The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-07-15
WOES OF THE PURSER
He Has Troubles Of His Own on
the Trip Across the Atlantic.

VHe TIP ACROSS the AtlantlC.
MUST HAVE A GOOD TEMPER.
He Time Wasted by Foolish Cues.
lions and Trivial Appeals, Mainly by
Women Passengers, Vet He Has to
Be Always Polite and Agreeable.
YES" said the purser on n Of the
big liners recently to the writer, who
happened to be taking a trip from Liv.
erpool to New York. 1--WE have our
own troubles, I can assure you, and ]
sometimes envy the captain his soil.
tary enjoyment of the bridge. even
during q sixty mile gale. Passengers
seem to think that the purser is put
on q ship simply to answer foolish
questions.
"Of course there is a good deal
which we have to put up with as be.
Ing part Of u legitimate duties.
though when a passenger brings US a
hundred dollar yellow back and asks to
have 1t changed into English, French.
German aud Spanish money and stipu-
lates that there must be twice as much
French as German and half the re-
mainder in English silver coins, pre-
sumably for tips. is it any wonder that
We occasionally lose VI tempers?
And then, again. the purser is al
ways appealed to for the most trivial
things. A woman passenger comes to
the window. and IL 1t is closed she will
bang on 1t till 1t is opened. no matter
II the sign Is there as large as life that
the office hours are from II to 2 and 4
to 6 O'Clock and she is honoring me
with a call at 3 p. m. Then. when the
window Is raised for fear she will
smash 1t to %smithereens, she says,
with a sweet smile: oh, Mr.. Purser,
l am SO sorry to disturb you. know
it is not your hour Of business, but
could you tell ME IL we will really
land next Thursday. as told my
brother We would. aud ! know he will
be waiting FOR me Oh the dock.
"Of course ! am p,lite, but ! have
some difficulty in petsuading her that
I am not running the ship. and neither
can I control the elements. She goes
away with an expression that clearly
shows she thinks l am keeping some
thing back aud 1t will be my fault II
we do not arrive at the time appointed.
II remember on one trip when the
weather was particularly stormy q
woman passenger Knocked at my door
after office hours. Of course-and
begged that she might speak to me for
a few minutes. politely asked her
to enter. aud then. her eyes starting
out OF her head with the excitement Of
suppressed emotion. she implored me
to draw up her will. protested that
l was not u lawyer. but do you think
she would be satisfied With that ex.
cuse? Not much! There and then l
had to draw up a document in the
best legal p~hraseology l could muster.
when 1t was finished and l and my
assistant had signed 1t she gave the
young fellow u sovereign for his trou-
BILE. and as for newell. she took OF
q very handsome ring and insisted on
my accepting 1t. l huve that ring yet.
but what became Of the donor l never
knew. for when the storm abated and
we were safe IN port she never so
much as bade Tue goodby. though 1
had repeatedly asked her to take back
her ring. She was a very rich woman
evidently. and the 'bequests' in that
will drew up nude my eyes bulge.
Most passengers when we have been
q day or 80 u bring the purser all
their valuables. for which they receive
y receipt. Some nervous women seem
to think that q strong room at sea Is
not u very secure place for their jew.
els. and they insist on seeing their
treasures at least every day. One WON
an passenger made my life a burden
during a recent voyage by taking her
valuables out and putting them In
again three times q day until l told her
that the next time she called for them
! would not take them back again.
whereat she told me. with a sour look,
that ! was impertinent and she would
inform the captain. believe she did
60. but the captain gave her a word or
two Of advice regarding the implicit
trust which should be placed in a
purser. and this Quieted her. In fact,
she afterward came to me and apollo
gized for her seeming rudeness.
"As a rule. l conduct church service
on board, as the captain does not en-.
Joy the work. but prefers to remain on
the bridge. Many a funeral service
also has fallen to my lot, and have
even oflciated at a christening. am
usually the one to whom a passenger,
flies when he Is dissatisfied with his
cabin. though the duty Of changing q
stateroom really rests with the head
steward. Then, again, 1t u the purser
who Is appealed to when the passen.
gers elect to hold a concert, and the
young folks usually rush to him also
when they want to have q dance on
deck. A purser can be very popular
or the rovprao and un1oas vo,, hovo.