The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-16
A POLITE OLD LADY.
The HIaddias Crowd Was Behind, but shs
Needed It Not.


Needed It Not.
Tt was Late in the afternoon and a con-
tinuous flood of humanity poured into the
az station. She was very polite old
lady, trif1e deaf and unused to city ways.
young man." she began, coming 10
the left hand side of the window.
YOU'RE out of your turn yelled the
ticket agent. shipping of tickets at the
rate of go ships minute and manipulate
ing the flood of small change that came
pouring into his window like II handed
ogre.
You'll have to take your place in line,
MADAME cried the gateman.
And without a word of protest the old
lady allowed herself to be thrust into posi-
ton. The crowd did the rest And in a
very few minutes she had reached the win
dow again.
young man." she commenced in ex-
actly the same tone of voice as before, and
at the same time placing three parcels-a
potted plant, an UNI brella and huge grip
sack-upon the small shelf in front of the
window, II want to go up to my daugh-
ter's house. Her name is Mrs. Summers
Mrs. Charles Summers. I've got her
address right here on this letter, and I'll
read it to you, SO that you can tell me the
nearest station to it. Two hundred and
Il can't see very well, the light is so poor
two hundred and eighty East
Eighty eighth street. Now, want you
to-
"Eighty-sixth is your station, =" anwsered
the agent hurriedly, and passing out a
ticket, Money, pleaser'
"How much is the fare to Eighteenth
street?'' placidly inquired the old lady.
Eighty sixth street Five centsr' yelled
the agent, dancing upon his stool in wild
excitement, while the whole waiting line
groaned in concert. But the old lady was
perfectly cool and collected amid the gen.
eral excitement.
81 understood you to say Eighteenth
street before, >" she continued genially, at
the same time very slowly extracting So
bill from out the small change in her
pocketbook. "You must excuse me for
misunderstanding you, but a trifie
hard of hearing. 1t runs in our family,
although my daughter, Mrs. Summers,
does not seem to have it, but she always
did take more after her father than ne.''
She carefully smoothed ont the bill and
handed it in to the agent, and he, despair
ing of remedy, hastily counted out the nee
essary change and showed it toward her
The old lady added it all together herself
slowly and carefully examined each piece
in order to be sure of its genuineness.
BY this time the limo reached away into
the street below and traffic was at q stand
still for blocks around. Vituperation and
kicking filled the air from those ignorant
of the real cause of delay. Even those at
her very elbow had commenced to lose the
very little patience they ever possessed.
"When does the next train leave, young
man?' she questioned placidly as she start
ed to remove her varied impedimenta from
the shelf.
He was tempted to say that she had
missed it, but feared the result. And upon
informing her that it was just about to
start and she must hurry if she wanted to
catch it the old lady gathered up her skirts
and sprinted for the platform in style
calculated to make professional runner
wilt with envy.-New York Journal