Show RAILWAY conductors IN DIXIE A great change noticeable to Trav clera from of the potomac ro tomac if you travel much in this country you will be struck with the difference in the manners of a railway conductor at the north and in the west he is as uncommunicative an official as a policeman he never smiles or relaxes for a moment when on duty lie knows no one in the discharge of his duty which he goes through with military exactness on rare occasions says the washington post he will nod to a commuter but the nod is not to be taken as any evidence of relaxation of official routine lie is addressed as conductor and seems to have no name beside that lie is a human number in the moment you cross the potomac everything is different the conductor is called captain he knows everybody has something pleasant to aay and is a railway knight errant ever ready to succor a distressed maiden or an old lady in difficulty he will stop ohp train between stations if he catches sight of an old lady driving down the road suspected of wishing to board the train and will help her out of the carriage bundles and all and say this way grandma to the ladies car find her a comfortable seat and inquire about the health of her entire family then he jerks the bell for the train to move on he knows every inmate of every farm or plantation on his run lie calls the respectable look ing old time darkies uncle and mammy and cracks a joke with them about bein a runaway couple the generals judges colonels and squires receive particular attention and are for him when there is any promotion in the company to a man often he is m old soldier and runs up against an old comrade and then dire threats are made about putting him off the train if he dont hand out that ticket right away ho will pop down alongside the prettiest girl on the train and commence talking about the next picnic or county fair always friendly pleasant and provincial but never vulgar he is a terror to the occasional tough or drummer who gets noisy or loud and is not afraid of anything that wears clothes if is a washout and a delay he knows where there is good fishing and offers to pilot the passengers to the perch if there is an accident he has nerve sense and forethought and comes out uncommonly strong as an emergency man he has no cast iron rules about tickets providing no fraud is evident but he is as smart as a in detecting the free rider take him all in all he is a dandy as a conductor and makes more friends for the road in one trip than the other kind do in a year |