Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-28
LESSON IN MANNERS

when the somewhat made-up woman with
the vinegary countenance and the mouth
like thin red line" as IL made by ea-
Der, occupying the very last seat on the
left-hand side Of the rear car, touched the
electric button. AS the cars were already
crossing K street. and as 1t was then too
late for any signal commanding the motor
man to stop at that street. the cars pro-
ceeded to L street, the vinegary-faced wo-
mans beady eyes emitting sparks In the
meanwhile. The conductor entered the
rear car before the slowing up for L street,
and the eour-countenanced woman sum-
moned him to the rear Of the car with q
gesture which she meant to be imperious,
but which was only peevish.
IT touched the button for a stop at X
street-my street." said the woman, In an
anger hoarsened tone. with rather laugh
able emphasis of the word my"
'But the car was already crossing K
street then, lady," politely replied the con-
ductor.
'It was doing nothing of the sort!' snap
ped the woman with the calculated expires.
sion. TT wasn't anywhere near x street
ductor. but didn't hear any bell before
the car had reached K street"
'WeH, IT'S not my fault II you're as deaf
as post" retorted the singulariy thin-lip.
makeup. which the dampness of the atmos-
phere was causing to run slightly.
By this time the cars had come TO a tuii
stop at L street, and the conductor had his
passengers, anxious to get home, began to
cough and to shift their feet uneasily.
This is l. street, ma am" said the con-
ductor Are you going to get of here!
You'll only have to walk back a square,"
The sour-faced woman. who, with storm
coat, an umbrella and rubbers, was well
rugged out for the walk back of a square,
tossed her head angrily.
81 don't care if 1T is only five feet, I am
not going to walk back one solitary STEP.
she snapped. You shall take me to the
end of the line and then transfer me to q
car coming back"
ductor, still clutching the bell cord, while
the other passengers looked wrathfu1, and
the motorman changed his foot-gong, I
can't transfer you to a car coming back.
ma AMI m not allowed to do that"
81 don't care what you're allowed or not
allowed to do. am going to the end of the
line, and you'll have to transfer me back"
said the woman with the vinegary face,
shall stop off at the offices of the line and
report you for impudence, tool see your
number. and I'll remember 1t.
The conductor, tidy-looking young fell
low with pleasing face, looked around at
the other passengers rather appealingiy,
then pulled the bell cord, and the cars
started ahead The sour-faced woman set
tied herself back with lips more compressed
than ever and with general $50 there,
nowr' air.
A tail. quite stout, Notwithstanding
woman Of forty or so, who was seated right
alongside the thin-lipped woman with the
scrappy tendency, and who had listened to
the womsn's talk to the conductor with a
mingled expression of derision and disgust,
now turned about in her seat so that she
could squarely face the sour-faced woman
and look her right in the eye. Then she
said in a deliberate, full tone:
do you mean to say that you would
have the smallness. the pettiness, to Jeop-
ardize that conductors place by making q
lying report about hin-tell me that!'
An expression Of the most acute amaze
ment appeared on the scrappy woman's
face from the utterance of the very first
word by the stout. whoiesome-looking wo-
man.
why" she gasped. after an ominous
pause, chow dare you address
Because cut in the stout woman, pay
ing no attention whatever to the amazed
countenance or the words Of the scrappy
woman, eff you really have any such con-
temptible action as that in view I shall
ride out to the end of the line myself, and
shall tell them exactly what happened. as
I saw with my own eyes and as I heard
with my own ears. You did not touch that
button until K street had been almost
passed, and. even if you had, and the con-
ductor, who is very busy with two big car
loads Of people to handle, and who was In
the forward part Of the front car at the
time you touched the button-even II he
did not hear your ring, you are no better
than any one else to walk back one square.
It happens to all Of us occasionally, but we
don't get ugly and vtndictive about 1t and
threaten to deprive hardworking conduc-
tors of their jobs"
Good girl!'' at least half dozen of the
male passengers were heard to humble un-
der their breaths.
The stupefaction Of the scrappy woman
to separate itself from the remainder Of her
face.
why" she gurgled, beginning to turn
chalky even under her kalsop1ine makeup,
you impertinent. meddling thing, how
''You," calmly and deliberately inter-
rupted the stout woman, belong to the
class Of women who bring discredit upon
our sex by their inconsiderate, not to say
measley, conduct In public places. Just be-
and spitefuI to walk back one block-and 1t
was your own fault that 1t became necessary
you would attempt to deprive this conduc-
tor Of his work in the middle of winter, and
he probably has others depending upon his
work, perhaps wife and children"
II wish you would direct your CONVEX
Just then U street was reached. The
sour-faced woman rose haughtily from her
seat, glared daggers at the stout woman
and f1ounced out Of the car. She boarded a
southbound car that was waiting at the
crossing.
The stout. wholesome-looking woman set
tied into the vacated corner seat, renal ed
apparently oblivious to the admiring
glances which were bestowed upon her by
the other passengers during the remainder
of her ride, and left the car at Yale street.