Third class passengers on Russian railways often did not buy tickets. The conductors, an underpaid lot, let them travel for a few kopeks. Occasionally, however, a "controller" would appear on the train and apprehend any passengers without the required tickets.
The riders on one train from Vilna to Moscow, upon learning that the controller was about to enter, rushed to hide under the benches--their customary hiding place.
When the railroad officer entered the car and found it vacant, his suspicions were instantly aroused. He examined the car and spied a pair of heavy boots protruding from beneath a bench. Kicking the man's feet, he ordered:
"Come out of there!"
To his surprise, it was not a peasant but a husky Cossack, not the type to be avoiding a fare, trembling with fear.
The officer glared at him. "I suppose, " said he, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "that you lost your ticket."
"No, excellency," said the Cossack, "I have my ticket right here."
The controller examined the ticket, then demanded to know why the man had hidden himself.
"I thought everyone was supposed to hide when you came into a car," stammered the Cossack. "I've been doing it all my life ..."