Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-23
a Female Traveller.

IN. QUAs,' 'took charge of lady," on
a railroad Var, the other day, and thus de-
tails his1 woes: Perhaps the man
meant hs do m a the d 5spof WHEN wfh
spinistt hanging on his arm, and
wanted to aow if l wouldn't take charge
of her frol@. Chicago to Detroit. Many
men thini. a railroad journey rendered
really pleasant by the companionship of
an unprotected female. She insisted on
counting her handbook and traveling-bag
as soon as we got seated. She counted.
The were just two. | counted and made
no more nor less Then she wanted her
parasol put in the rack her shawl folded
up, and her handbook counted again.
counted it. There was just exactly one
band-bO of it. AS we got started she
wanted to know if / was sure we were on
the right road to Detroit | was sure
Then she wanted her travelling bag count
ed. l counted it. BY this time she want
ed the window up, and asked me if it
wasn't a hot day. l said it was. Then
she felt for her money, and found that it
had lost it. While counting it she re-
lated how Mrs. Graft, in going East, five
years ago, lost her purse and three dol
lars. She wound up the story by asking
me if it wasn't a hot day. | said it was.
Then she wanted that handbook counted,
and | counted him He was still one
handbook. There was a pause of five
minutes, and then she wanted drink. |
got it for her. Then she wanted to know
if we were on the right road to Detroit.
| assured her that [ was pOsiti1" of the
fact. The brakeman here called out the
name of a station in such an irdistinct
manner that the lady wanted me to 60
and see what the name really was. |
went. 1t was Calumet. She wanted to
know if | was sure that it was Calumet,
and put my hand on my sacred heart
and assured her that [ would perish
sooner than deceive her. By this time
she wanted the travelling bag counted,
and counted her. She figured up as
before. | had just finished counting
when she wanted to know if didn't
think it was hot day. | told her | did.
We got along very we'll for the next halt
hour, as | got her to narrating story
about how she got lost in the woods
eighteen years before, but as soon as she
finished it she wanted to know if l was
sure that we were on the right road to
Detroit. told her that hoped to per-
ism with the liars if we were not and she
| down; she wanted me to change a ten
| cent piece, and the window had to go
| down When we got down to Marshall
she wanted to know if the place wasn't
named after courtmartial, and whether
! it wasn't barely possible the station was
| Niles instead of Marshall. The band
box was counted again, and he was just
one. Then the window went up, and she
asked me if, in my opinion, it wasn't a
hot day. l replied that it was. Then
she related story about her uncle,
| another about a young lady who had
been deaf several years. During the day
| counted that handbook 300 times :;
raised the window thirty times; said it
was a hot day until my tongue was
blistered arranged that parasol twenty
| one times got her sixteen drinks of wa
| ter, and inquired the names of thirteen
stations. She said it was so nice to have
| man in whom a stranger could place
confidence, and | dared not reply for
| fear of bringing out another story.
When we reached Detroit l counted the
things three times over, helped her off
the cars, got her hack, directed her to
| hotel, told her the street, price, name Of
| the landlord, head waiter, and cook !;
assured her she would not be robbed nor
| murdered; that Detroit had population
of 100000; that the fall term of school
had commenced; that all Detroit hack
drivers were honest and obliging. Poor
woman! | hope the landlord didn't get
out of patience with her artless ways
Detroit Free Press.