The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-26
TIE EVENING STOR r
me Baeeage &C..
(By Donald Allen.)

he WASH gong anywhere ulQl I Wan l
10 see anybody in particular, and he al
ways kept clear Of passenger depots
on account of fearful old women and
crying children. On this occasion he
had scarcely caught sight of one tear
ful old woman when somebody caught
sight of him.
And who on earth told you that I
was going to Buffalo2" exclaimed a
voice at his elbow, as he turned to go
out.
It was Miss Remington. whom he
had known fairly well for year past
and who had sometimes struck him as
being rather good looking and OF en-
gaging manners. Just now she was
looking unusually well in her travelling
suit, and her eyes shining with excite
ment.
II came to say farewell" replied
Lee with ready wit.
How nice of you. My trunk was
sent on half an hour ago ahead Of me,
know you Will take my ticket and get
it checked for me Brother Will said
he would surely be here but some
thing has happened to detain him.
1T will be something to remember
all my life
A child of ten, a bachelor of forty,
or an old woman of ninety can check
a trunk when once the feat of getting
It to the depot has been accomplished.
All you have to do is to point 1t out
ticket with the other and tell the bag
gagemaster that he must make no mis-
take and check it for Oshkosh instead
of Kalamazoo.
Harry Lee had that trunk identified
and checked IN seven minutes, and he
was feeling rather proud over the fact
when a plain looking woman OF forty
appealed to him. She was looking for
a trunk with a broken handle, but thus
far it had eluded her. It tried to dodge
Mr.. Harry Lee, but in vain. He had
his eyes on it in no time.
zJust at this juncture a girl of IS, dress
ed in mourning and looking fearful and
anxious, wanted help. Her trunk was
all right as to handles, but she was
afraid 1t had been checked to Rochester
instead Of Syracuse. She gave the
bachelor her check to see about 1t, and
thus it came about that he had three
checks for three trunks in his posses
sion. Moreover, he put them into the
same pocket. Moreover, again, he'd
have walked back to Miss Remington
with them had not the plain looking
woman and the girl IN mourning hest
tatingly reminded him of his careless
ness.
Ten thousand pardons. ladies' he
apologized in confusion, and with that
he CALAMITY pulled out the three checks
and made a fair divide. There was just
was train time now, and everybody in
a hurry, and Miss Remington's brother
came rushing in. and SO with it all no
one made any discoveries, and the three
women were hurried away with scores
Of other passengers.
For the first time in year. so far as
he could remember, the club bachelor
had made himself useful for few min
utes, and there was something like Ella
ton in his eye as he left the depot to
continue his saunfer. Twenty-four
hours later he received a call from
young Winchester, who had an open tel
egram in his hand. and who bluntIy
inquired:
see here. Lee. what have you done
with my sisters trunk2''
why 1 checked it for Buffalo yes
terday.''
she has telegraphed that she has
another in the place of it,
But, man, I surely checked 1t, and
you saw me hand her the brass. Those
COMPOUNDED railroad folks must have
made another OF their stupid mis-
takes"
We'll. we'll let it rest for a day, and
perhaps they'll rectify it."
During the next twenty-four hours
Miss Remington sent two more tele-
grams from Buffalo, and the ease-lov-
ing and complacent bachelor got d
move on him and went to the depot to
interview the president, vice president
and general manager of the road. Be
ing told that they had gone off on a
Sunday school picnic, he decided to
interview the baggagemaster instead.
There was dignity in his bearing as he
set out to crush the worm under his
feet. The worm wasn't very busy just
then. and heard him through, and then
retaliated with:
I'VE have two kilograms from two
other women about trunks having
gone wrong, and it's all owing to your
having butted in here the other day.
I rem ember you very we'll. You had
three trunks checked at the same
time"
Eyes, sir, did, and if the baggage
department can't take care of the
trunks all at once it had better go
Ibid you hand the three checks to
three different women2"
.sOf course I did"
& Are you sure you kept them sepa-
''of course-that is-that is. you
yes. 7 know smiled the baggage
master You handed out any old
check. and as a consequence there is a !
mix. It's up to you to do some teie- /
graphing and straighten things OUT
Mr. Lee spent the whole day teIe-
graphing and receiving collect" mes
sages from Buffalo, Rochester and
Syracuse but he made little Roadway.
His messages were inquiring and pa
cif1c; his collects" were vigorous and
rather threatening. At the end Of the
day he decided on making a personal
trip to straighten out the tangle. He
could remember the trunks and their
owners.
His first stop was at Syracuse. He
was sure that the girl in mourning
with humble looking trunk had had
1t checked there. Two kilograms had !
passed and he had her address. In the !
course OF an hour he found her. She
hadn't quite SO much mourning on
now, and was better looking than he
had thought. She had received the
plain woman's trunk with a broken |
handle. She was refined, ladylike /
girl, and in mourning for an aunt who
had left her $4,000 but yet she used
language tinged with acid. Next time
she went travelling and had to appeal
to a man for help she would make sure |
that he knew enough to CHI eek his own
l1-.11al- and fn1-th Ill.