Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-10

ing an almost empty car. The initiators ride
on the back platform while the candidate
sits inside. When a woman enters he must
get up. take of his hat with an air Of
indomitable courtesy and say:
Take my seat, madam"
As there are long empty stretches OF
seats the woman naturally draws herself
up and eyes the impudent youth severely.
But he. with an 1 win not TO be denied
expression, waves her to the spot he has
vacated and seats himself In another cor
ner
The next female arrival is treated the
same way; and 80 he must keep on, get
ting out OF one spot, offering It with a
flourish and seating himself in another
spot, until the car Is full. Then he must
stick glumly to his place, no matter IL ten
pretty girls stand over him in open con-
demnation.
BY this time, OF course, the passengers
have taken in the situation aud one sees
again the patient indulgent smile which
has become our wont. 1t is the way we
receive other vagaries, such as the APP
pearance in a car Of three young men in
their bathrobes, who, after playing upon
the mandolins hung over their shoulders,
gravely pass their tambourines and pull
their forelocks in acknowledgment Of
stray cents and nickels.
Also, when a lady is politely begged to
move along just a little and a young
man mounting the seat, ardently kisses any
advertising picture in which a pretty girl
appears, we again summon our lndulgent
smile Perhaps the smile Is broader on
some faces and less indulgent on others
when these osculatory attentions are be-
stowed-as they sometimes are-upon the
feminine passengers instead of the pic
lures,
II the affair were not so catholic, includ-
ing every girl and woman in the car, young
and old, homely well as pretty, there
might be more trouble. AS 1t is-well, even
staid Bostonians have some of the French
tolerance for the exuberance Of youth
These Evoke Smiles.
We smile when we see young man
furiously shovelng snow with a pitchfork;
when we see him down on his knees cutting
the lawn with a dinky pair of nail scis-
sors; when we come suddenly upon him
perched uncertainty upon his certainly de-
voted head, while bis bare feet wave madly
in the lambert glow of popular curiosity.
Perhaps It is a bit hard for the trolley
conductor to smile under some circum-
stances, but even he generally manages
It, For instance, one sometimes sees
youth chasing a car and-apparently-fail-
ing to catch 1t before II starts; chasing 1t
again and again falling, but keeping It up
until finally, painting and pufing, he gets
to the step while the conductor, hand on
bell rope, waits for him to jump aboard.
90 course, it's an old trick for the stu
dent to place his foot the step, tie his
shoe-lace and then bow his thanks with
an imposing flourish of his hat But the
fact that 1t is an old trick isn't calculated
to appease the conductor.
To most of us Boston folks these artless
pranks are, as before remarked, an old
story. But there is one portion Of our
population which takes the most poignant
interest in them. It is the dream of the
Boston girl to find herself. either by chance
or by design, included in one of these ini-
tiation stunts
We cannot convey any idea of the
consuming JOY of the girl who had the fol-
lowing experience:
One evening two Harvard men came to-
gether to the house. One was in evening
clothes and high good humor. The other
In fur coat and led by a leash attached
to a dog collar around his neck.
He entered on all fours and spent the
period of the others call lying in front OF
the fire. When addressed as good dog
gle" he barked his appreciation. He caught
in his mouth occasional offerings of choco-
late confectionery for which he had paid.
He did allow himself to growl somewhat
when the caller told the most uncompli-
mentary and untruthful tales about him.
But as he was promptly II rather gently
kicked for growing he ceased to allow
himself even that Indulgence. He went
through with the affair plucl<ily and-took
| It out on the next man.