The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-06
Mr.. BONNER'S TRIALS
Now That Hes a Receiver BE Must
Answer Questions.
BUT, OH, HE'S TIRED OF IT
The Railway Age and Northwest
ern Recorder" Has Published
Very Funny Little Story
Now Laugh.

Missoula. Dec. 5.-The Northern Pa
cific receivership muddle has reached
an advanced stage. The expected has
happened. The funny writers have
taken 1t up. So far they appear to
have the better of the argument. Just
at this season OF the year their peculiar
line of work suits the public purpose.
Nearly everybody has troubles of their
own. and during these cold, cherries
evenings II is comforting to gather
about the family fireside and pour over
witticisms. particularly when the CEN
trail figure is a gentleman of local
prominence and wide acquaintance.
The Author" contributes an article to
the last number Of the Railway Age
and Northwestern Railroader of Chi
cago which will appeal strongly to all
lovers Of a good story. Probably no
one will appreciate II more than Z. L.
Bonner. himself. 1t is a good thing;
push II along. Here II is in its entirety:
There appear to be inconvenience
attaching to the position OF receiver OF
. railway-even IL the receivership
does happen to extend only within the
limits OF single state. Mr.. Bonner OF
Montana has discovered this. Mr..
Bonner Is an eminently respected and
popular citizen OF Missoula, and stands
in the relation OF a sort of father con-
fessor or fairy godfather TO everybody
who is oppressed or In trouble. 1t hap
pened. i understand, that, just after
his appointment to be division receiv-
err the pay car was a day or two be-
hind time in getting to Missoula, and
some of the employees needed money.
Naturally they turned to the receiver;
and they turned to him in large num-
bers. They fiocked to his Office in the
daytime and besieged his home at
night. Strings Of section hands waited
for him on the streets. Gangs from
the shops gathered round him at
luncheon. They haunted him and hunt
ed him. demanding their pay. Was he
not receiver of the road? Where was
the money which he had been receiv-
ing?
AT last. so the story runs, he fed.
He wired to somebody for charity's
sake to send that pay car along, and
then he boarded the receivers official
car and went on a tour of inspection
of the line-in Montana. 1t is not real
ly a first-class receivers car that he
and Mr. Mills have out there. But
they have private car just the same
Just as full-blown receivers ought to
have-and IL was good enough TO get
away from the unpaid men in, anyway.
he had seen the pay car pass with his
own eyes, Mr.. Bonner returned to Mis-
soula and hoped to find peace. But
there was more trouble in store for
him. He had not been home more
than an hour before a friend called
him up by telephone.
Bonner. 1 hear that the westbound
train Is four hours late to-day he
said. what is the reason of IT,?
'Damfino.' said Mr.. Bonner, or
words to that effect. Better ask the
station agent
"'Oh! beg your pardon. thought
you were receiver OF the road and
knew all about It,
''Mr. Bonner then sat down to din
ner. but was called again to the tele-
phone in a few minutes. 1t was an
other friend who wanted to know the
rate on sweet potatoes in carload lots
from Missoula to San Bernardino Mr..
Bonner said that he really did not
know. but suggested that his friend
ask the agent. The friend was sur
prised at Mr.. Bonner's ignorance, see
ing that he was receiver OF the road,
but that was all right. He would ask
the agent in the morning.
''Other men called Mr.. Bonner ND
during the evening in search of a vari-
ETY. or curious Information. One want
ed to know IL IL was true that there
was snow at Spokane; another wished
confirma ton OF the rumor that IL con-
ductors were TO be laid Off; a third had
been informed that some new steel
was to be laid on the lines in Washing
ton: fourth wanted job as travelling
passenger agent-and so on until Mr..
Bonner grew tired and went to bed.
But he was not suffered to sleep Just
as he was doing the telephone bell
rang. The inquirer was expecting a
consignment OF pickles from Portland
which ought to have got in that morn
ing. Could Mr.. Bonner tell him where
in thunder those pickles were? Mr..
Bonner could not. The inquirer apollo
gized. but said he had understood that
Mr.. Bonner was receiver of the road.
Several times more during the night
Mr.. Bonner had to get up and put on
his frock coat over his nightshirt (Air.
Bonner never does anything except in
q frock coat to go and answer the
telephone. until, along in the gray OF
the dawn. II occurred to him that this
sudden thirst for miscellaneous infor-
nation was a little out OF the common.
and somebody. he feared. was making
fun Of him. Next day-but what need
to 60 on with the story? Mr.. Bonner
has had the telephone removed from
his house. and he declined TO answer
inquiries addressed to his office. He is
once more able to hang up his frock
coat on retiring at night with the
pleasing certainty that he will not
have TO put IL on again until morning.
"Oh. well. II is perhaps as well that
somebody should get some fun out of
the Northern Pacific situation. The
thing as a whole is so CHASTITY and
scandalous that IL Is good to find even
one small thing to smile at in It,"