Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1912-04-11
"oh, bawtah, / think wen unbutton

OAs RHHbAAi > 0AAA won oAS0tNSA
my boots"
He was too weak to murmur Vas
sab" He simply fell on one knee
and got to work.
There was a witness to his helpless
rage-a newcomer, the American
counterpart of the Englishman IN all
that makes travel difficult for the fel.
low travellers. Ira Lathrop was zeal,
GUS to resent anything short Of per
lection, quick and loud OF complaint,
apparently impossible to please.
In everything else he was the OPP
posite Of the Englishman. He was
burly, middle-aged, rough, careless IN
attire, careless of specials uncoutb
and savage as one can we'll be who is
plainly a man Of means.
1t was not enough that a freeborn
Afro-American should be caught kneel.
ing to an Englishman. But when he
had escaped this penance, and ad-
yanced Hospitality to the newcomer,
he must be greeted with a snarl.
Say, are you the porter Of this car,
or that mans nurse?"
81 can't tell yet. What's yo' nun.
ba, please?"
The answer was the ticket. The
porter screwed up his eyes to read
the ~pencilled scrawl.
"Numba sem, Heqh she is, boss"
Right next to a lot OF women, III
bet. Couldn't you put me in the mems
end Of the carr"
mot ve'y well, sub. l reckon the
cab is done sold out"
With a growl of rage, Ira Lathrop
slammed into the seat his entire hand
baggage, n ancient and rusty vaIise.
The porter gazed upon him with In
creased depression. The passenger
list had opened inauspiciously with
two of the worst types of travellers
the Anglo-SaXon race has developed.
But their anger was not their worst
trait in the porter's eyes. He was, In
o limited way, an expert in human
character.
When you meet a stranger you re
veal your own character in what you
ask about bis. With some, the frs,
question is, Who are his people?'
With others, what has he a~chieved?'
With others, How much is he worth?'
Each gauges his cordially according
to mis- estimate.
The porter was rot curious on any
Of these points. He showed a demo
cratic Indifference to them. His one
vital inquiry was;
How much will he tip?"
His inspection of his first two
charges promised small returns. Ht
buttoned up his cordially, and de
termined to waste upon them the If
reducible minimum of attention.
1t would take at least a brida
couple to retsore the balance. Blu.
bridal couples in their first bloom
rarely fell to the lot Of that porter, foi
what bridal couple wants to lock 1t
self in with a crowd Of passengers foI
the first ~seventy-tWo hours Of weddet
bliss?
The porter bantshed the hope as
vanity. Little he knew how eagerl!
the young castaways from tina
wrecked taXicab desired to be a brida
couple, and to catch this train.
But the Englishman was restiV,
again:
"Pawtah! l say, pawtah!"
"Yassah!"
what time are we due In San Fran
clsco?"
"San Francisco? San Francisco
We are doc than the evenin' Of tn
10th day. This bein' Monday, tina
ought to bring us In abote Thuzzda,
evenin'."
The Yankee felt called upon t
check the foreign usurper.
"Porrterr!"
"Yassah!"
Don't let that fellow monopoIiS
you. He probably won't tip you q
ALL"
The porter grew confidential:
"Oh, | know his kind, sab. The
don't tip you for what you do do, bu
they're ready letter writers to tn
superintendent for what you don
do"
"Pawtah! l say, puwtah!"
} Here, porter"
The porter tried to initiate tn
Irish bird, and be in two places {
once. The American had a coin
t his hand. The porter caught the gIeal
of it., and fitted thither, The Yanke
growled:
Don't forget that I'm on the trai.
> and when We get to Frisco there ms
= be something more"
The porter had the coin in his han