a half-ticket?"
| Never did human face express more
of disgust-more of bitter repugnance
and dudgeon, than did the face of that
woman-and the face had been so mild
and so benignant at times in prattle
with her grandson. She looked into
the mans face; and she answered him,
in tones which you may imagine;
when l bought that ticket it was
all that was required for this boy. II
he's outgrown it since, it isn't my
| fault"
The conductor passed on without
further remark; and, really, thought
he enjoyed it; for evidently he was not
fond of running that mixed train. IN
| Y. Ledger