TRAM FARE ETIQUETTE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 3

TRAM FARE ETIQUETTE.

The two women who sat beside me at one end of, the largo car'both opened their purses as the guard appeared in tho doorway. And then a friendly little squabble ensued. "Put that money away at once, you naughty little thing," said the lady in blue. "No, no, what' nonsense," exclaimed the lady in white, a sixpence in her hand, an alert eye on the approaching guard. "Mind, I shan't forgive you if you don't," said tho lady in blue, waving half a crown in her lingers. ' "Indeed,' you silly child, you must let me pay," laughed the lady in white, waving her. : sixpence. ' ' They had met by accident in tho tram just a moment ago, found they were both destined for tho house of a- mutual friend, and- then arose all this volubility about twopence. It seemed hardly worth while. I was glad when.tho guard reached them. It was tho. lady iii white who paid, and the other, playfully. pretended. to be quite offended about it. ; If it had been anywhere else but a tram-car, these two prosperous women would have seen how ridiculous it was ,fpr each to bo so madly .intent on giving the other a penny, i And if I had not been so much occupied jii watching the absurd little scene I should have been more' alert when the guard reached me. As it was the friend I was with managed to forestall me, and pay my fare. : I might havo overwhelmed her with ardent reproaches and -protestations, but I preferred to show her that I thought she could afford it, and would regard.as,a matter of-very trifling importance which of us paid the pennies. In the next tram we boarded it happened that I paid for both.' Thero was no reason why I shouldn't; I. could afford it, too; and the guard was hearer to me than to her, and I had two convenient coppers to hand.' Be-' it came to that, I owed her a 'penny.' 1 " ; ■ But": she immediately assailed me with a little" tirade-of words. , "Why, what's this? How dare you, you-naughty girl:" And with deft .fingers she dropped the penny I had paid for" her into my purse before I closed it. - '-■'..■'-.-" , Now that wasn't "tram-fare etiquette." It made mo feel that I hadn't fussed enough over -the penny she had paid for me, that somehow, or.'other I was under a tremendous obligation to her, that I must be poorer than I thought I was, and this was an opportunity my friend had seized of doing' me a charity. '■' 1 did not, : in- playful.' indignation, throw the coin back into; her lap, because 1 was not undignified enough to indulge in-a game of with another undignified person in a public tramear. I merely glared at her, and changed the subject. - And- I fell to thinking presently o't the two prosperous women who were in' another - tramear by now,' each of them,; most ■.likely,;, with an alert eye on the 'approaching guard, each with a fixed determination in her mind to save the other a. penny. . Perhaps it wotild be tho lady in blue who would pay this''time; and then' 'the' lady in white; would find it hard to forgive. And; perhaps, when they reached homo again if they.took the. trouble to count the; fare's- tliey had paid they would discover' that' each; had paid precisely what-if. would have cost her if she hadn't mother friend' at all. And what a lot of breath and energy they had wasted'. ' What- deep and alternating emotions' of gratitude, and self-satisfied generosity they must have experienced. Men seem to. have/a ; better idea of "tram-faro etiquette'', .than women. They don't make a fuss, and that is tho. first : and . principal' j rule:i" : ; Just notice the_ differenco between two women coming home Jfrom'. a shopping expedition, and two men coming liome ,froni business.' The men .don't, see the guard till hejs beside them, and then each quietly : pays : 'his unimportant 1 penny. Or, perhaps, one says, "I've got. change," buys.'two .tickets, the other slips his money back/into his pocket, and'then conversation is hardly interrupted. ' . \ If you are thirsting, to pay the fare of 'a chance-met acquaintance, do it quietly,, don't look too triumphant when : you'have done it, and if your .friend.pays instead,of you, take, that quietly, too., l'ou may, .if..you,-can't resist it, accord herono little reproachful .glance,.but don't, keep'it. lip, and. whatever you do, never.p]ay;pitch and toss with an unimportant"penny." ' For'.it isn't ' "tram-fare etiquette." -"S.M. .Herald." ; „ ' :; .'.