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People in the Bus

2nd November 1926
Page 57
Page 57, 2nd November 1926 — People in the Bus
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A LONDON journalist, in the course of one of the Li. most kindly of all the books about London, tells of a man who achieved some measure of fame as a bus passenger. Ile lived in the Temple—a remarkable figure even there. "His black, half-Muller hat, his Inverness cape and leggings, his healthy, well-coloured face, with grizzled side whiskers, and clear eye, made up a personality that it was particularly pleasant to meet in the leafy avenue of King's BenchWalk." According to further evidence, however, bus conductors would scarcely destribe their meetings with him as being particularly pleasant. In the words of the author: "He was a terror to bus conductors, refusing to pay his fare until he had reached his destination, for who knew but that the bus might break down on the way?"

One can imagine long-suffering conductors pulling the bell cord before he could have time to get on, or, were they unfortunate enough to have him as passenger, giving way to his whim, knowing that in his own time he would fulfil his part of the contract. What line of argument he took with " jumpers " we are left to imagine. It is just as well for the peace of mind of bus conductors that such passengers are rare birds in the land and that buses do not usually break down..

Yet other passengers have peculiarities out of which a literary bus conductor might make very good copy. There is the man who is 'always arguing that the bus (on a service where the interval between buses is a long one) is later or earlier than usual. He has never known his watch to be wrong, and he goes on to hint darkly of consequences should his warning be ignored. The man who likes to bilk to the other passengers is another type. His talk may be informative, assertive, or humorous, but whatever it is, he must talk. There are times when such a man is an entertainment; there are others when he is simply a bore. One feels sorry for pathetic little men who try to interest fellow passengers when they happen to be more interested in the newspaper. Such types as these are not peculiar to any one part of the country, but are found everywhere.

There are other passengers who belong to a period or an occasion, rather than to a type. Those youths one saw in London during the war—laughter on their faces, the mud of trenches on their boots. What a strange sight to them was the concluctorette. They had never seen anything like her in the England they had left behind them a year or two before. They soon knew she was a comrade, none the less ; one who helped them and their "gear" into the bus. Informal as the introduction was, they were soon talking like old friend. One remembers a young soldier being asked: "Have you got any souvenirs?" Brevity is the soul of wit, and so it was this time. "I'm the souvenir !" he said.

It is given to few to become famous as bus passengers, yet there was a man whose name, unknown until one historic day in his life, was known throughout England the next. He it was who, entrapped in a blazing bus, perished in saving bthers. Safety First having been forgotten, he first thought of safety for others. F.W.P.

Tags

People: Ile
Locations: LONDON

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