Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-04
GEORGE DOES
MANY DUTIES
He Is a Composite Detective,
Doctor, Trainman and
Valet.

course it isn't his name, but the
dusky faithful porter on any one of
10000 Pullman cars running over
the face of North America answers
with a smile. His business is to an
swer. with smile regardless of the
tone of voice you adopt.
Do you want a pillow to ease
head which has begun to swim in
the stream of countryside which has
been flooding past the window all
afternoon? George produces
downy one and stuffs it comfortably
in just the proper corner of the seat
you occupy.
Do you long for a cooler breath
OF air? George brings one Of those
little folding screens about inches
high which he inserts under a partly
raised window.
Ring for George"
Do you want telegraph blanks, a
card table, good brisk brushing or
information about train schedules at
Grand Junction George obliges. He
will even permit 8-year-old Freddy,
who is getting decidedly restless on
the trip, to follow him out to the
vestibule for little tribulation such
as Porter. what makes your shoe
bulge out that way where your big
toe begins?" or do those two lit
tie curtains there on the sides of the
doorway hold the cars together?"
or Where do you sleep; up on
top of the carr"
Where Does He Sleep?
As a matter of fact there is real
point to Freddy's last question.
Where does George sleep, anyway?
And whene
He was a lucky George indeed if
he had a comfortable bed anywhere
in the car regardless of the length
OF the run, be it of one night or
three, before the government took
over the railroads. But Uncle Sam
took an interest in porters. For more
than year upper one has been re-
served for George on all short runs
where men travellers have a habit
of sitting up most OF the night in
the smoking room, and on trans
continental trains George has been
officially entitled to make up his bed
on the long leather seat in the smok-
ing room.
"When do you shine all the peo-
pies shoes?" Freddy always asks,
wondering at the brilliance which
the footwear of the entire car ac-
quired so mysteriously during the
night.
That. too, has good deal to do
with Georges sleep, that and the
buzzer by his ear all night long. It's
considerable of a job to polish 80 or
40 pairs of shoes and it runs well
into the morning until after every
body is in bed. What traveller, un-
less he be an insomniac. detected
George at his business? So the shoe
business robs George of much night
ly rest.
Women and Actors Worry.
And then that huzzer! "Some trips
it JUS rings ALA time. A cahload OF
rich folks, especially rich women,
they suttinly can make it buzz" COM
mented gray-haired porter of long
years on the road. II don't know
why rich folks want so much more
attention in the night 'cept maybe
they're used to servants all round
'em and maybe they all got little all.
ments and can't sleep quite so well
as reg'lar, ordinary people.
But Of all folks who ride trains
gimme JUS as few theatrical troupes
as possible. They're the people who
wears out the buzzer batt-ries in the
night. A po'tah don't get much sleep
on their cah Somehow they act like
they new had nobody to wait on 'em
befo', and they got the idea the way
to act like real people is to be ALA
time demandin' sump'in'. Not so
many Of 'em has money eithah, so
po'tah dom get much for servin'
EN-"
He Goes to School First.
The average George will tell you
fervently that there isn't much in
portering for any sort of people. al
though things are better now than
thew were before Uncle Sam became
general manager of all American
lines.
If a colored mar wants to join the
Pullman legion Of Georges he begins
at $45 month in any one OF the
several schools in portering which
the company operates. First he
Qualities as a literate and produces
eminently satisfactory testimonials
as TO his good character. Then he
hears lectures on the business, in
Guiding a good deal Of instruction in
courtesy He is told that he must
be unfailingly courteous withou:
eroveling: for If there is anything
the average American dislikes it is
to be groveled to. George must
learn to study human nature and in
terpret peoples wants in advance,
where that is possible. But what
ever he does must be done in way
that looks like honest service, not
depending for its quality on tips.
After several days of these lee
lures each George-in-the-making IS
taken TO q model Pullman car, where
for two or three days he. goes
through every motion of being a
porter. He makes up beds and un-
makes them until he can do it with
the proper skill and dispatch. He
polishes tip the car and learns a
GOOD deal Of basic information about
railroad trains as they are related
to the inside Of Pullman. He does
good days work each OF those:
training days and must keep himself
trim and neat all the time.
How He Climbs Up.
II he is ordinarily bright he I'M
ishes his schooling within two
weeks. Then he goes out on two OF
three student trips with some tried
And true norfer of long service, all