New-York tribune., 1873-06-12
JMpEDIMEYTA or TRAVEL.

even repetition cannot mitigate nor mOnOt-
ony soften. 1t comes with the first musketo,
and, like him, carries anguish in its trunk. 1t
is what NJ. Hugo would call the "ananke Of
Things.p 1t is the time when the individual
is triumphed over by his luggage, when the
carpet-bag is powerful and to be feared, when
the innocent lunch basket becomes aggressive,
and even the bulgy newspaper parcel occupies
a seat, and, becoming undODe, works woe
to him who tries to dispossess it, 1t is the time
when the heunhappy male protector sidles painfully
down the aisle of railway car with pro-
iecting pOrtmanteau in each hand, or becomes
inextricably entanged in the doorway when
the unprotected female shamelessly abandons
herself and her bandboxes to the national gal
lantry without fear and without reproach; I;
when the carrying of bird-cages has come, and
the voice of the canary is heard in the cars
1t is the time when the baby, who requires all
the care and hospital accessories of an invalid
without possessing his reserve and quiet
sprawls on the backs Of seats or pulls oil the
hat of the adjoining passenger, and the boldest
of married men quals under the cOntemptuous
glance of the lonely young bachelor
Painful as this already is it is impossible to
shut the eye of calm observation to the fright
full fact that it is increasing rather than dimin-
ishing. Within the past ten years the lunch
basket has become larger and more frequent )
restricted formerly to the rustic visitor and
containing the glazed cube of gingerbread, the
simple sandwich and the homely apple, it has
gradually become the appurtenance of every
tourist, and a complicated affair that flowers
into napkins and disgOrges an amount
of table furniture that occupies four
times iH bulk, and which no ingenui-
ty can replace. The conjuring of the
Afrite back into the fisberman'S jar was an
easy task compared with the repacking of the
modern lunch-hamper. Within fifty miles OF
the city, it gives way to the unmistakabe
market basket-often weakly disguised as q
portmanteau- still odorously suggestive of
the daily dinner which Paterfamilias brings to
his suburban homo. During the fruit season
it alternates with the basket of peaches, the box
of grapes, and the crates of berries which
incumber the seats in the ordinary passenger
cars. All this, however, is simply preliminary
and preparatory to another experience-the
result of mistaken ideas of progress and inno-
yation-whose gratuitous horrors require a
fresh paragraph.
We will suppose the miserable traveller al
ready seated, his various membranes dis
posed of, his ticket-which in mercy to him
we will believe he has accessible and not in
the overcoat under the shawl in the opposite
reat-his ticket properly punched, his per-
spring brow duly wiped by convenient
handkerchief, and his favorite magazine spread
upon his knee. Suddenly and without warn
ing the Prize Package is thrown into his lap.
The owner and vender, relieved of its response
bility. passes calmly on, pursuing his
unhallowed vocation. There Is no place
TO put it; there is nothing for the
wretched passenger to do but to hold 1T ex-
pectantly until the owner calls. for it again.
Choleric and improvident men-until taught
by bitter experience-have been known to
throw it from the window, and assume the
expense of its loss. Proud men have suffered
it to fall between their legs to the floor, and
have been humiliated by being obliged to
hunt for it while its owner stood calmly by.
It is at last restored, and q moment of COM
parative freedom and responsibility possesses
the relieved passenger. 1t is only for mo-
ment. The door opens to the book agent;
a thick, stubby, unattractive volume is
placed in his lap and the donor is gone. 1t is
followed in few moments by package of
stationery-also in fendish irony called q
Prize-and an illustrated paper of the week
before, generally that particular one which
the traveller is already wearied Of The
Western roads may claim the proud distinc-
ton of inventing an exquisite variety to this
ingenious torment. A small fiat package ,ot
needles, arranged as q patent "huswife," is
nut into the travellers lap. Why the passen-
ger TO Chicago OF Buffalo should be supposed
to require an assortment of needles, is beau
tiful abstraction known only to the railway
company, who claim o royalty from
their sale. But the "huswife" is Especially
adapted TO slip unnoticed under cushions, or
to glide innocently into side pockets, and to
bring tho unhappy tourist into instant sus-
picion, from which he is only too glad to free
himself by prompt disbursements OF currency.
We have passed over the apple, orange, fried
oyster, sandwich, and maple sugar venders,
for these men-posslbly from want of conf
dence in human nature, possibly from the
perishable nature of their wares-do not add
the burden of responsibility TO the passenger
by leaving these articles, unless requested.
How much they do add 10 the already
existing chaos, let the reader satisfy
himself by examining any two seats recently
vacated by the Average American Family.
Here lies tho Prize Package box, despoiled OF
its hidden treasure here the cover Of the 25
cent stationery package torn of in rude haste,
and a single pen, perhaps, left behind; here
rests the Pop Corn Package and part of its
pallid, spongy contents here is the curling
orange peel, and here the limp strips of the
tropical banana. There is fragment of maple |