Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-21
Sport of Bus Riding.
BY Frederic j. Ilaskin

more embarrassed 70 zee the aane
young man ut down beside her. "It
never occurred 20 me-" she said. in
telling the story, that be could poa-
sibly get out of the taxi and get sn
the bus at the next corner"
Speaking Of smiles. Immediately
brings % mind the bus conductor.
probably the most smiled upon ind.
vidual IN New York during he rfish
season in the summer time. The bus
conductor can Immediately withtr
your hopes of obtaining soat on no
upper deck, or he can steer you cicver-
II into one. Here. sit tight down
here BY the door" he viii advise n
the smile Is dazzling one, "and a.
soon as there is a seat vacant On tho
upper deck III let you know" In a
short time. the favored person is cor.
in TO be tapped on the shoulder ana
placed IN FIRST position by the stair
case 80 that ne tor. usually. sho) can
quickly climb Il as soon as the depart-
Ing bus rider comes down.
There wss a time last year whe,
the crowds were 20 vast and tho bun.
rs so few IN comparison that the bus
conductors were no more 10 be In
fuenced by pleasant words and rrnier
than the foreman Of q enain gang
would be. They had supreme con-
tempt for the public which mobbed tho
husses and a fine sense or sheir own
generosity in permitting passengers 10
| board. The bus rider who gave tho
slightest offencc--who did not "rsop
liyely" enough or who required chang.
| FOR a dollar instead of having di,a
ready for the slot was prompsfv
taken 10 tack in a loud voice
One New York newspapernan fola
the story Of a bus conductor who
found a little joy in his work after be-
ing . stage hand for tho "F0niea" Ho
was quick 20 rebuke passengers for
their shortcomings. and never let op-
lportunity slip oy. One DAY when there
was high wind on Rlversde Drive
a fat lady had great difficulty IN keep
ing her skirts down as she made her
descent from the bus Clingng 70 tho
iron railing with one hand. she made q
gallant bat futile attempt 10 keep her
wildly Tapping skirt down with the
other, meanwhile smiling cOyly. The
hus conductor watched her seornfuily
for a moment and then shoEtcd step
Lively. Madami Legs ain't no treat
to met"
One thing which never fails 10 en-
rage a bus conductor is % have a
passenger keep his finger on the push
button for an undue length Of time Ia
signalling a bus to stop. Hey. take
your finger off the bell. Don't yen know
/, now to ride on a busg" is the remark
which usually greets this performance.
Sometimes, however. even the bus
, conductor meets his match. Got me
, finger on the bell, have I2'' replied one
offending feminine passenger in rich
g Irish brogue. We'll. dyez think I'm
: playin, with It? Any boot voulda.
/ known ] wanted T. get out at Seventy
! second street. Sure, yez must be an
n Englishman,"
During the month Of August this
9 year the bus company conducted a
civi1ity campaign in an effort 20 es-
n tablish cordial relations between pa
= irons and employees. Each bus was
l. blacarded with the word "CIvilitys
s while a small pamphlet on the ad-
r vantages Of courtesy was distributed.
# Since then. thee has been less push
Y ing and more oolitencss evidenced on
a the busses. Eut then the nights are
1t growing coolg and the end of the
IS oPen season Is approaching.