The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1912-08-16
THE TRIbUNE'S
HIRED man

0D30A0O N8A y
Tho Caldwell Tribune's Hired Man
was coming home on the Boise and
lnterurban recently when a passenger
who was very much absorbed in his
Saturday Evening Post, was aroused
| by Conductor who asked him to
please pay 20 cents more fare. He
had boarded the car at Boise with a
| ticket to Middleton and was going to
ride to Caldwell on it. Just why he
did not purchase the ticket only to
Star is the mystery. The stung pas
senger handed over the money with
some sort of stab at explaining his
predicament, all of which the con-
ductor took with dash of chloride of
| sodium.
The unassuming conductor on the
electric must be as wise as serpent
and harmless as a dove. He must
know just where every passenger is
seated, remember his destination and
also keep in mind every minute
just the location of his car, know the
time he is due at every spot on the
road, make correct change for the
passengers and carry about him head
full of instructions. He must be on
the lookout for the tricky fellows who
are on the beat. There is the fellow
who will come in with other passen-
gers, sit quietly down and put on that
II have been here all the way" look
and side track the con as he passes
through the car. The eagle eyes Of
the conductors soon get so they can
smell out this robber instantly. He
usually digs up fervently as he tries
to show he was about to forget it.
Then there is the fellow who will buy
a ticket to station short of where he
is going and then get ready to argue
the point. This is one of the common
ways of beating railroad OF course
the conductors are wise to this trick
and seldom get caught on it, but the
suckers keep on trying it. Then there
is the woman who insists that her
child is not quite six and not quite IL,
she has that 81 know she looks it but
she anti but eleven" look on her face
and she braces herself and gets ready
for the attack. When it is remember
ed that this passenger must think this
matter over for hours in order to be
ready to carry it out it seems strange
that one would devote so much time
to an evil question from which she
could not possible make fifty cents.
The conductor must weigh these mat
tiers carefully and be polite at all times
The other day nice looking young
woman was carried by two hundred
feet. She had been riding with this
conductor for two years and he was
as good as pie to her and she was as
good as pudding to him, for had he
not been careful and generous for all
these months. If she had package
the obliging conductor took it to the
platform for her. This time however
in the rush of business he passed her
place before he discovered it, The
emergency signal was given, the car
stopped, and there was something
popping in short order. The conduc-
tor took his thrashing gently, offered
a rebuttal that was half between an
apology and an appeal, mixed with a
disappointment at finding his good
friend had streak of fight in her, and
courteously helped her to the ground
The woman was found to be an in.
valid for whom a two hundred foo
.walk was serious and out of of place
/
but underneath the surface one coulC
see a desire cropping out and that wa.
that he might have permission fol
Just three minutes to tell her what h,
thought of her, but he thought of hi.
of food and clothing for winter, so h,
business.
The other day your Hired Man wit
messed a neat piece of work of font
; mother. A little fellow sat quietl,
as his mamma paid the fares when tn
, conductor courteously waved his hant
coward the little FELLOW who wa
somewheres between ten and eleven
but who weighed about right for six
year-old, and thus called in question
{ his right to go free. Hes six" sail
the mother and at the same instan
. his own little squeaky voice said. "I'n
lebben," here was case where tn
: good Judgment of the conductor
; allowed to contradict his time card in
{ Istructions, so he dropped sickly smil
| upon the mother who had made te
cents by Judging a little, let the DO
I ride and doubtless thought of littl
Y things he had himself done on irregu
{ lar occasions in times past
h One good way to beat conductor
: to let your ticket fly out of the win
dow just as he comes along. @
: course this is your own loss and yo
k will have to make it good, but you ma
be able to stand off the collection c
d fare until you get to where you war
I to go. This is a trick that no one RI
1 siding along the line would try bu
e once for it would soon get old.