The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1908-03-18
POLICEMEN AND
STREET CARS
ACCOUNT FROM SOUTH AMERI-
ca BY MRS. MAUDE NEWELL
WILLIAMS OF FAIRFIELD.
NO RUSHING THROUGH LIFE
NO Standing Allowed in Street Cars
Queer Directions Given
by Policemen.
NO RUSHING THROUGH LIFE
BOgota, Colombia,

Feb. 4, 'O8
Baraboo News: / suppose that one
may find humor in anything if he
looks for it. The policemen here pro-
woke a smile every time one meets one
Of them, which is on every corner
They are so tiny! And each stands
with such an important air, strugg-
ling TO support in decent manner, a
gun which is longer than his whole
body. 1t is the funniest sight to see
the little fellow, with look edo my
duty or die" on his face, SO completely
OvershadOWed by that enormous gun.
If any noise occurs in a house, the
nearest policeman stations himself
outside the door, without investigat-
ing the cause Of the uproar, and there
he stands all night. In the morning
the resident of that house receives a
bill for a policeman's services during
the night. And he has to pay the
bill, too.
These policemen have the funniest
way Of giving directions.
go down this street un til you come
to a house painted blue an d white lin
squares, like gingham cloth) then go
on by three more houses. There you
will find house with a red door.
That is not the place. F Proceeded by
six more houses, until you come to a
church. Go by that, and by four more
houses. Then double on yourself, and
you will come to pink house. That
is not the one. And so on, until you
are i'll such a maze that you go back
for servant, to direct the way. |
have never yet found out what their
'double on YOURSELF means.
A friend of mine, who had lost her
way, enquired of policeman where
she was. His reply was, cit is not
my business to know that. Ask the
man on the next corner. The next
policeman must have been detailed
the duty of knowing where he was,
for he was able to tell her.
We may not be quite as progressive
here as some other people, but we
know how to get out of difficulty.
Several of us were riding on a street
car one day when one of our party be-
gan to prophecy that we would soon
slip off the track. The speaker told
us that there was aspot in front of the
hotel in which she was staying, where
every car regularly went off the track.
This had been going on for more than
a month. At that spot some children
had dug hole, which had filled with
water and the little donkeys always
SHE'D to avoid stepping into the water,
with the result that the car inevitably
slipped off the rails. Sure enough,
another minute found us planted firm
ly III the soft earth. The driver and
the conductor, with a skill bred by
much practice in that sort of thing,
had the donkeys unhitchedin twink
ling, called to all passengers to alight,
and shouted out to all the passengers
the car crawled these men and all the
other men followed their example,
putting their shoulders to the wheel.
We were not delayed more than five
minutes!
We do not believe in rushing
through life at any mad pace, here. Mr..
Williams put me on a car, one day land
walked along by the side of car for ten
blocks. When L arrived at our desti-
nation, [ found him waiting to receive
me. We had made but three short
stops, and not run off the track either!
Upon another occasion, we were great.
II amused by watching the antics OF
an Indian boy, about twelve years old
who was our conductor. For the sol
diers and conductors in this country
are all mere children. This boy was
blessed with the superfuous energy o.
his years, the world over. The slow
progress of the donkeys did not sui
him. So all the way down the street
which was quiet one, he employed
his time by jumping off one side of th'
car, running around in front of tn,
donkeys, and swinging Oh to the othe
side of the car. And the donkeys nev
er paused!
There is law here that passenger
may not stand on the cars. Possibly