The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-24
COMEDY in A STREET CAR
ADVERTISING CARD CREATES DIS
TURBANCE AMONG PASSENGERS.
A Smoker Which Received the APP
viviaIIy-IncIined Gentleman.

1t was nearly s o'clock p. m. when they
hailed the north-bound Illinois street car
near Tenth, and as the motorman hap
pened to be feeling kindly toward the out
side world, not even excepting young and
presumably foolish lovers. the big car duly
stopped-some fifteen feet beyond the
crossing. Thus at the very beginning they
~antagonized and provoked the muttered
profanity of half a carful of tardy folk
wishful to fulfill their various Engagements.
OF course they ran to get on. And of course
it was raining, and Illinois street had a
stratum of soft, rich mud, which had ac-
cummulated to the height of an inch upon
it's surface.
they climbed aboard; a process which
allowed an exhibition of marked ~gallantry
on the part of the young man such as ex-
cited the frank and outspoken admira-
ton of a quite respectable but partially
inebriated gentleman in evening clothes,
who occupied royalty the greater portion
Of the rear platform. The car started;
they entered it; the conductor jerked the
doors to behind them. Two rows of curl
Gus. Indifferent, friendly. disagreeable, I'M
~speakably bored and family interested
eyes were instantly directed toward that
end of the car. On their part, they con-
tinued ingenuOusly unconscious Of all this.
and seemingly failed to hear one or two
intendedly epigrammatic comments ema-
mating from the forward end, where a
stag party was tightening the weary
stretch of urban travel by soft snatches
of song and appropriate fragments of
repartee.
Their faces remained serene, and they
sat down in the corner next to the door
on the left, where, absorbed in the con-
templated prospect Of a delightful evening
together, they were oblivious to any posi-
ton OF approval, or the contrary, that
might be taken by the little world in the
north-bound car.
1t was from the stag party that the first
smoker came-a smoker which by some
mysterious telepathic quality was imme-
diately accredited for cause by every per-
son present to the happy pair in the corner.
Such as had looked elsewhere after the
first concentrated gaze now turned their
stare again in that direction, DESTROYS of
discovering the why and wherefore of the
smoker. The riddle was easy, and with
one accord the carful smiled. singled and
laughed, each as his disposition prompted.
Then every countenance settled into an
OA
irritating grin.
The girl touched the youths arm. The
youth leaned tenderly toward her. She
whispered something; he whispered some
thing in reply; then they seemed again to
have forgotten the other people in the car.
Until the conductor came in for their
fares. Standing directly before them while
he waited for the two tickets his official
ava MOS Ira up RI a n1aoarJ ool-o =; A.
corner above their heads. The official
visage relaxed it's customary grimness-the
official mouth spread to an unofficial
breadth that indicated extreme apprecia-
ton and amusement. The conductor made
a hurried exit and impaired something of
an intensely interesting nature to the con-
vivial passenger on the rear platform. This
gentleman thereupon cautiously drew apart
the doors and put his face inside for a
space of time sufficiently long TO enable
him TO cast a hasty but very friendly glance
at the young pair and the placard above
them. Then he closed the doors gently and
offered the conductor a cigar.
But this was the last straw. The no long
er blissful couple turned sidewise and
looked perturbedly upward. They saw this
printed in heavy black capitals several
inches tall upon a rich crimson paste
board:
%..........
LET NO MAN PUT AsUNDERr"
-
The car stopped at the next street TO let
them of. But perhaps they had arrived at
their destination.
Taking Care of PA.