The evening world., 1905-10-03
GENTLEMAN IN 0VERALLS WINS S10.
Man Who Could Speak Little
English Put Americans to
Shame and Politely Gave Up
His Seat to Evening Worlds
Courtesy Commissioner.
BY CATHERINE KING.


found gentleman riding on tn
Broadway express trains In the subway
last evening He wasn't easy to hnC
uDder ehe test prescribed by The Even
ing World, and II was only afer man
mon had been given chances 10 prov
thelT right 10 the title and failed thaV
happened upon him.
Ny gentleman wore his everyday
Earb last night as h rode In car No
N7o which entered at West Seventy.
second street He was not fsshIonao!y
Glad. should say, judging by tht
standards OF the plates that are seen in
smart tailor shops. He didn't even wear
q topcoat, and II wasn't made apparent
that he could comfortably have worn
one. But there was no doubt Of the
genuine quality Of his mobility, and
Ahat's a thing that doesn't need dressing
up to make 1t known.
None Of the loungers moved eScep'
10 glance languidly and, in some cases,
frowningly in my direction, was sur
yeyig them quietly, when was gently
touched on the elbow and turned TO fnd
a gentleman at my left, with his ha
IN his hand, beckoning me to the seat
he had just quilted.
He mumbled something Incompetent
sible to me and bowed politely when /
thanked him in my best English.
In His Work Clothes,
The hat which this gentleman had
doffed to me was a battered soft thing
that might once have been brown or
black. II It had been originally black
II was now rusty enough through wear
and exposure to be classed as seal
color. There was no collar on the blue
gray shirt that he wore under a coat
that was as far from the color 1t had
when 1t left the loom as was the shape
less hat. His trousers We're of blue
dennin-just plain overals-and his
shoes were OF the sort known col.
loquallv as "brogans' and bore a thick
coat Of plaster, attestins that he was
a craftsman Of the building trades
When the train began 10 slacken for
the Grand Central Station | slipped the
envelope containing the order for so
into his hand
1 pressed the envelope upon him. He
begged voluble pardons IN words be.
vond my translation, put the import OF
which was plain
Finally making him understand that
the envelope was for him 70 present to
the cashier Of The Evening World and
worth SO, he mustered up enough Eng
llsh to ask me.
"Whaftor?"
For giving me my seat" answered
with pantomime ineligible in any lana.
Non noa--nothing-a!" he insis ed as
he shook his head,
] wanted his name, and asked for II
"Fiffatv-on-a, said the manly fellow,
giving me all that stands for Identity
In the great mass Of toilers among
which he is an atom. At last my heros
companion, himself not versed in our
language. understood what / wanted |
and volunteered something that sounded |
like "CEnrcyr5 Po.ozzi' don't know |
that even this is correct
Small In Comparison.
Bu;-and 1t is here that was COM
PEELED to make an odious comparison |
there we're az leas, ten men seated |
within sight and sound Of this col |
loquy aGd scene, and every one Of them |
was reading a newspaper IN Englisn !
print. This plain toIler, who never
heard Of The Evening Worlds Cam
paign Of Courtesy. taught thtm a les
son In manlineSS tha may or may not
have a salUtory effect, Al any rate,
IL made me blush for the city Of my
nativity and flr lis voting class.