Evening star., 1927-05-29

are easy prey for the interruptions
hacker. The symptoms of strangeness
and unfamiliarity are 50 obvious that
any driver with more than "a hours
experience at the game can spot them.
Actions are frequently more voluabie
than words. y hesitant approach.
questioning gesture, and your ur
ethical taximan knows how much you
will be worth 10 him.
Take me TO the - hotel.
don't know" is also sufficient to
mark a prospective fare" as an ur-
initiated visitor. II in this case lie
has hailed n driver who is more
avarcious than honest the chances
are that the said patron will be giyeE
an expensive ride around town.
a story is told of certain cah
driver who was engaged at Union sta.
ton to take a lady to a we'll known
women's hotel. This hoStelTy is within
sight of the station. but, erroneously
assuming that his passenger was an
Out-Of-tOwner, the driver proceeded tO
run the meter up. Saluting his fare"
courteously, he leaped into his seat
and started. His course took him
down Pennsylvania avenue, ont Four
teenth street. over to Connecticut ave-
nue. and finally down + street. Arriv-
ing at the hotel TO which he had been
directed, he jumped out and flung open
the door to bow his patron out.
Emerging from the cab, his fare"
extracted 25 cents. which she sweetly
| handed him with the remark: Thanks
for the buggy ride. l live here" The
| chagrin of the driver was all the more
| bitter, as his meter read $3.S5, which
meant $3.50 out of his own pocket.
| The lady, it may be exlained. was a
prominent resident of the hotel
Curiously enough. the cab driver
patronizes his own business. Off duty
| he frequently calls a taxi. 1t is in
| terestinS to note, too, that he tips
| generously. The recipient Of gratui-
| ties himself, there is none who knows
| better than lie what 1t means To the
| man who must depend upon the
| largcss of the customer
| Sometimes n cab driver is shared
/ by one of his own craft. In such
an event something is likely to hap
| pen.
One night certain taxi man at
tired himself i'm a dinner suit and
| hailed a cab, directing the driver to
take him to an address. Unconscious
of the fact that he was riding" one
| of his brotherhood the driver failed
/ to pull the meter" In n voice cal
| culated to deceive his driver, the
fare" inquired why the meter was
| not working.
"Oh. it's woil1ing o. k.," replied the
| man at the wheel.
| Perhaps IL is returned the pas
senger, but l don't see it,
Never mind. It's all right. buddy"
affably replied the driver.
| Arriving at his destination, which
in this case happened to be only
few blocks from the starting point,
the fare" naively inquired
What is the Score?"
Thirty cents" said the driver.
Whereupon the fireworks commenced.
"Lissen here, bozo, where do you
i get that stuff" 1t is the fare"
speaking. "Why. you big bum. you
amt got the nerve of one burglar.
You've got the nerve Of dozen OF
| 'em. Thirty cents. Sos your old
man. Hey, lissen. ! drive one of
these here cans myself Here's q
dime. Go and have wild time
"All right, kid, pick up the mar
bles. You VIM replied the aston
| 1shed driver.
In closing it might be mentioned
that the aggravated fare" was. and
is. an English scholar and student
| of law