St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-09
UNION DEPOT STUDIES.

let him station himself in the railroad depot
for few hours. How tired the depot master
must be when his days work is finished. Is
is wonderful how he remains good natured
He must often wish TO know ii travellers i'm
agine that the clock, ticket agent, time tables
and train bulletins are for ornaments, not for
use. The questions that are asked him would
ppuzzle wizard. lie is used for everything,
from a walking information bureau to a
nurse girl, yet he still keeps his temper when
some idiot asks if the clock is right or where
he thinks the Chicago train is just now.
/
i Why is it that children always seem so
numerous in depot? Do more children than
adults travel? l saw n sight long to be re-
membered in the union depot. viz: child
who was not eating! | think children i'm
agine the chief object of travelling is to eat
| Little ones that never eat between meals
when at home, develop a most ravenous APP
petite as soon as a train of cars is sighted.
| Most of them eat steadily from the time they
become comfortably seated in the cars until
their destination is reached. That appetite
will hold out as we'll duringa five-day or only
I two hour journey. The older people on the
train gaze at them in dumb-founded amaze
ment, and wonder where the little ones put
so much. Perhaps our stomachs are made of
years. If the lunch is sticky some of it can
be accounted for by looking at the small per-
sons faces, and by the time poor mamma"
has them safely housed again they look like
animated molasses jugs or orange groves.
AS waited for train, saw some very
funny sights. The amount of kissing and
! hugglng that took place was something re-
| markable. Old men met Old women, girls
met girls men even met men, and all seemed
| overcome with a desire to kiss something or
somebody | thought it was pretty mean
| advantage to take when q poor little baby ar
| rived and two aunts, father, two grandmas
and mother fell to kissing her at once. To
my soot-Dedimmed ewes, it looked once or
twice as though the uncle on the maternal
slce got the aunt on the paternal side mixed
I'D with the baby; but the car smoke was SO
| dense that | could not be positive about that.
The very pug dogs and canary birds go
kissed.
And the brides and bridegrooms! The
way different couples seemed to take this
most important event in their lives-barrng
funerals and divorces-was study. They
all looked very self-conscious. A girl
anghted from country train with bride
written in every action How proud she
seemed as she stalked alongside was only
hVe feet ten inches-dragging in her wake a
little man whom she called darling" in the
key OF j fiat. Darling had two hat boxes.
cane, an umbrella, two grips and that
bride. He was very sheepish, and l felt quite
worried for fear he would try to escape from
his captor before the wedding cake was stale.
AS they vanished soprano order was waited
through an open door. Get right in, dar-
ling will tell him where to drive" | feel
sure that darling obeyed, ana that as long
as he lives his elephantine bride will run him
aud his affairs.
The next little bride was dressed in white
dress, a fur coat and white gloves. She car
ried bouquet wrapped in a newspaper and
fan. although the mercury was having all
awful struggle to keep a respectable distance
from zero. The groom was very attentive,
and they looked so happy that the atmos-
phere seemed to get warmer. and the gaping
crowd felt quite sociable for five minutes aft.
er they had passed.
Behind them came sober-ooking pair
mo bride here" thought l; been married
for years and wish they were not" She car
ried her own satchel, and they studiously
avoided looking at one another; in fact, they
seemed on the ragged edge of quarrel She
hadn't that brand-new- clothes effect that
sbrdes have. Just then little furry of snow
flew by; he raised his umbrella when. oh
hapless teli-tale, a shower of rice from its
folds deluged this bride and groom, who
were trying to look unconscious. They
turned very red, and as the heartiess bystaud-
ers began TO laugh, he seized her baggage
and smothered their embarrassment in the
depths of hanson cab.
turned to ascertain the cause of the com
motion near the entrance, and confronted a
female armed with two shawl straps. carpet
bag, poll parrot. pug dog and several other
mysterious bundles. pardon me- forgot to
mention the two children. but they seemed to
be OF very slight importance to her) She
came striding through the depot at a Nancy
Hanks gait. leaving terror and dismay in her
wake as she used her elbows to NOW a path.
She was late for her tain and showered re-
sentiment on the obstacles-mostly human
that retarded her progress. The baggage
man craWled under trunk, the ticket-seller
got behind his safe and the porter made him
self as small as possible in a shadow which
suited his complexion. The unfortunate in
d1ylduals who enormously supposed thew had
right and left like so many nine -pins-with.
out groan considering themselves lucky to
escape with their arms and legs preserved TO
them. One of them afterwards told me he
understood now how man felt who had
been caught i'll mill wheel" She was lust
Clearing the door with a sort of 'at-last,
smile upon her cOuntenance when firm
but gentle hand was placed upon her flying
coat tails and Ticket, madam sounded in |
her ears. She was in the grasp of that cold,
unfeeling gate man, who has prevented |
Opponents, caused bridals to be celebrated |
without the grooms. and l doubt not nut he |
has caused funerals to come off without the |
corpse. for corpses ride on tickets. But our |
friend was evidently a woman of resources. |
Dropping bundles, children, satchels, dog |
and parrot on mis- toes with bang, she |
thrust an envelope into his hand The chill |
dren set up yell. the dog barked and the |
parrot screamed Damn from which con- !
fusion the gate man emerged to find the |
woman gone on the train. and himself hold |
ing an envelope containing theater check.
L symDathetically inquired if ''he had
many such experiences. lie feelngiy re-
Piled, HE did not.' and then volunteered
the information that the most embarrassing
mer daintily gowned. innocentlooking
miss OF seventeen summers. who had more
packages than she could conveniently
handle, asked him to Ike the envelope con-
tanning her ticket from her bag, punch and
return it. He CALAMITY replied: lie would
be too pleased" His intentions were good
but unfortunately he removed the wrong en-
velope. A crowd of passengers had gathered,
and ne dived hurriedly into the envelope
and had actually punched it before he real
lied that what he held was not ticket but
piece of chamoise with dainty bit of pink
powder i'll the center.
How she glared at him as she Indignantly
exclaimed: You horrid, bad man you did
it pUrposely," and away she went before ne
could get her ticket. leaving him to the mer-
cless jokes of the crowd. E. II. t.