Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-03-16

by JOHN q. SAKE.

uSiiSut III Sbth'SeS S
book, think | should choose for my
subject, the behavior Of people who
travel by railway. am confident
my observations Of character and con-
duct IN my peregrinations in twenty
five Of our thirty three sovereign States
during the last seven years, would
make, if fairly written out, a very siza-
bic and rather entertaining volume
Let me mention some of tie charac-
tcristics of which | would discourse.
/mprimis, | would talk Of the unso-
phisticatcd traveller-thc man who is
making his first journey by rail. You
see, at a glance, that he is remote from
his ancestral halls or proprietary cab
in. lie is dressed in a go-to meeting
fashion has an uneasy look ; aud Is
anxiously iDquisitive touching the safe
ty of his la. gage, and the chance OF
his being on the right tram. What a
sharp contrast to the verdant tourist
is the old traveller. lie wears the
most substantial kind of apparel; "lops
about in free aud easy manner; and
has the cnviable faculty Of monopoliz-
ing whole seat in spite Of the crowd
of passengers, and Of getting the best
of everything at the rcfrcshmcnt
rooms. Habit has made him a philos-
ophcr, and nothing less than a coils
sion, or other frightful accident to the
train, ever dis,urbs his equsnimity.
If the cars are off the track. he
smokes or goes to sleep till they start
again. II the connection is missed,
he rctircs to the nearest hotel ana
makes himself rs comfortable rs an
Indifferent supper and worse bed will
permit to a man who, in the viscissi-
tudcs Of travel, has endured every
thing, including that Western abomi-
nation, fried bccfstcak, and sheets
that escape dampness from not having
been washed in a fortnight. Happy is
the old traveller. lie was a fastldious
and ordcrl v man not many years ago,
but he has grown wiser With expert
ence, aud goes to bed with his irons
ers on now as the last occupant did,
it is plain to sce), and sleeps like a
night policeman. The men who trav-
cl with female companions should
make half-a-dozcn chapters ofmy vol
umo at least. OF course newly mar
ricd couples, OF couples about to be
married, would furnish an abundant
and piquant theme. The night scenes
would be especially amusing. On the
whole, the gift that the poet prayed
for-thc power "to see oursel's as it'll
crs Gee us"-is not thing to be dcsil.
cd. 1t would prevent great deal OF
happiness, and would spoil a vast
amount of fun to observers. | shall
say no more on that hcad-or rather
that pair of heads that rest so lovingly
together, and sleep cor seem to sleep"
SO swcctly. Au reste, should de-
scribe three several characters which
l have seen in the cars SO often that |
know my man in twenty minutes as
well as If | had been favored with a
months acquaintance. There is, lst,
The man who travels with his wife,
2nd, The man who travels with his
wifc's sister; Sd, The man who trav-
els with another mans wife.
The first case is extremely common,
and not particularly interesting. The
man Is taciturn, and sleeps apparently
as much as he can; the woman has a
slightly subducd expression of face
and looks good deal at the scenery
along the road, of which she says for
the most part, nothing. When she
does speak, as sometimes happens at
the sight Of something very remark
able, she says "Scc! John."-that is
all. The man looks carefully after the
baggage, and assures his spouse, in re
ply to question, that its "all right"
The woman takes care of the small
straps" and seems comfortable and
contcntcd. Altogether, they behave
quite nationally, and, IN spite of their
seeming unsociability, are really very
fond OF each other, and will make q
pleasant trip Of it-not only to the end
of their railroad tour, but to the term
mus of their matrimonial journey.
The man who travels with his wifc's
sister carries himself, perhaps in the
main like man who travels with his
wife. But he is much more talkativc,
and takes more pains to be agreeable.
lie feels that more is expected of him,
and, as it goes in commercial affairs,
the supply is equal to the demand. A
pleasant thing is wifc's sister unless,
indeed she is quite the rcversc-and
that is not the sort of woman l am
talking of. She takes the wifc's place
in the house sometimes, and may
chaLce to make an excellent step moth
or. Why not s-for is she not already
the aunt of her neiccs and nephews
This sort Of marriage, however, is, l
believe, anti-Levitical, and some OF
the theolcgians don't approve of it
which is pity.
The man who travels with another
mans wife is of much more marked
behavior. How attentive he is to all
the real and possible wants of the la
dy! He respects her whims even,
which, you may be sure, her husband
does not, at home or abroad. How
carefully he hands her in and out
How sedulously he plies her ear with
discourse! And yet he imagincs pco-
pie take him for the lady's spouse =
No, my dear sir; the breakman in the
corner knows better than that: Hus-
bands may be uxorious, but kindness
such a. yours is more like that If n