The record-union., 1896-08-15
UNWILLING TO BE TT"
A Messenger Boys Reason for Throw
ing Up His Job.

General Manager Hibbard of the tele-
phone company vouches for two queer
stories. Once Superintendent of mes
senger service noticed that one of the
oldest boys in his company was sent FOR
al a certain hour almost every day by
the same party. After going out on
whatever the mission the boy would
generally return in a couple of hours
and say nothing about what he had
been doing. AT the end of about a week
the boy came to the Superintendent one
day and said he guessed he would quit
work. In surprise the superintendent
asked him what was the matter, and in
quired if he was not treated all right.
Il am treated all right here at the Of
fice," said the boy, but l don't like me
work.
We'll, what is the trouble with your
wcrk?" was asked.
wy" said he, Use sent for down
here to Smiths every afternoon, and
goes down reg'lar. and what do ye
think they dos to me? Wy, they's a
lot Of big girls down there to the house
every day, and they makes me play
blind mans buff pussy wants a cor
ner,' and all them kinds of games, and
they makes me be ST all the time Well,
L ain't goin' to stand no shenanigan
like that, and t'rows up me job right
now, see?"
And that ended the boys career in
the messenger service. He could not be
prevailed upon to remain, as he was
dead certain that he would be sent for
by the girls every day and made to be
'lt' all the afternoon. SO after that
when the same party rang up and asked
for that particular ex-messenger an
other boy had to be sent and in a short
time the practice ceased entirely evil
IDENTIFY because the second boy did not
know how to be "it' as well as the first
boy.
Mr.. Hibbard tells of another boy who
was hired out by the hour. and who had
a very odd experience. The boy went
out every afternoon about the same
time and sometimes remained away the
whole afternoon.
The lawyer who employed the boy
paid the bills Immediately for messenger
service, SO the Superintendent took no
particular notice of the case at first.
After the practice had been going on
for about a week the Superintendent
asked the boy one day what he did when
the lawyer sent for him.
"Well,' said the boy, II goes down
here about six blocks, to a vacant lot,
and plays baseball with Tommy Jones
and lot of other fellows. The lawyer
sends me down there and tells me to get
Tommy out and the other kids and have
! good time. When / gets tired playing
the lawyer said 1 must come back to
him, so every day when we quits play
ing / runs up to de lawyers office and
says: How does Tommy play?' Can he
| run fast?' Can he knock a ball far?' Is
| he a good jumper?' and does he jump
around pretty lively?' Well 1 just tells
| the lawyer all about it. I didn't see nc
| sense to 1T, but l told him what a hot
| little scrapper and chaser Tommy was. >
| After hearing the messenger boys
story the Superintendent was as badly
| at a loss as Tommy over the queer af-
| fair, but both of them were enlightened
| several months later when a damage
suit came to trial, brought by Tommy's
| father against a railroad company fol
| injuries alleged to have been sustained
| by Tommy at the hands of the railroad
/ a year before. Mr.. Jones alleged thai
| Tommy had been permanently and seri-
ously injured by a train belonging to the
| company. After the case against the
railroad had been presented to the jury
the lawyer introduced the messenger
boy and completely killed the case witt
the evidence of the ball games down or
| the vacant lot-Chicago Chronicle.