The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-11-07
A Berth in a Sleeping Car.

of me. He was in search of some re-
spectacle, benevolent individual, to put a
woman under his care And he did
She happened to be rather good-looking,
and / didn't object in violent way, but
l was neither very graceful nor gracious
over the compliment When | came to
secure section in the sleeping car, |
found that delegation of pious people
was going to Washington on some chart
table business aud had taken nearly all
the berths secured two-at least |
thought | had-and marched my female
with her two carpet sacks, strap satchel,
a mocking- bird aud silk umbrella, with a
waterproof and two shawls done up in
straps, into 81. When we arrived in
side, l learned for the first time that my
unprotected female could not abide the
sleeping cars She said she felt like suf-
locating, and wished secretly that she
would sufTocate; but when we come to
occupy our berths made two disagreea-
ble discoveries. The first was that the
two tickets called for the same berth the
other, that this berth was the upper one
My female friend said positively that she
could not get into that berth. inform
ed her that it was her only chance to
sleep, and she told me that she would
rather sit up. then gave her the fur
ther information that that was all very
well, but in a sleeping car there was no
place to sit except on wash basin, and
that thought would be rather inconve-
nient At last, with the aid of step.
ladder the steward and two pious old
Pomps, my unprotected female was boost
cd into her roost, and the curtains closed
over her for the night.
Then came the question as to what
had better become Of the undersigned. |
consulted the conductor and the steward,
and had the satisfaction of hearing the
fact stated that if had told them ear
lier the blunder might have been rene
edied. But as it was, the pious
delegation had retired for the night,
and all the berths were occupied. -
The conductor, however, told me he
would try and make some arrangement
and then went off about his business.
A drunken man had been captured on
the platform as we started, where he was
found addressing the stars in vocifer-
Gus way, the sleeping-car ticket fshed
out OF his pocket, and the inebriate fel.
low chucked in an upper berth. | was
leaning against the washstand of the car
in a very melancholy way some time af-
ter this intoxicate d fellow stuck his head
out and addressing me, said:
{" ! would like to have drink"
"Water ?" asked l.
"No; darn water I want some whis-
key, am as dry as chip"
"Well," l responded, :" am sorry to
say that have none about me-"
Amt you the conductor p
"No," responded O. don't believe l
am"
"Nor do l. If you were the conduc-
tor, you would have something to drink.
Where is the conductor ?"
| told him that he was in the next
car.
Well" said he. | have great mind
to get up and hustle round till | get a
drink"
Ny christian friend, said, there
is nothing in the constitution nor the
sixteenth amendment that prohibits you
from getting up and hunting drink if
you want il"
Whereupon the inebriated individual
rolled out of the berth. He rolled into
several others and was promptly elected,
and at last, getting on his legs, disap-
pearcd at the further end of the car.
took in the situation at a glance
Here was berth vacated. Above it
was white hat. | Immediately remov-
ed that white hat. l carried it further
along and put it over Christian associ-
alton, who lost in the sleep of innocence
and peace, and then returning, | en-
sconced myself in berth vacated by a
man who had constitutional right to q
drink.
l was dropping into slumber, for
always sleep on a car devoted to that bu-
siness and invented by Mr. Pullman the
motion has the same effect upon my brain
that rocking has upon child, and dc
not only sleep easily but profoundly. In
few seconds | should have been beyond
all disturbances, but it happened | was
awakened out Of my first wink by row
in an adjoining section. There seemed tc
be pitched battle going on between one
of the delegates and gentleman who
claimed the berth to be the one he had
just vacated. heard him say, Now
get out of that" and he called the good