Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-02
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COURTESY OF RAILROAD MEN.
Well Treated as q Rule, De-
spitc Tradition To the Contrary.


Country folks still have an odd belief
that railway officials Of oil sorts are per-
sons to be approached with fear and trem.
bling that railway ticket once bought
must DO used or thrown away, and that
baggage intrustcd to railway company
Is In imminent danger of being lost or de-
stroycd. There must DO somewhere in
the dim past Of railway history some foun-
dalton for tho still living tradition in the
country that pictures the traveller as for
over the victim Of neglect, insolence and
chicanery.
"I'm sure you'll never get tho money
back, said q lady from the country with
strong conviction on hearing that hor host
had purchased her return ticket by one
railroad, and then, having changed his
mind ns TO tho best route for tho guest,
had bought u second ticket by q competing
line.
Something Of tho rural la1y's approhen.
sion seized the host whom he went to have
tho first ticket redeemed.
"Its good any time" said the busy
ticket seller.
"But can't use 1t in months" an
sworcd the purchaser.
Every good" was tho answer. "What
did you pay for itf'
"Three dollars and half" said the
purchaser, and before he had got over his
surprise at the easy confidence Of tho ticket
seller tho money WAS in his hand, his word
having been taken without q moments
hesitation or Investigation.
"My change was dollar short" snid a
we'll dressed man to tho ticket agent at a
Now York railway station, half an hour
after purchasing his ticket.
"So?' was tho answer "If find I'm
81 in when make up my cash balance,
| I'll put that amount aside for YOU"
but" said tho traveller, "my train
goes in ton minutes, and 1t happens that
shall need that dollar before get home. 4"
"In that case, said the .ickct soller,
"hcrc's your dollar. Will you be good
enough to write me an acknowledgements
The acknowledgment was given and the
| traveller went of. Returning, ten days
later, he reported to tho ticket agent and
received brSk tho acknowledgment, the
cash balance having proved that the trav-
elcr was right.
The commuter Is the man who has more
grievances against the railway companies
than any other traveller, but 1t is tho way
of the commutcr to get even with tho 9th.
err party to tho contract renewed every
month. II 10000 commuters could DO in
duced to say truthfully whether or not they
had over lent or sold their tickets, ever
used them when their currency had OK
PRED, or ever lodged tho conductor aftel
leaving their Communication tickets at home
tho replies would reveal u vast number Of
potty frauds upon the railway companies
Tho commuter is really trusted to con
Siderable degree by the conductors, and
no often rewards the trust roposcd in him
by descending TO fraud. Thousands OF
commuters are faced every month by O
temptation involving very pretty case Of
conscience. Most commuters buy theil
tickets with the knowledge that they will
almost certainly not be able to ride them
out, so to speak, before their currency ex
pires, but few commuters believe that il
accepting such terms and proflting by the
special rate accorded, they become morally
bound to relinquish their tickets ut the OK
pira,ion Of their dates. There Is absolute
ly no risk In using ticket after Its date
has expired, save the possibility of being
detected and compelled to pay full fare fol
a ride that might have been taken ut com
mutation rates. York Sun.