Evening journal., 1910-02-08
Confusing to
Lucinda


experience, but my brother Claude
says It was really very simple. I'll
tell you about Il and you can see
what you think.
Three Of US girls started to come
down town on a surface car There
was / and a friend OF mine and a
friend of hers who was with her. Now
usually, you know. we girls pay each
her own fare, but my friend wanted
to pay the fare of her friend. and
what my friend wanted TO do was 10
give me a dime for herself and her
friend and have me pay for all three;
and what ! wanted TO do was to give
my friend my nickel and have her
pay all three fares. ] hope you un-
derstand this as far as I've got, for
it's going to get more complicated
right away.
"Well, the car was crowded when
we got aboard. and we all had to
stand up, and we tried to arrange that
fare business as we stood there in
the crowd, so that everything would
be all right and ready when the con-
ductor came around, and so I dropped
my nickel in her handbag so she
could pay, and she tried TO hand her
dime 10 me at the same time 80
could pay. but in the crush somehow
the dime was dropped between US
and II fell down between the stats on
the floor Of the car, and there we let
Il rest because we couldn't get at II
In the crowd.
"Then pretty soon my friend and
her friend came to the street where
they were 20 get or which they did;
and this, you understand, before the
conductor had got TO US to collect our
fares. So, you see, they got OF with
out anybody paying their fares, they
or I or anybody. And now things be-
gan 10 get more mixed up.
Pretty soon after they had got on
tho conductor came along for my fare
u had got a scat by that time, near
where had been standing-and I
told him I had dropped a dime on the
floor and he could take IL out Of that.
But there we're some people still
standing IN the car and the conductor
couldn't get the mat up with people
standing on It. but evidently he be-
! lleved me about the dime. for he
didn't ask me again for my fare but
went out and stood on the platform.
! And then more things happened.
sitting next to me was a mother
with her little daughter, a very pretty
little girl and handsomely dressed, an
for that matter her mother was, too,
and presently the mother spied that
dime down between the Stats on the
floor and she told her little daughter,
and Of course the little girl at once
began to dig for It. But she couldn't
get It out with her fingers and in a
minute she looked up and said;
Mamma, give me a hairpin'
"And mamma smiled at that, but
she gave her a hairpin. and in min
ute more the little girl had got the
dime-which she handed over at once
10 me. don't think the mother knew
Il was mine. but somehow the little
girl did
$50 now I had the dime back, and
when we came to the street where
was to get of handed It TO the con
ductor as ! passed out, telling him
that there was the dime that
dropped. and he took my fare out OF
It. and gave me back nickel.
"And then I tried to cipher out who
had paid. and how much, and with
whose money; and the more
ciphered the more got mixed up.
had certainly paid two fares. one &c
my friend when / gave her my nickel
which II she knew 1t at all, she hat
forgotten all about. and then l had
paid another fve cents TO the con
ductor
'I had paid twice and yet wai
really out only five cents, for tha
nickel to the conductor was paid ou
OF my friends dime. and OF cours'
the change from Il belonged TO her
My friend had lost a dime, but haI
given her fve cents with which t
pay my fare, which she couldn't do
because the conductor didn't come TO
IT, and she would get from me fv
cents more, the change out Of the los
dime, which I had recovered.
80 who had paid and how mucl
had anybody paid or lost, and tn
more I thought about all this tn
more confused got till I got so
Just couldn't think. and then I aske
Claude If he could figure II out
my brother Claude is great on NJ
ures. he can do sums with signs an
all that sort OF thing and he said, a
I told you. that It was all simpl
enough. that all I wanted to bottle
about was what he called the net n
suit, and he said that when I ha
given my friend back the nickel ou
OF the dime the net result of the eI
: tire transaction would be that thi
party OF three would have paid ou
n one fare the fare paid by me. an
that the company would be out tw
n fares.
\ "And I think can understand
now, but I hope I shall never hav
another experience like that, beeaus
trying to get this one straight in m
II mind actually made my head ache -