The daily Alaskan., 1905-07-13
A Conductors Poke
nOrrlnall

as tO why they can't pay their Fare The truth Is we are not permitted Co fudge in such matters, our orders being to collect all fares. The only case In which violated my instructions was where I considered myself to blame in depriving a passenger Of his ticket
 | was tn charge of the Chicago Linn bea from New York at the time and was going through the train punching tickets when | came to a handsomely dressed young man with a suit case beside him plastered an over with the names Of foreign hotels. lt was mid. summer. and he was sleeping with the window beside him open, a derby hat pulled down over his eyes We con. ductors have to deal with SO many people who pretend they don't hear us when we can for tickets that instead of asking a second time we poke them. The young man referred to seemed to be sleeping so soundly that | pcSed him vigorously In the side. He start cd up as if he had been shot knock inc his hat out of the window. Plac- ng his hands to his side be groancd
 q beg parton" I said "l hope | didn't hurt you
 Hurt mel" he said, almost breathlcss with agony. "You've nearly killed me. I've an ahsccss on my liver And he groaned again
 "rm sorry about your hat" I re marked. hoping to draw his mind from his sufrerings
 Hat What hSty'
 "nidnt you notice that it went out of the window
 rpld uy | don't carc anything about hat | can buy ono os soon as hEve the time Rut I'm afraid you've done me m Doctor told me Co lct hlm oper' ate on my liver promising H ! didn't that the first thing | run my side against might break the absccss and kiu me"
 Inc young man was so frightened about himself that began Co feel un' easy for fear had done him serious Injury. stood leaning on the back ot | thc scat looking down on him anxious y uu hts suncriucs seemed Co mclcr ate then asked again for hls ticket
 ~Oh, my ticket If you'd have asked mo for lt you might have had 10 lons sr,. It's this coutoundcd pcklug you conductors practice that ! object Co I'm going Co report this matter Co ths proncr oilclal or the road and find oul l if something can't be done Co stop thC nuisance"
 "rn repair the damagc," | replied "by getting you another hat at the ars' l stop"
 Hat Whats hat Co mcg lt cosl me a guinea in London only last week but do you suppose I'm thinking about thaty I'm worrying for my utc"
 Meanwhile he bad taken out his pcck etbook. opened it, pulled out a tickH which proved Co be a check of som, sort, put it back, took out something else. paused for a psroXysm of pain clarpluc his hand on his liver; shut uI bis pocketbook. put lt away and began to search elsewhere for his ticket Sud denly he stopped hunting and cxclaim cd:
 "By thunder, GE In fxT
 whats the matter nowy'
 Ticket and baggage cheeks al in th' lining Of my hat"
 I sighed. Here was more blame fo' me, consequent upon my poke
 "Now, sec here" pursued the younl man angrily and talking loud enough C te heard an over the car, 'thls is aI outrage. You not only ram your fs Into me but knock my hat out Of thO window with my string or tickets al the way Co Chicago, and I've got noth ing to show for my trunks"
 More unpleasantneSs for me. I coub pass him to the end of my run, bu what would he do after thatY However I braccd up and said to hlm;
 Never mind your ticket"
 wns about to move on when b stopped me.
 T do mind my ticket or the loss o lt and I want you to fix me to Chi caco"
 "ChicaCOy'
 ~Certainly, Chicago. You've depriy cd me Of my tickets there, and I don propose Co let you of without maxim my loss good I'm a lawyer, am, nn rn begin suit, not against you; I'm no so stupid as that, but against the road Trll pay for the tickets, besides dan ages and costs"
 The question arose in my mind Shal I get the company Into a lawsuit an doubtless lose my position, or put th man throuChs I decided on the lattc course We conductors have ways e doing things with our fellow conducN ors, and gave the passenger a Inc ( those who followed me which the would understand. This seemed ( satisfy him. He stopped his lon threats and went Co sleep again. Whc I turned the train over to my succe' sor | hade the young man gcodhy, e' pressing a hope that he might suffer h Inconvenience as to his liver. He r piled that l had made an the repsr i ton he asked. and he would not hlam me even if my poke proved fatal