The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-08-15
STROUDSBURG MONROE COUNTY, PA, AUGUST

found. A horrible fear seizes you that
1t has gone out of the window. As
calmly as your temperament will permit,
you go on putting your remains together.
The car is running slowly and, all things
considered, you think you are doing
pretty well, when suddenly you encounter,
in glisteuing panel on the back of your
cupboard, close to the head of your bed,
sight which throws you into new per-
plexity. There is-yes it is-the face of
the English gentleman. But what does
1T mean that the eyes are closed and red
silk handkerchief is bound about his
iorid brow? While you stare in
creduously, the face turns on its pillow.
a sleepy hand stretches up and rubs one
eye. The eye opens, gazes languidly
about, closes again, and the English
gentleman sinks off into his morning nap.
You seize your pillow, prop it up against
the shining panel, SO as to cut off this
extremely involuntary view then you
stop dressing, and think out the
phenomenon. 1t is very simple. The
partitions between the sections do not
join the walls of the car by two inches or
more. The polished panel just behind
this space is a perfect mirrer, rejecting a
part of each section then you glance
gui!tily down to the similar mirror at the
foot Of your bed. Sure enough, the same
thing There you see the head of an
excellent German frau, whom you had
observed the. day before. She also is
sound asleed. You prop your other pillow
n in hat last ha oh 10
and then you hurry on your clothes
stealthily as thief. The boot, however,
cannot be found, and you are at last con-
strained to 90 to the dressing room with
out it. The dressing-rOom is at the
further end of the car. Early as you are,
fellow women are there before you-three
of them one in possession of the wash
bowl, two waiting for their turn. You
fall into line, thankful for being only the
fourth You sit bashfully on somebody's
valise, while these strangerse make their
toilets. You reflect on the sweet and
wonderful power of adaptation which dis
tinguishes some natures the guileless
trust in the kindliness of their own sex
which enables some women to treat all
other women as if they were their sisters.
The three are relating their experiences.
"Well, | got along very well, T" says one,
"till somebody opened a window and
after that | thought I should freeze to
death. My husband, he called the con
ductor up, and they shut the yentilators /;
but | just shivered all night. Real good
soap this is amt it, now ?
You feel yourself blushing with guilty
consciousness of that open window. But
you brave it ont silently.
Il Wa ut too cold," said the washbowl
incumbent, meditatively holding her false
teeth under the faucet, aud changing them
deftly from side to side, to wash them
we'll "But I'll tell you what did happen
to me. In the middle O the night felt
suthin' against my head, right on the
very top ont. And what do you think it
was? Twas the feet Of the man il the
next section to our'n Well, sez |, this
more'n | can stand aud | give 'em such
push | reckon he walked up, for |
never felt em 10 more"
At this you fly. You cannot trust your
face any longer.
''Got tired O waitn' 2" calls out No. 8
'FYou can have my turn, if you're in
hurry We've got all day before us, and
the three women chuckle drcariy.
When you reach your cupboard, Frank,
the handsome black porter, has already
transformed your bed into two chairs
The bedding is all put away out of sight;
and there, conuspicuously awaiting you,
stands the missing boot, on a chair. Iou
are not proud of your boots. For good
reasons you decided to wear them on this
journey but false shame wrngs you as
you wonder if everybody has seen how
very shabby that shoe is.
The English gentleman is in the aisle,
putting on his boots. The German frau
is bustling about in a very demi dress
Nobody seems to mind anybody; and.
now that the thing is over, you laugh to
think how droll it all was. And SO the
day begins.