Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-02-09
cHIvALRY IN A CABLE CAR.
Conductor Proves a King Arthar and
the Passengers knights OF
the Round Table.

New York chivalry may be worn
threadbare in spots. but every now
and then some great event, or trihing
occurrence, gives proof that the warp
and wool of it are still intact. One
of the little things that proves the in
nate generosity of humane nature oe-
Cured the other day in sOuth-bound
Broadway car near Union square.
A hunchbacI was sitting well up
toward the front, immersed in the
reading of municipal report. A mag
azine and some congress blue books
lay in his lap. His long, spider-like
legs stretched almost across the car.
His body was so short that child on
his right lowered above him. He was
well dressed, and his disproportioned
face and head, sunk deep upon his
shoulders, bespoke intelligence and
education.
A heavily built man entered the car
at Seventeenth street and sat at the
dwarft's left. He had removed his
| cigar as he came in, but it was still
sInoldering, and as he held it between
| the fingers of his left hand, a dying
and almost imperceptible wreath of
dIOSc, anu WIS O1O"h dCEOSS
| the little mans face. The dwarf
dropped the report which he was
reading, and glanced up startled. His
| eye fell upon the cigar which the new
| ly arrived passenger still held. Then
he raised thin, piping voice in an
angry cry of protest.
"Conductah! Conductah!"
The passengers glanced at him, but
| the conductor did not hear.
"Conductah, conductah!" exclaimed
| the little man again, with his voice
raised in a shrill shrek of childish
| anger.
The conductor came back and stood
| before him. There was an expression
| of concern, almost Difference, in his
| face and attitude.
Eyes, sir" he said.
"Conductah," squealed the little
man, jerking his thumb at his big
| neighbour, that man has a cigar. 1t
offends me. Please remove him.
| The great size of the offender, the
| ittleness and deformity of the dwarf,
| the childish querulousness of his voice,
| his important manner and imperious
! command combined to form an effect
| simply farcical. It was enough to
| make a theatrical audience roar with
| laughter, but in that Broadway car
not smile was visible. The passen-
gers looked at the furious dwarf, and
| the only expression on their faces was
| one of commiseration and sorrow.
! The man with the cigar had right to
| look angry, for by this time his cigar
had gone out, but he only looked I'M
comfortable. The big conductor stood
! towering above the little man in the
| attitude of schoolboy who expected
to be caned.
"EIcan't put him out, sir" he said.
His cigars out!"
'Pll report you," piped the dwarf;
well see if the company's rules are
| to be broken this way; I'll"
But the big man with the cigar had
| moved to the opposite side of the car
| and the conductor was going out. Still
nobody had smiled.
"Conductah, conductah!" squealed
| the dwarf again, and the conductor
came back quickly.
! Eyes, SIR" he said.
give me your numbah; 1 shall re-
| port you for insolence.'
By all the traditions of comedy this
sally should have aroused roars of
laughter, but it didn't. The man with
| the cigar looked more uncomfortable
| than before, and threw the blackened
Havana out of the window, as though
| to destroy every vestige Of a casus
beIli.
The conductor gave his number and
| bent his head humbly, so that the
| dwarf could make sure of the figures.
The little man jotted them down and
then buried himself once more in his
| reading.
Everybody looked relieved. The
conductor withdrew quietly. the man
whose cigar had caused the trouble
followed him minute later and fur
lively slipped his card into the con-
ductor's hand. Not a man on that
car showed the feelings which each
of them must have felt. They saw
the bitterness and scorn that filed
the little creature, and pardoned him
for it as part of his deformity.
''In those days." said a great poet,
speaking of the age of chivalry which
some people say is gone-''in those
days no knight of Arthur's noblest
dealt in scorn. But if a man were
halt, or blind, in him scorn was al
lowed. as part of his defect, and he
was answered softly by the king and
all his table."@N. Y. Sun.
Dangerous British Oysters.