The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-29
By FRANCES w. CARRUTH.

| road provides in the way of comfort
for its waiting passengers. Mrs.
Gumprecht admits that in off hours
her soul yearns for a rocking chair.
Long Working Day.
| Her working day begins at o'clock
| in the morning, when she is on hand
TO open the station and sell tickets to
| commuters who go to New York on
| the 7.10 train. Glendale being a resi-
| Dental town, there is an outpouring
| of its masculine population in the
| morning. but the sale of ticker is not
| over brisk, even at that hour; for most
| of the passengers purchase commuta-
| tion books which last a long while.
/ If there is a trunk to go off, it must
| be at the station fifteen minutes be-
| fore train time, when the petticoated
/ agent not only checks it, but sings it
on to a truck and trundles it across
| the tracks to the platform on the OPP
| posite side.
When the train has departed Mrs
Gumprecht locks up the station and
goes home to her breakfast, returning
at o'clock to be in readiness for the
$50 train from New York, which
brings the Glendale freight and ex-
| press. The freight, the station mis-
| tress says, is far more cumbersome
and difficult to handle than the bag
! gage and has greatly increased of late,
owing to the establishment recently of
! a factory in the town. Machinery
| boxed and unlocked, has been arriving,
and heavy iron implements and pack
ing cases without end, but nothing is
too heavy for this young Amazon to
get on her truck and into the station.
| The train hands are willing enough
| to lend a hand, but the girlish
agent is Independent and prefers to
get on without masculine aid.
Crochets when Business Is Slack.
1t is doubtful if there is another sta
tion in the East kept with ssuch care.
In the intervals of her other duties,
Mrs Gumprecht gives her attention to
| things generally ignored by the aver
age station agent, in consequence of
! which the place shines like the rising
sun. The well-scrubbed floor, shining
window panes, and glistening lamp
chimneys, each tell a tale of house
wifely care. And the big stove in the
center of the room radiates not only
heat, but a high polish.
When not strenuously engaged in
station affairs, the agent keeps her
fingers busy sewing Last winter she
found time to crochet for herself a
black worsted shawl which she threw
around her shoulders when she went
out upon the platform. She seemed to
| cold. She scorns hat, winter or sum-
mer, and ridicules the idea of gloves
or mittens to keep her hands warm.
Scared Away the LOafers.
In the year that she has been agent
Mrs. Gumprecht has inaugurated a
new regime, and the villagers who for
merly found the station a convenient
loafing place, have been forced to seek
| a haven elsewhere. Men inclined to
~, x,;I, .-11
off, and it has come to be pretty gen.
orally understood in the community
that the agent is to be obeyed. She
keeps a watchful eye out, too, for chill
dren, and never allows them to play
about the station or the tracks. Her
own baby is kept safely at her home, a
| mile distant.
Eyes. I like the work." she says,
| land I'm strong enough to do 1t, and
I keep getting up more muscle all the
| time The things 1 like best about
it are that I'm my own boss, and that
/ work so much out of doors. Then,
there's 50 much variety about it-Jump-
ing from one thing to another all the
| time.
I've had only one unpleasant expe-
rience since I've been here. That was
| with a man who didn't get his trunks
| here until two minutes before the train
| left, and I couldn't check them. He
was angry and said things, and was
sorry, but I couldn't leave my ticket
| office just at train time. He knew he
| should have had his trunks here fif-
| teen minutes earlier. but when he
| found how late it was he thought /
| ought to leave all the other passen-
gers and just attend to him. 1 always
| try to be accommodating, but there are
| certain rules l won't break for any
body
Some people think I'm young to
have such a position. but If 1 satisfy
| everybody I don't see what years have
| got to do with it,
"Of course, the business here requires
| q responsible person. l handle good
!. deal of money for express and freight
and tickets. 1 make out my reports
| and send them, as well as the money,
| to headquarters every afternoon.
| 1.-THE station is not much for looks,
but 1 try to make it as neat as I can.
IF they'd give us a couple of rocking
chairs, I'd be glad. The women pas
| sengers who wait here would like 1t,
and 1 wouldn't mind bit having one
to sit in when 1 have a chance to rest.
| Eyes, I have to work Sundays, but
il is my easiest day. I'm here from
1880 to 4:30 to sell tickets check trunks
and signal trains, when there are pas
sengers to go either way. Two trains
stop here regularly on Sundays and
four on week days. The rest stop If
they have passengers aboard who want
to get off here, or if 1 have anyone who
wants to get away.
1.-THE agents pay is $50 a month,
which isn't much. but I'd rather work
here for that than to try for something
which might pay me a little better, for
I like it. and it is much pleasanter
than being cooped up in a big factory,
as 1 was before I married"
Unlike many widows, Mrs. Cum
precht did not get her position by be-
coming the successor of her husband
in the place. but was led to apply for
1t through the belief that she was COM
petent and the knowledge that the male
agent, disgruntled, was about to de-
part.
what a mistake it is to Judge men