Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-02-18
SIOE OF
The PASS HABIT
Ludicrous Position in Which a
Prominent Railroad Man
Found Himself.
HE FORGOT HIS ANNUAL
Conductor Refused to Let Him Rid
and. the Thought Never Occurred
to Him Ae Could Do So BY
Paying His Faro.

Brooklyn Eagle: a few of us on the
professors porch were talking Of the
power of habit and the foolish things
1t sometimes makes people do.
Il once had an experience said the
railroad official. (which l am almost
afraid to tell. 1t Is SO absurd that It
sounds like fiction. and very poor fic-
ton. at that"
The professor said h a was the best
possible indication OF Its t~ruthfulness,
and begged him to tell 1t.
We'll, 1t is true, every word OF IT,"
the railroad man went OH. Il had
been IN officer Of the Chicago. Burling-
ton and Quincy railroad in Illinois
annual passes over all the important
railroads in the country. My duties
took me to Springfield, the state cap
ital. very often. and. as l almost al
ways went by the Chicago, Alton and
st. Louis road. the conductors on that
line knew me SO we'll that they never
asked to see my pass.
One winter a gang of bloOdsuckers
In the legislature We're bent on extOrt-
ing money from the railroads by means
of several bills which they threatened
To pass II we did not buy them OF, so
l spent considerable TIM al the capital
Watching our interests. In fact, l was
there so much that l retained a room
at the Leland hotel by the month. One
day l received a telegram %summoning
me to meet one OF the officers of our
company at Aurora the next morning.
l had only a short time in which to
catch the train from Springfield to
Chicago. and in my haste went away
leaving my book of passes in my bu-
reau drawer. l did not lind this out un-
TIL l reached Chicago and was about
to AXE the last train for Aurora that
night. Then l saw that the conductor.
a a brought over from the Iowa di-
vision. was a stranger to me. and the
fact that l should need my pass re-
minded me that l did not have 1t.
Conductor Refused.
II told the conductor OF the situation
but he said he could not carry me on
my mere representation that 1 had a
pass.
why. man. said l, I'm an officer
of the company, going to Aurora on
company business. and this IL the last
train thai will get me there In time.
You must take me-
He was polite, but firm. He said
he vas a new man on this division and
could not afford to make any mistake.
when / saw that he was determined
I rushed off to the telegraph office, but
1t was too late late to catch anybody
authorized to issue passes. SO ] set
tied 1t in my mind that I must go by
-cArriAge: and the prospecA Oft an, ALL
night ride over bad roads through the
dark was anything but inviting. In
deed, 1t was SO forbidding that ] re-
solved to make one more appeal to the
conductor.
You simply must take me to Au-
rora,' 1 said with intense earnestness
Would Lend Him the Fare.
az can't do IT, he answered. Blu
l believe you are what you represent
yourself to be. and l will lend you the
money personally. It is only $1.12.'
well, sir, you could have knocked
me down with the fiat side of q palm
leaf fan. I had more than g. 900 in cur
rency in my pocket, but 1t had never
for an instant occurred to me that l
could pay my fare and ride on that
train. / showed the conductor q wad
Of money that made his eyes stick out.
81 thought 1t al funny said he,
that a man in your position couldn't
raise Slip. 1t was that that made me
believe you We're playing a trick to see
II / would violate the rule
But the simple truth was, 1 had rid
den everywhere on passes SO many
years that l did not think l could ride
III any other way"