. On its arrival at the London
ticket platform the gentleman delivered up the tickets for his party.
"Dog ticket, sir, please." "Dog ticket, what dog ticket?" "Ticket, sir,
for Skye terrier, black and tan, with his ears nearly over his eyes;
travelling, for comfort's sake, under the seat opposite to you, sir, in a
large carpet bag, red ground with yellow cross-bars." The gentleman
found resistance useless; he paid the fare demanded, when the
ticket-collector--who throughout the scene had never changed a
muscle--handed him a ticket that he had prepared beforehand. "Dog
ticket, sir; gentlemen not allowed to travel with a dog without a dog
ticket; you will have to give it up in London." "Yes, but how did you
know I had a dog? That's what puzzles me!" "Ah, sir," said the
ticket-collector, relaxing a little, but with an air of satisfaction,
"the telegraph is laid on our railway. Them's the wires you see on the
outside; we find them very useful in our business, etc. Thank you, sir,
good morning." It is needless to tell what part the principal officer
played in this little drama. On arrival in London the dog ticket was
duly claimed, a little word to that effect having been sent up by a
previous train to be sure to have it demanded, although, as a usual
practice, dog tickets are collected at the same time as those of
passengers.

--_Roney's Rambles on Railways_.

THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE.

The first application of the telegraph to police purposes took place in
1844, on the Great Western Railway, and, as it was the first intimation
thieves got of the electric constable being on duty, it is full of
interest. The following extracts are from the telegraph book kept at the
Paddington Station:--

"Eton Montem Day, August 28, 1844.--The Commissioners of Police having
issued orders that several officers of the detective force shall be
stationed at Paddington to watch the movements of suspicious persons,
going by the down train, and give notice by the electric telegraph to the
Slough station of the number of such suspected persons, and dress, their
names (if known), also the carriages in which they are."

Now come the messages following one after the other, and influencing the
fate of the marked individuals with all the celerity, certainty, and
calmness of the Nemesis of the Greek drama:--

"Paddington, 10.20 a.m.--Mail train just started. It contains three
thieves, na