The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-15
ENGLISHMEN
THEY SEE EACH OTHER DAILY FOR
YEARS BUT REMAIN STRANGERS.
Only an Emergency Excites Them to
speech, and Then a Row Is
Likely to Follow.
London Mail.

London Mail.
In spite of omnibus, tramcar and electric
AS we call our special. breed of the two
penny tube-there is always a plump crowd
on the up platform of our railway station
from 8 of the morning till something
after 9.
1t is rather a solemn crowd.
The young bloods are smoking on omni-
bus tops, or binding their eyes over the
newspaper in the electric; they cannot
away with the London, Smash 'em and
Turnover Railway. But the comfortable old
merchant. the solid shopkeeper. the clerk
of many winters, the old women, and the
young ladies, who squeeze money out Of
London somehow or another-these are SO
numerous in our suburb that they max a
brave show when they push past the ticket
collector at the barrier and squeeze them
selves into the pack on the platform.
We are often struck by the reflection that
here on this platform. day after day. month
after month. year after year, a couple Of
men may rub shoulders with each other,
their legs may be jammed together in the
crowded carriage-and yet, TO the end OF
the chapter, they remain utter strangers
the one to the other.
Each man is familiar with the others
ldCc. I1C has MdltllCu Tic nlQGldCnG SIOW
or the whiskers deepen their valance. He
is aware instantly of a haircut, is struck
Immediately by a new coat or an ironed
hat. He is even familiar with the others
tie-pin, or the handle of his umbrella. And
yet, never once has he seen those lips open,
never once heard what manner OF voice
sleeps in that familiar throat.
Nor is he in the least curious.
No, he is far too busy about his own af-
fairs; the fight for a carriage, the scram-
bic for a seat. and then the paper TO be
ing up to London. 1t is only his subcon-
seriousness that is so infinitely aware Of the
other mans appearance.
ROUSED TO SPEECH.
But once we heard two strangers speak.
two men who had been travelling in this
fashion for many a long year.
One was oldish, fat, podgy. with gray
mutton-chop whiskers, and a gratihed lit
tie mouth. The other was in the thirties,
broad-shouldered. vigorous. with slight
black mustache.
The old man always managed-being Of a
pushful nature-to secure a corner seat.
and when the carriage had it's complement
of ten second-class passengers he would
jerk his fat face to the doorway, snap a
fierce 'full" into the eager countenances
of the surging crowd, and then pull the
door TO with a self-satisfied bang.
One morning he did this when a lady was
oNlubSllllS All utCUdll W llu a stat tlC Ait
train started. AS her hand touched the
handle the fat fingers of the old gentleman
gripped the window-strap, and he called
out. Full, madame, fulli' But the lady
(she was a regular traveler) pulled and
pulled, while the old gentleman, with a
gratified smile on his SNUG lips. sat grip
ping the window-strap. But suddenly from
the next c0mpartment-the second-class
carriages are divided into two-there sprang
up the younger man of whom we have
spoken, with white, scornful face and
flame-flashing eye.
"Open the door, siri" he shouted.
Were full" gasped the old gentleman,
taken aback.
open the door!' shouted the other.
"Open the door, or I'll punch your head for
you"-as If the old gentleman ever had any
thought Of doing that violence for himself
hen did the old gentleman relax his
grasp on the strap. and the lady tripped
g~asping into the carriage as the train
clanked-clanked on its way out of the sta
ton. And then the young gentleman, still
standing. leaned over from the other com
partment and called the old fellow Cow
ard" brute" ''snob,' cad pig and
dog in the manger" all the way TO the
city.
1t is interesting TO mark the behavior OF
other passengers on occasions OF this kind.
PRETENDING TO READ.
You will see that each man has his paper
up. his eyes fixed upon the jolting print,
and that he is pretending very hard e
read. But you have only to look again 10
| perceive that, I'm reality. he Is listening
I with both ears to the heated colloQuy. FoI