Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-13
SHE WORKED HIM
A Pretty Telegrapher Got Her Ride
West.
HOW she HAD TRAVE LED
All Over the Country in Search Of a
Job
A N ATTY FEM ALE HOBO

She certainly did not look like tramp.
| Yet, in the railroaders' acceptance of the
| term, she was one. There was no evidence
| of kin to the Weary Wraggles" or WAN
| dering Willies.' On the contrary, she was
a nattily dressed young lady, who would
| have passed anywhere as the petted daugh-
ter of well-todo parents; yet, in railroad
parlance, she was a hobo
| She was young, bright and more than Or
| dinarily pretty, was dressed in neat,
! tailor-made travelling gown, and carried
| little grip suspended from her shoulder by
| strap.
| When she was first noticed by one of the
| attaches of the railroad station, she was
| looking over the big register in the depot
| masters office A passenger conductor,
| Just In from Quantco, waiting TO put
| his autograph and it's always accompany
| ing string of hieroglyphics on the book. 1t
| was getting late. and he wanted to go
| nome, and he wasn't in the best of humor,
| anyway. FREELY he went up TO the desk.
ana win an Excuse me, madam reached
| ioi the book and commenced TO record his
| train III" girl watched him until he had
| completed his work ana ;nen asked:
| is there no telegraph Office in the de
| pot?'
| Certainly. madam. I'm going out that
| way, and will show you where it is
| 1hNy turned into the big waiting room,
| ana the conductor started for the little
western onion Office in the cornar next to
the d!nliS room. but before they reached
me counter the lady stopped him, saying:
No not that one. | mean tram dis
| patchel's office"
| Why, they don't send any i,,it cornoanv
| messages from there sad the conductor
| Il know that. but l want to see some of
| ihe railroad Operators ana then she al
| most paralyZed the Old gentleman by add
| i Il m y,alf
| me astonshed train man booked at her a
minute. started to whistle. bat thought bet
ter OF 1t, ard then said well, Then You
| want TO go up those stairs, and it's the ser
on" door to the right" AS the girl started
| up the stairway he said to himself: u
! wonder who she's after.'
she soon found the Office she sought
| ana when one of the operators on duty
mere CHANGED to look UP, she was stan ling
| BESIDE the railing that separates The at
! taches of the office from the always coming
| ana going throng of ra.lroaders whose
hrst question is always, How is she? or
| uine! ana evidently waiting for some enc
| to wait on her
He thought she had made a mistake. Or
| possibly, the operator in the little cti,-
! down stairs had gone out. and some cnn
mad directed her there to send a nesss sre
| ana, always al the beck and call of beauty
| IN distress, he started for the rail- with
ness.
| he had hardly Strengthened up out of his
| chair. when the girl looked UP. a Suicjl
i ii;., sign passed between them, ard,
| Win grin OF surprise and plea sure on his
| race, the operate held out his hand
| " here are you from he asked
| teh'er' was the reply. Il lost nv
Once there in February last. and since then
We been trying to hustle a lob D1 Ven
| know any of the men who go toward o.
| cinnati tonight"
Yes, all of them; but they are not the
| easiest men on earth to ride with
1 Nt
! roads just the same. '''' 'ie
-, Owe got oyer an hour to wait before
| the first trair leaves" said the onerator
Won't you come inside and sit down? ~
h5nk 3on. i am glad to- | ALWAYS
Ing ~ lrlehds Were find o. r. T. Order of
KHlIroad Ieiesraphers) boys" And then
/ the little gate in the railing was onenaJ
| and, seated at the operating table bcsida
her new friend, the soft voice often almost
drowned ~ the incessant click and clano
her travels.
AS | told you, lost ont in February
last There was no show for work in Den
yer then, and the prospect of any improve
lleht IN nusih's IS was very poor. l had
saved my money while / was working and
mad plenty to last me fo: a year if 7
didn't do days work, but l hated the
IDEA OF sitting at home waiting. Mica yber
ike, for something to turn W I knew
mat railroad men. when they lost their DO
sltlons, Ii they were members of any of
the railroad orders, Travelled about and
looked for work, and l made up my mind
If they could do ii could too
Il got a letter, from our slperintenden.
and card from my division OF the Or
der of Railway Photographers and started
out.
and Denver and NJ. X and T. to Houston
Tex. but there was work there, so
went east from there to New Orleans over
the South Pacific From New Orleans L
>oh
nooga, Cincinnati and INDIANAPOLIS to Chi
cago. and from there ever the Lake Shore
to Buffalo. didn't even find prospect of
work anywhere. Business was dun and
there was no immediate prospect of its
getting any better, and there were no va
cancieS anywhere
From Buffalo 1 went to Albany, and
went from there across to the eastern coast
states. l have tried them all, but there is
no chance foi work. I believe ] am fast
developing into a regular tramp. and I'm
not bit ashamed of it. either; in fact,
rather like it.
Pm going back west now and try the
Pacific coast states. If don't find a Job,
I'll see lots of this big country of ours be-
fore the summer is over
Il keep a little book in which I record
my travels-itll make good reading when I
get oit!-ard I was locking it over the other
day, and 1 found I had been in nineteen
20nG0 miles, every foot of it on passenger
over forty-one different railroads, and Eve
had to pay fare only once-that was from
Lafayette to New Orleans. $4.50."
Just as she concluded her story an old
fellow wearing the G.. and o. on his coat
collar entered the room and asked if there
were any orders for him.
There's the next man west said the
operator. Try him -
The gentleman in the blue uniform had
hardly completed his business in the office
when he heard at his elbow the old familiar
querie: D,
do you show any favors to railroad peo-
rle?"
Now, this conductor was not an easy"
man to ride WITH and he turned prepared
to crush the railroad tourist with a sharp
negative, but when he saw the pretty face
and looked into the sparkling eyes OF the
fair hobo he hesitated
There is an old Saying that 1.-The man
who hesitates is lost and in this instance
the truth of the axiom was amply verified.
The old gentleman pulled at his gray NOUS
ia che and troubled look came into his
eyes, but he finally said, with every evil
dence of eventpaliE acceding 10 the lady's
request in his manner:
mot often. Tney watch US pretty close
here"
..But I've got "a good letter for four years
service and an o. R. T. travelling card"
said the lady. and she added: Il want to
get a