The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-12

Town Tales
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1t looks as if the formation of the
Pullman car porters was an ominous
thing Heretofore, your accommodate
ing porter has been satisfied with a
dime or quarter. Now. however, what
is to prevent him from asking for a
smoothing down pillow, for
bringing bird unusually hot
or a bottle that has lain next the ice.
If the bird is cold or the bottle warm,
what is the INDUCING public going to
do about it? If he is spoken to, he
will say that the union is responsible
for it. Go to the company, and you
will be told that tips are a matter to
be settled by the porters and the party
concerned, and unless you put up the
required tip, you will sup off of cold
birds and warm bottles. A well-known
commercial traveller puts it about right
when he says:
Suppose, for instance, 1 get on a
train at Cleveland bound for New
York. 1 have had no dinner. / go
into the dining car. L give the waiter
a quarter. That's not the union scale.
/ order a steak, perhaps. The waiter
goes to the cook. He didn't pay the
union scale says the waiter. l get
my steak. It's half cooked, tough and
unfit to eat. l venture to demonstrate.
The waiter can't understand me. l
eat my steak in silence. The conse-
quence is. l have an attack of indiges-
ton. When l leave the dining car to
go to my BERTH the waiter gives the
porter a signal, saying, He doesn't
tip. The porter makes up my berth
as if he thought l was a bale of hay.
I'm up against that solid front and l
can't do anything about it. l get to
my destination and try to sell man
bill of goods. He needs coaxing. Tired
out. l don't feel in the mood to coax
Result is, I don't sell the goods. My
company's business falls off. Same
thing with other firms whose business
is made up of travelling mems orders.
First thing you know, you've got a
business panic on your hands. Trade
is ruined and the country goes to the
dogs"
A young girl in street car last night
was reading the Gazette story of the
war in Africa. why" she says
those Englishmen think they can go
down there with dress suits and top
coats and whip the Beers! They can't
do it in thousand years. If 1 were
man. I'd enlist in the Boer army"
1t looks more like winter when one
sees boys and girls going to the various
ponds with skates over their shoulders.
Sunday all the small ponds were COW
cred with merry parties of skaters who
seemed to forget that it was the Sab
bath, and that they were mourning the
wrath of pastor and priest If they were
observed. A little girl was hopping
happily along beside her father on
A1ain street. and when the pair got OPP
posite University park, the girl saw the
crowds of skaters on the ice. Papa
why can't l go skating today?" she
asked. Because this is Sunday, and
it is wrong to skate on the Lords day"
ricusly replied the father. Papa, is
it wrong to walk on Sunday?" the in
nocent asked. NO Of course not. -
is it wrong to ride in a carriage ~
was the next question. mo, my little
girl, if you have horse it is ali right
to take a ride "And it ig all right to
ride on a bicycle, too, amt tt?" Yes
We'll tell me why it is right to do
all those things and not right to
skater" Now you keep quiet and
don't bother mel" the righteous father
said. And the question remained I'M
answered.
A little girl was explaining yester-
day to group Of children who were
-