On Another Man's Pass

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Rupert Montgomery Featherstone, a retired actor, so the story goes, while picking his way tediously along the sunbaked cedar ties of the Great Eastern Railroad, observed at the side of the track a silk hat, a Prince Albert coat and a leather purse, the property, no doubt, of some careless passenger on the flying limited, which had just passed him. Opening the purse he found a railroad pass, issued to that honorable dignitary, the president of the Great Eastern, on whose property he was then trespassing. Rupert Montgomery Featherstone thought for a moment. He recalled that at one time he had found a purse containing $7,000.00, the property of one Hiram Rich, a Wall Street millionaire. Rupert had returned the purse to its owner, expecting to be nobly rewarded for his honesty, but on the contrary had received merely a glazed smile and an icy "thank you" from the magnate, who indicated the door of the outer reception room and returned to his stock reports. Since that time Rupert had been averse to returning such properties as he found in public places, and as be now slipped into the snugly fitting "Prince Albert" and donned the silk hat, he resolved also to avail himself of the railroad magnate's pass. He hastened to the nearest station and waited for a train. The train arrived and he boarded it. A suspicious conductor called for his ticket, examined the pass, stiffened perceptibly, forced a smile on his countenance and rang for two porters. There followed a brief whispered consultation between the conductor and the porters and the conductor again approached Rupert. "I beg your pardon, sir," he said, "but your stateroom is in the rear. I shall have it made ready for you, and in the meantime, if you desire, you may have dinner." Rupert rose hastily. "This way," said the conductor. During the repast that followed, Rupert occasionally pinched himself to make sure he was not dreaming. Two stalwart blacks fanned him and served him champagne. After he had lighted a perfect Havana perfecto, he asked to be conducted to his stateroom. Arrived there he expressed a desire to have a shave, manicure and shoe shine, apologizing for his appearance, explaining that he had been spending a few days in his summer camp. After his toilet was made and he had settled himself for another comfortable half hour in Havana, a messenger begged admittance and handed to Rupert a large parcel, containing some bulky packages of greenbacks. Let us leave Rupert for a moment and step aboard the "Flying Limited," where our friend the bona fide president of the Great Eastern, seated in an uncomfortable day coach, on a little private inspection of his road, reads his paper, unmindful of having lost his coat and hat out the window. The conductor approached him and asked for his ticket, not recognizing him as the "almighty boss." Discovering the loss of his coat, the president tries to explain. The conductor smiled blandly and rang for a porter. The train was stopped and the president of the Great Eastern was unceremoniously ejected from the train, 14 miles from the nearest station. By this time Rupert, the adventurous, had arrived at a large city, the terminal of the Great Eastern, where were located its main offices. Rupert longed for more gay life and stepped into a swell café, next door to the station. He ordered champagne for the house and as he raised the glass to his lips a Salvation Army lass approached him and extended her tambourine. Rupert nonchalantly placed a few hundred dollars on the goat skin and became engaged in conversation with the winsome little lass. She finally won him over and he confessed the finding of the money. She urged him to return it to the president and Rupert resolved to do so. The next morning Rupert called on the president of the road. The president fumed for a moment, then laughed as he noted beneath the rough exterior of the man before him honest, hungering ambition, so he called up his superintendent and told him to find a place in his office for R.M. Featherstone, which the superintendent did. It is needless to say that our hero in due time wedded the little Salvation lass who had saved him and who helped him to the position of superintendent of the Great Eastern Railroad and that they are living and will live happily ever afterward.