Page:The Fun of It.pdf/137

Rh “What?” exclaimed the passenger. “Another fare? Why, I can take all the baggage I wish on trains and no questions asked.”

“Sorry,” replied the dispatcher. “We have to make this charge. Weight is very important in airplanes.”

“Well, I won’t pay, and I’ll have my money back on my reservation. Railroads don’t make such silly rules as airlines.”

“Ask the gent,” said a voice in the crowd, “if he ever tried to take a trunk into a parlor car.”

As the seat had been reserved for Mr. Thir­teen, and the plane was about to start, the refund was necessarily refused. Needless to say, how­ever, considerable correspondence on “silly rules” resulted.

On the line, we carried some express and odd packages of all kinds. I, myself, chaperoned a canary from New York to Washington. The bird appeared much more frightened in the air than some of the other animals that patronized us!

One of these was a pony. For some reason or other, there was a rush about getting him from Phil­adelphia to the capital. So he was sold two seats (although he had to stand partly in the aisle) and made the voyage very comfortably. To prove he really flew, he had his picture taken wearing a pair of goggles as he alighted.

Dogs, mostly diminutive breeds, were constant passengers. Theoretically no pets were allowed. However, it was surprising at the end of the ride