Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-06
MAKE GOOD MONEY.
Earnings Of the Train Boys Larger
than Is Supposed.

tram was OVerheateu and, while all the
windows were raised, it was decidedly
uncomfortable. 1t was too sticky tC
read; about the easiest thing to pass
the time being to loll back and think
as little as possible. The great trouble
was that all of the crowd which filled
each available seat felt the same way
so that there was nothing in the sur
roundings to attract ones attention. 1t
was, therefore, something of a relief. at
least the reporter thought so, when the
train boys monotonous tones were
heard drawing:
! 'Awgus-ta an Bang-gor mawn MIN
papers"
Slowly the young man in blue, with
&C. B." in gold letters on his jacket COL
lar. made his way down the car, calling
out the papers and selling a few. Not
many bought, twas too hard work to
read. In due time he disappeared, only
to return in the course Of a few min
utes, minus his papers but with a box
beneath his arm. This time his cry
was:
"Choc-co-lates an pcp-sin chew-in'
gum"
If it had been peanuts and chewing
gum it would have made you think of
the old days of New England baseball,
but it was chocolates. AS before, he
made his way down the car selling
what he could. Few seemed to buy,
evidently feeling, as did the reporter,
that it was too much eXertion to mas
70 oit n ho nv ho D,.f
the boys appearance served to give the
man of pencil. pen and typewriter
something to think about, which was
different from what had been the case
during the early part of the trip. He
watched the boy and noted his sales.
AS remarked, they didn't seem to be
very large and when the agent came
round with the comic papers, following
them with magazines and novels of the
day the sales didn't appear to increase
any. 1t certainly didn't seem as
though he was doing any great amount
of business. Being inquisitive the re-
porter decided to find out about the
earnings of these young merchants of
the rail. Not doubling but what the
agent would have been honest in what
he said, it was deemed more advisable
to seek information from a source
which could have no possible interest in
COlOrinG statements. With this idea in
view a brakeman was collared, so to
speak. for the process was~decidedly
delicate, as those gentlemen of the gilt
Buttons, who announce stations in a
foreign language from what the every
day citizen of Maine speaks, cannot be
approached in the every day am-bang
sort of a style that you'd seek an inter-
view with a leading merchant. lawyer
or member Of the bench. Not they.
They're autOcrats in Democratic
country and as such must be APP
preached.
But it was accomplished and the
"braky" being in willing mode, which
he wouldn't have been had the Informal
ton been concerning an accident or
some similar subject. for on those
things trainmen, and all railroad men,
for the matter. are as dumb as the pro-
verbable oyster, considerable many
facts We're CLEANED.
Having settled down beside the man
of blue in a rear seat of the car where
he rode, the Journal remarked, sort of
of-hand, just as though it was a new
thought. that the train boys couldn't
earn much at their work.
Don't they. thought" said he of the
cap with brakeman" on it. Don't
they? Let me tell YOU my friend. that
them 'Newsy' do Il good bit of business
and pick up dollars which would sur
prise you. You understand, they work
on commission-that is they get
certain per cent. of all the money they
take. As prices are fairly high it
doesn't require many sales to bring
their cash receipts up to five or ten dol
lars and on the latter they're making
good wages. Yes, Stree every one of
these boys make good money. OF
course, there are better runs than 9TH
ers. but all Of them pay fairly well.
why some of the boys make better
money than we brakemcn, and a num-
Der of them come up close to where the
conductors and engineers get on. so YOU
see they're not so bad off. To watch
one Of the boys,-and that's wrong. for
some of them are men with wives and
kids, too,-wOrk down through a train
it doesn't seem as though he was doing
a bit OF business, but if you could see
him count up when he gets into the
home office you'd see that he had been
taking i'm some coin. Besides, most of
the agents double the road each day.
That is, the boys leaving Portland i'm
the morning run back in the afternoon
and the same with those out of Bangor
in the morning.
Il know one boy that runs I'D on the
mountain division, who averages dur
ing the summer to gather i'm from 81
to IS day. Oh, no, nowhere near all
of them do this. his case being an ex-
ception. Yes the summer season is the
best, because there is a great deal moro
travel, but they don't starve on the
winter trade"
The Curtis Daughters" of tho Free
Baptist church will meet with Mrs. A.
w Uoo,o Of On o,ofoa,- a.,