The Topeka state journal., 1916-12-25

there was someone who obviously was
not going anywhere for Christmas,
just travelling for business And such
passengers looked enviously on their
fellow travellers. Visions of the Christ
masses they had spent in the past;
possibly of the Christmases they had
planned for today, only to have them
ruined by some turn of affairs, seemed
to make them almost part of the
crowd, however.
All Good Natured.
Big as the crowds were, and eager
as the rush for tickets as the time
for the various trains approached, ev-
erybody was for the most part good
natured. Even a train two hours or
more late, as many trains were, failed
to destroy the cheerful mood induced
by the season and their destinations.
One youngSter was peSsim1Stlc. he
asked about the time of a certain
train which happened, for a wonder
TO be on time 10 The dot, and then
didn't believe it when he was told.
yep" he answered suspiciously,
to the clerk, 'I rode out on that train
two years ago tonight, and it didn't
leave for three hours after it was sup
posed to-" And the Christmas spirit
had so permeated the atmosphere of
the station that even the clerks, an
most of them foolish, selling tickets
with one hand and making change
with the other, laughed at the solemn
| memories of the boy.
That's right, too said one of them.
''I remember that things were tied up
| to beat the band that day, and every
| thing was .late.'' The ticket clerks
had Il right to dispense with merri-
ment if anyone had. They were
harassed with queries and requests
and demands and even reproaches.
beyond what anyone but a seasoned
| xryif I,a Il
been able to endure.
Ticket Agents Busy.
In every ticket office in town there
are two telephones, and sometimes it
took one man to each phone to keep
| up with the calls. One man asked at
just $3.50 o'clock, How soon the $3.50
train would leave" and was told that
1t would go in just ten minutes. rs it
| late?" he wanted to know and insist
ed on being told Another mentioned
the name of train. instead of the
numbe The train in question hap
| pened to be late, and as it goes under
| the same name when travelling in
either direction, the ticket clerk was
| at loss to know which way tho man
wanted to go. 1t took five minutes to
find out.
Not few people missed trains
which were late by counting on their
being farther off schedule than they
ROOQ-nu- =
mored enough about it, except those
| who had missed the last train for the
day in the direction in which they
| wished to travel. Having missed con-
| nectlons on one road they promptly
demanded to know about trains on the
others, and the ticket clerks had tC
add to the troubles of their brothers
In the other offices, in order to find
out about it.
Humanity, and particularly human
ity en- route, furnishes an interesting
study, and nowhere is it more easy tC
observe than thru the wicket of q
railroad ticket office. Most passen.
gers seem to think that as they will
probably never see the ticket clerl
again, there is no particular need tt
conceal any foibles or weaknesse.
from him, and they make most as
to..ishing confessions, as we'll as dis
play most astonishing ill natures
when they travel. ..
Oil cook stoves FOrbeS'S