The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-06-19
His Trip Into the
Rural Districts
BY MICHAEL WHITE

- Charles Fenton-BOhtho'S own
words, because otherwise justice can
not be done to him. He should not
be confused with other Bolithos who
dwell in sundry parts of England
IL have reason to agree with you,"
said Fenton-Bolitho, that the United
States Is an extraordinarily large
| country. In that respect have had a
really remarkable experience. Quite
astonishing when you come to think
of it! My doctor, you know, consid-
cred that my health would be benefited
by an ocean voyage, so l thought l
would visit our cousins across the
Atlantic.
~ had spent few days very en-.
joyably in New York, when 1t oc-
Cured to me that my friends at the
club would naturally wish to know
nay impressions of the rural districts.
the-er-the condition of your agri-
cultural population, which is such a
matter of grave concern to us In the
British Isles. So with that object l
made inquiries and was recommended
! to one Of those people you call a
ticket agent. / found him a very
agreeable young man, willing to dc
almost anything to oblige me. / ex-
| planned to him my desire to see a
| little of the country, particularly
what we understood as the rural dis
tricts-our midland and southern
counties, you know.
HE then suggested a trip to San
| Diego. AS / had never even heard Of
the place, l remarked that, provided
| it was a pleasant and salubrious spot,
! was prepared to follow his advice
In going to San Diego. He was real
ly so attractive in pointing out the
! advantages of booking Immediately,
that promised to recommend him to
| any members of my club who should
contemplate visiting your country.
of that young mans ability. l re-
greet to say L shall not recommend
him to any Of my friends after my
| experience.
1.-THE young man charged me what
/ thought at the time was rather
large sum TO see something of the
| rural districts, but one must be pre-
pared for such things In visiting
strange and distant countries. He
also gave me most remarkably long
ticket, and told me l was to start
that evening on train he called the
Limited. AS a significant illustration
of the young mans singular lack of
fitness for his position, he was utterly
unable to explain why the train was
called the Limited. Really, he seemed
to regard my insistence on this point
as piece of humorous pleasantly,
/ assure you, quite out of place.
But l, of course, took the Limited,
and upon my word there was appar-
emily very little limitation to the dis
! lance 1t travelled / was astonished-
l may say almost dumfounded-when
discovered l was actually to travel
| for five days through the rural dis
tricts. / give you my word had
never contemplated such a journey.
Five days, you know, going through
| the rural districts. OF course l would
never have undertaken 1t had l been
aware of the. extraordinary distance
to San Diego.
"But the point is, l cannot under
| stand why the young mantle ticket
agent-should have been so remark
ably stupid as to advise me to go to
San Diego. When l reached that place
l found it is not in the rural districts
at all. AS you may be aware, San
Diego Is seaport on the Pacific.
found myself, therefore, looking at the
water-the ocean-which / think any
intelligent ticket agent should have
known was not my objective, because
/ had quite enough of the ah-water
coming over, don't you know?
once retraced my steps to New York
! for an explanation Of the ticket agent S
conduct. But you will hardly be-
! lieve me when l say, that when l COM
planned to the ticket agent that had
found San Diego not in the rural dis
| liiSto, lie ohonCI was, ludl lie udluTdi-
| ly supposed would have seen enough
Of the darned things-I believe that
was his curious expression-on the
trip across the continent. / immedi-
ately lodged a complaint with his
superior officer, and shall write about
1t to the Times directly l reach Eng
land. l trust your papers will take
the matter up, and that public opinion
will compel the-er-ticket agents not
to sell passages in such extraordinarily
haphazard fashion,
But don't you think" asked the
stranger on shipboard, sympathetical-
ly, but with hand on his chin, .'that
the ticket agent may have had q
personal motive in sending you across
the continent to San DiegoT'
''How could he?" retorted Fenton-
Bolitho. HE simply didn't know that
San Diego was not, properly speaking
in the rural districts. He sent me
there, 1 presume, trusting to chance
that it might be SO. But, my word
think made the fact plain to him. y