THE post of baggage master on a railroad train is not an enviable one.
There is often a wide difference between the company's regulations, and
the passenger's opinion of what articles, and what amount of them,
properly come under the denomination of baggage; and this frequently
subjects the unlucky official of the trunks and bandbox department to
animated discussions with a certain class of the traveling public. We
heard lately an anecdote of George, the affable B. M. on Capt. Cobb's
train on the Virginia and Tennessee road, which is too good to be lost.
A passenger presented himself at a way station on the road, with two
trunks and a saddle for which he requested checks. The baggage master
promptly checked the trunks, but demanded the extra charge of
twenty-five cents for the saddle. To this the passenger demurred, and
losing his temper, peremptorily asked:--
"Will you check my baggage, sir?"
"Are you a horse?" quietly inquired George.
"What do you mean, sir?" exclaimed the irritated traveler.
"You claim to have this saddle checked as baggage?"
"Certainly--it is baggage," positively returned the passenger.
"Well," said the imperturbable George, "by the company's regulations
nothing but wearing apparel is admitted to be baggage, and if the saddle
is your wearing apparel, of course you must be a horse! Now, sir, just
allow me to strap it on your back, and it shall go to the end of the
road without any extra charge whatever."
The traveller paid his quarter and offered George his hat.--_Bristol
News._