514 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



am ready to make good any thing that is not 

 right. The porter is responsible for my being 

 here, as I have explained to you. In fact, 

 when he took my satchel out of my hand I 

 was obliged to follow, and the car started just 

 as soon as we were inside. I will get off at 

 the first stopping-place, or pay the difference." 



He still seemed to be angry, and accused me 

 of a deliberate attempt to cheat the company, 

 and said he would have to take up my ticket, 

 which would have to be forfeited, and that I 

 would have to pay the regular fare. But I 

 was not disturbed nor angry, for I have learn- 

 ed by experience that one who is trying to do 

 right seldom has reason to be troubled. I 

 told him I would pay whatever was fair or 

 right, but that I was not willing to be accused 

 of trying to swindle anybody — not even a 

 railroad company. I showed him my name 

 and address, and told him that I could easily 

 satisfy him I had always paid for whatever I 

 wanted, and had never been guilty of trying 

 to steal any thing from any individual person 

 or companj*. He finally asked me if I could 

 identify the porter who said the ticket was all 

 right for that train. I replied that I could, 

 most assuredly. He went off with my ticket, 

 and I looked at the scenery all the same, feel- 

 ing sure I could maintain and prove my inno- 

 cence. About a quarter of an hour after, the 

 Pullman conductor, a much more gentleman- 

 ly-appearing man, came to me and said the 

 conductor insisted I had been trying to work 

 a little game on them, but he did not believe 

 it himself. Said he : 



" If I am correct, Mr. Root, you are quite 

 willing to pay the extra fare of S2.50 for rid- 

 ing on this train from Harrisburg to Pitts- 

 burg." 



I replied that I was, most assuredly. Then 

 he added, "Would you object to stepping out 

 on the platform at Altoona just a minute to 



present your case to Mr. , the general 



agent, who adjusts all such matters?" 



I assured him that I was willing to do any 

 thing or pay whatever amount was deemed 

 proper, but that I was not willing any impu- 

 tation should rest on me of an attempt to de- 

 fraud, or sneak my way anywhere. 



As the train approached Altoona I found the 

 porter and spoke to him about it, and to my 

 great astonishment he denied having seen any 

 ticket at all. He declared emphatically, and 

 stuck to it, that I simply asked him if that 

 train went to Pittsburg, and he said it did, and 

 took my satchel and valise. Then I discovered 

 for the first time that the porter, in order to 

 save himself, had lold a falsehood. At first I 

 was indignant, and was going to denounce 

 him ; but before I had spoken, a better spirit 

 whispered to me something like this : 



" This poor fellow is in much greater trouble 

 than you are. If you denounce him for tell- 

 ing a falsehood in order to cover his mistake, 

 he will probably lose his position, which will 

 be much more to him than ten dollars or such 

 a matter to you." 



But if I screened him from the consequences 

 of his mistake and falsehood I should have to 

 admit to the railroad officials that I really had 

 been trying to pass a ticket that I knew was 



not good for that train. I talked pleasantly 

 with him about the matter, but he was so pos- 

 itive and important that I began to fear he 

 was not going to own up at all. By talking to 

 him very plainly, and telling him he must 

 come up before the officers of the company 

 and hear my statement, he finally backed 

 down enough to admit he did see I had a green 

 ticket in my fingers, but that he did not ex- 

 amine it enough to see that it was an excursion 

 ticket sold at a low price. To tell the truth, 

 at the time I proposed to get off at the next 

 station I did not know the Pennsylvania Lim- 

 ited stopped only once or twice on the whole 

 route. I asked the porter to come along up to 

 the conference with the railroad officials; but 

 his bright and manly demeanor had all left 

 him. He hung his head down, and said he 

 was sure they would not need him. I met the 

 three gentlemen discussing the matter on the 

 platform — the regular conductor, the Pullman 

 conductor, and the general manager. These 

 officials were all very much better dressed 

 than myself. I note this incidentally. The 

 general manager said at once that they had no 

 discretion in the matter. According to the 

 rules my ticket would have to be surrendered, 

 and I would have to pay my fare. I confess, 

 in one respect I rather enjoyed the situation. 

 I enjoyed it because I had heard of many 

 cases of injustice in matters of this kind, and 

 I was anxious to see whether I should be able 

 to convince them of my honesty or not. I 

 began to smile a little before I spoke, and I 

 rather think this helped my cause. What I 

 said was something like this : 



"Gentlemen, I admit I have been stupid ; 

 but I never can admit that there has been any 

 purpose of wrong in my heart. I am always 

 ready to pay my way, and I am ready to pay 

 now what you say is right and proper ; but I 

 still insist that I am an innocent party in this 

 transaction. Your porter is a very nice fellow, 

 and I hope you will not be hard on him. I 

 believe him to be a very capable and trust- 

 worthy man ; but I am very sorry to say that 

 in this case he has not told the exact truth. I 

 had my thumb on my ticket when I ap- 

 proached the train, like this" (making a 

 motion); "I held it before him, he took a 

 good look at it, and declared the ticket was 

 all right for this train. Let him come up 

 here, and say if I have not stated it correctly." 



I turned to look for him, but the poor fel- 

 low sat on the lower step of the car, with his 

 face between his hands. Then I had to laugh 

 again. Then the general manager laughed 

 too, and then the Pullman conductor laughed. 

 The manager said, " Mr. Root, you get on to 

 the train, and go on to Pittsburg, and we will 

 all of us learn to manage better next time." 



The regular conductor still looked cross 

 about it, and ventured to suggest again that I 

 admitted having read my ticket, and then 

 afterward used it in trying to ride on that fast 

 train. 



Now, I learned several lessons from this 

 little transaction : First, when you purchase a 

 ticket, especially one at reduced rates, read it 

 over carefully, and note the conditions under 

 which it is accepted. Second, when you get 



