"_Curly Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine; But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feast upon strawberries, sugar and cream._" Lines on Turning Over a Pass [Illustration] Some newspaper men claim that they feel a great deal freer if they pay their fare. That is true, no doubt; but too much freedom does not agree with me. It makes me lawless. I sometimes think that a little wholesome restriction is the best thing in the world for me. That is the reason I never murmur at the conditions on the back of an annual pass. Of course they restrict me from bringing suit against the road in case of death, but I don't mind that. In case of my death it is my intention to lay aside the cares and details of business and try to secure a change of scene and complete rest. People who think that after my demise I shall have nothing better to do than hang around the musty, tobacco-spattered corridors of a court-room and wait for a verdict of damages against a courteous railroad company do not thoroughly understand my true nature. But the interstate-commerce bill does not shut out the employe! Acting upon this slight suggestion of hope, I wrote, a short time ago, to Mr. St. John, the genial and whole-souled general passenger agent of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, as follows: ASHEVILLE, N. C., Feb. 10, 1887. E. St. John, G. P. A., C., R. I. & P. R'y, Chicago. Dear Sir:--Do you not desire an employe on your charming road? I do not know what it is to be an employe, for I was never in that condition, but I pant to be one now. Of course I am ignorant of the duties of an employe, but I have always been a warm friend of your road and rejoiced in its success. How are your folks? Yours truly, COL. BILL NYE. Day before yesterday I received the following note from General St. John, printed on a purple typewriter: CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 1887. Col. Bill Nye, Asheville, N. C. Sir:--My folks are quite well. Yours truly, E. ST. JOHN. I also wrote to Gen. A. V. H. Carpenter, of the Milwaukee road, at the same time, for we had corresponded some back and forth in the happy past. I wrote in about the following terms: ASHEVILLE, N. C., Feb. 10, 1887. A. V. H. Carpenter, G. P. A. C., M. & St. P. R'y, Milwaukee, Wis. Dear Sir:--How are you fixed for employes this spring? I feel like doing something of that kind and could give you some good endorsements from prominent people both at home and abroad. What does an employe have to do? If I can help your justly celebrated road any here in the South do not hesitate about mentioning it. I am still quite lame in my left leg, which was broken in the cyclone, and cannot walk without great pain. Yours with kindest regards, BILL NYE. I have just received the following reply from Mr. Carpenter: MILWAUKEE, Wis., Feb. 14, 1887.