The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-04-14
RAILWAY TR1INM EN-.
The Travelling Auditor Tells an Illum-
mating Incident. The Newspaper
Mans Reflections.

Mans Reflections.
The travelling auditor and HE COM
panion, newspaper man, were dis
cussing humanities in general. They
had switched off on to specialties and
were talking of railway trsinmen,
who are not generally credited with
an excess of gentle feeling. They
were speaking of the trials of con-
ductors in particular, and the popular
estimate the travelling public seems to
have Of the virtues of this class of
railway men. 1t was observed that
the conductor, IN the performance of
his duties, seems to distrust humanity
at large and railway travellers In par.
ticular; that in the performance Ut
the injunction to punch brothers,
punch with care" he sometimes pre-
sents an austerity of demeanor which
might indicate that his heart is en-
cased in oak and triple brass, that
every energy of mind and body is
on guard against the time honored-or
any new-dodges to sponge ride out
of the railway corporation; that the
information he vouchsates the timid
and inquiring individual, or which
he proclaims to the passengers as a
body, is sometimes subject to some de.
auctions on the score CT completeness
or intelligibllity, and the result is
worry or bewilderment where light
and tranquility were sought.
The travelling auditor objected to
this conception of the chief dignitary
of the railway train, both as class,
and especially in its application to in
dividual cases, even some of the most
| forbidding aspect. A fellow feeling
and a long experience on the road
made him wondrous kind in his Judg-
ments, and he proceeded to fortify
himself, among others, behind the fol-
lowing incident which had come I'M.
der his personal observation:
"A couple of months or such a mat
ter ago, ON enc of the lines leading
into Montreal. there was through
sleeping Car destined for Chicago, and
in this Pullman was single passenger
a gentleman evidently we'll to do.
The train being one hour late the con-
ductor had received advice that the
western connection in Montreal would
be broken, and the train from Mont
ntf bn Inn fNf-
who is considered one of the best
trainmen ON the system, caused his
lone Pullman passenger to be notified
that he would be held up in Montreal
till the following morning, this advice
being given early enough to permit the
passenger to dress before arrival in
! the city. This being about his last
duty, Mr.. Conductor took a seat in
the smoking room of the sleeper to
think over the events of tho day,
and also to decide what action to take
in particular case on arrival in
Montreal.
SIN short time, the single sleeper
passenger put in an appearance, and
without any special warning proceed.
ed to berate the railroad companies,
not only the one that had failed to
wait for him. but the one that was do
ing its best to make the running time.
This passenger evidently was mad,
and for the moment dropped the Sun.
ny Jim with smile that doesn t
W ear off role for a more serious view
of life and things.
THE conductor was a good listener.
and when the gentleman stopped to
get his second wind, he quietly re-
marked to his companion: Il have
listened to all you have had to say
about this line and its northern con-
nectlon, but l have failed to hear you
say one word against our southern
connection, and would like to ssk yon
if you have for an instant thought
that this train was given to us one
hour late?' No, he had not thought of
that at all. Mr.. Conductor then
further remarked You are evidently
a man in good circumstances, and we'll
able to take care of yourself, and
am not worrying about you at all, bat
while have listened to you, l have
been thinking much more about two
passengers l have in the coach ahead
than | nave of you.
1.-THE gentleman was Interested and
wanted to know about them. when the