The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-14

agent, began TO push and pull them off.
| The agent caught the tail of gosling-
green buster and hauled its wearer down
! the steps The man slipped his chin hit
] one of the car steps and as soon as he
could get to his feet he hit the agent,
hard by the left eye. 70 be sure, the
| agent was only doing his duty, but there
was good deal Of excitement. and the
| farmer-folk were confused
Iney felt by this time that their town
was being purposely ignored by the rail-
road company and so fought enthusiast
| ucaHy with the company's agents. They
! had not been TO the Fourth for year.
They had given up good money, and were
| willing to fight to boot. If it were neces-
sary, 70 secure ride for which they had
| already paid the rate demanded by the
railroad
In the midst of the mixup the old agent
j stepped from the train. He had been
planning that he would have a talk with
the new man. He had learned that the
business was going to the opposition road.
lie had even hoped to find an excuse for
introducing the new man to Freda John
SON Being happy himself, he wanted TO
heip the stranger on. But now, 10 MS
| disappointment, he found the agent scrap
| ping with the dark girls father. Per-
sonaily that would make no difference.
| he mad often noticed that his prospective
lather-in-law needed it, but it mignt
make a difference with the girls For
tunately the girls were not there
The old agent and the trainmen. sue
ceeded in prying the two men apart. and
IN explaining a good deal of the anpleas-
antness away; but they could not explain
the dark shading away from the new
mans eye. But how these guileless far
mer folk did joy to see the face of the
ex-agent! He was a messiah to them.
lie would not allow any more trains to go
by.
Finally the people, being drawn from
the train by the fight, We're persuaded to
stay off; and, after losing seven minutes.
his necztie and his temper. the conductor
OF the regular signed TO the engineer, and
the train pulled out
Now the new man. looking as if he had
just gotten out from under a harrow, en-
tered his little office. He wanted to WASH
his face but the people, newly arrived.
| were pounding on the ticket window with
their horny hands, with canes and UNI
| brellas, and calling Justify for tickets to
| the Devifs lake. Not one of the vast
concourse showed a dollar or made the
slightest move toward their trousers pock-
cts. They simply opened their chimneys
and asked for information. When what
had been the agent-the natty, hobby
agent-appeared al the window. the crowd
failed to show the respect due the com
| pany's representative. Some of them
| would not believe il. Ten minutes ear
lier he had caused the coy country maid
ems to clap their fat little hands TO their
left sides as they waited for change He
was the Identical youth they had seen in
their dreams, but he was no dream when
the farmer got through with him. He was
more in the way of a nightmare His
football hair was mussed and there. were
crimson spots upon his shirlfront made by
his rich young blood. A comm ercial tour
ist had the audacity to laugh 9hrougn the
window at the wounded man half
dozen excited citizens asked, as with one
voice: What's the fare TO Devils lake?'
Another half-dozen called for ticket 10
Devils lake. As many more asked in the
same breath when the excursion would 60
Sakes alive! exclaimed motherly ma
iron, looking the agent over, "Has there
been a wreck?'
All the while the commercial traveller.
waving the exact change over the heads
of those in front Of him. called for a ticket
to 81. Paul by the limited
The red-haired man rushed in. shook
his fist through the window and yelled The
intelligence that the train chat had lust
passed and which had refused passengers
was agoin' to the Devils lake" and pro-
produced map to prove that the lake
was on the main line.
est Paul by The limited" yelled the
drummer Justify and with monotonous
regularity.
A persplring German, leaning on one
crutch, pounded the floor with the other
and wanted to know 'phy di devil di
Devils lake train don't come yet al
ready?" H
Flow The devil do l know" eaid the
agent. That was the first time he had
spoken, and even then not more than a
dozen people heard him.
Limited st. Paul-limited-to ST. Paul. 3"
you've got ten minutes YETI said the
agent.
Finally the wounded station master per-
suaded those nearest the window to find
their money, put ii through the cat hole
and get their tickets. The old agent kind
ly offered 10 assist the young. man, and in
a few moments had elbowed that sorry
Hooking, though well-meaning individual
from the window and fed tickets TO the
multitude, as a farmer might feed nub-
bins through a FENCE crack TO flock of
sheep The COMMERCIAL tourist had in
sisted upon being served out of his turn,
urging the fact that he was the only first
class man in the crowd. A&
For that he was invited oufAby the red
haired man and talked lat by the lame
Dutchman in a way that made him regret
what he had said AZ last he had his
! TICKET anu rSNdtRNA LII ttit NO9is DuL at
that moment another section Of the excur-
sion train came in sight and the traveller
changed his mind rushed back, threw his
limited ticket at the agent and asked for
an excursion ticket instead. He got the
ticket, but before The agent could count
out the change-the difference in the price
of the two tickets-the traveller had darted
from the station and boarded the train,
which, being loaded to The roof, did not
sion.
Still they came. From Clinton and Gale
donia. from GAINESVILLE and Evansville.
Alton and Beloit From Jefferson and
Waukesha and even as far down as RAJ
cine and Kenosha, on the Milwaukee bow.
All these trains flowed in on the main
line at Madison, where whatever space
was left was soon taken.
In time the overflow at the state CAPT
tai was exhausted and trains began to
stop for the farmer-folk.
Presently there was sharp rap on
the outer window. and the old agent, look
ing over his shoulder, saw the dark eyes Of