Iron County register., 1899-02-23
iAs Ireasurer's Daughter
By Ray Notter.


And when the conductor came through
from her goid-bound, blue morocco
purse she drew forth her annual pass
and presented il to the knight of the
punch, who, without glancing AT it.
touched the visor of his blue helmet
and passed on down the aisle. punchins
the tickets Of US commuters a he went,
Then came that necessary evil. the
train boy. with his morning papers. for
one of which 1 exchanged the profile
decorated coin in my hand. the then
new nickel.
She sat just across the aisle. all bv
herself. and taking from my pocket an
other hve-cent piece / leisurely made a
more critical comparison. The com
Parison resulted in favor of the treas
urer's daughter.
About three tHnes a. week saw her
after that. either journeying from our
n''le suburb TO the city or on the re-
turn trip.
I was attending business college
At that time in the city, trying TO ac-
cumulate a knowledge of double-entry
bookkeeping and other thing-mostly
potatoes. ! remember, which were
potatoes only inasmuch as the paper
tickets said they were. / used to have
my tickets bulging full of paper prod
uce on those days, enough TO glut the
market could it only have been con
Nerted into the real article. ! recall
once got 100 bushels of potatoes in
trade for single cigarette.
Every morning. when the treasurer's
daughter chanced TO be on the train. l
would try to get seat as near her as
possible. that i might feast my eyes on
n er beauty / think even AT that time
/ came dangerously near losing my
heart 10 her, though all unknown. ]
used TO wish the train would run off the
track or anything else as foolhardy or
Perilous might occur, provided / might
thereby be- if not her rescuer, al least
OF some assistance TO her.
When the opportunity did present IL
self the surrounding circumstances
made il of such delicate nature that
any assistance l might have offered
would have served TO increase her
humiliation For you must know I
was still total stranger TO her.
had known who she was for several
months, when. one day, like thunder
clap from a clear sky, came the an
nouncenenf through the newspapers
thai her father. the treasurer. had been
found short in his accounts.
The organs of the political party 10
which he belonged vigorously denied
the reports and claimed for them the
distinction OF partisan calumnies and
lies Nevertheless an investigation
was begun. and. strange 10 say. indic1-
ments were found charging him with
misappropriating the funds of his office.
Seated in the suburban train. l was
one morning reading the latest deveI-
opnlents IN the case when down the
aisle came the Treasurer's daughter.
Did she hang her head in shame?
No.
Did she flush under the scrutiny OF
that car load of commuters?
No. She only drew the corners of her
thin lips a little tighter together and
held her ead a trifie more erect as she
took her seat, by chance, directly op-
posite me-
Oh. how / pitied her. How / longe6
20 cross the aisle and say 10 her: Let
ne be your friend. / 90 not believe it
Had l al that time been on the best of
terms with her. / am inclined 10 think
my sympathy would have been gently
but firmly refused. For when the con-
ductor came through, and, instead of
touching his visor and passing on,
asked to see her annual" and. cancel
ing il. remarked: This pass IS no
good" she seemed TO comprehend all, !
and. rising quietly. she politely but
firmly said: stop the train, please"
Her tone was that of one born 10 |
command and her quiet demeanJr one |
which allowed of no opposition
The conductor reached for the bell |
cord. the train slowed up and stopped, |
and the treasurer's daughter got off /
and walked.
To the credit of the commuters. let IL /
be said. none of them watched TO see in /
what direction.
One day. a few weeks later. as I |
glanced up from my desk in the busi-
ness college, my wandering eyes fell
upon the profile of girl that gave
thrill TO my whole being.
II was she. the treasurer's daughter.
She did not mingle with the rest of US
TO any great extent. but seemed bent
on acquiring a knowledge of business
methods. with the purpose of one who
proposed putting that knowledge to its
best account.
Shortly before / graduated held. for
a short while, the position of cashier in
the college bank. Ny dealings with the
noble girl in that position were con-
fined strictly to business affairs. Yet
al times / underwent a certain sweet
pleasure in explaining some intricate
point TO her attentive ear
After ] graduated I would gladly
have STAYED on. Just to be near her, but
the realities of life confronted me in
such a threatening manner, i had TO
mt NV shoulder TO the wheel in
earnest
So / came to the city and after no
little labor secured position with the
house in whose employ now am and
where / have been for a number of !
years
The practices of business found TO :
Ne scmewh hat different from the theories ,
and expounded at the col ,
Iege. Stock clerk in a big shoe house
T also found TO be no sinecure- A hand. .
full of paper tickets was easier to stow
away than long row of big, heavy {
shoe boxes 1t makes my back ache I
ret to think of those boxes Many I
time gave the porter tip 70 help me. /.
though even the smallest of tips at the |
lime made a noticeable hole in my l.
snapces. An unconscionably long time