Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1898 — THE CONDUCTOR’S MISTAKE. [ARTICLE]

THE CONDUCTOR’S MISTAKE.

The Seedy-Looking Individual Was Not What He Was Taken For. A Pullman car conductor who had a run out of Broad Street station, Philadelphia, recently made a mistake in “sizing up” a passenger which quite upset his confidence in his own judgment, says the Record, of that city. The passenger in question was a seedy-looking individual, who sauntered into the Pullman from the adjoining day coach, and looked around with the air of a man who had never before seen the interior of a parlor car. “Just watch me take a fall out of the hayseed,” the conductor said to a party of traveling men who were sitting in the smoking compartment. “Pardon me, sir,” he said, with mock courtesy, to the hayseed, “you will have to pay parlor car fare to ride in this Pullman.” The passenger appeared very much surprised at this information, telling the conductor he was only going to ride to the next station. “That makes no difference,” he was informed, “you will have to pay fare.” The passenger fumbled through his pockets absentmindedly until he pulled an old wallet out of an inside pocket. Then he drew from its recesses a Pullman car pass, displaying at the same time a fist full of railroad passes and a roll of bank bills of large denomination. | Before the conductor could revive j from his trance, the “hayseed” had i ordered the porter to carry in his grips ; from the day coach and “arrange a j drawing-room” for him. The fresh | conductor avoided the chafing of the i traveling men as best he ccnld for the rest of the trip into Philadelphia.