The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-09-18
ON THE WING. ~
What an Army Officer Saw.

CHICAGO 81 N. w. R.. R.,
Friday, Sept. 10.
To the Editor of The Leader:
We wish most heartily that you or
n OF yours were with us to-day to
tell of the pleasures Of this overland
journey. In default of better pens,
take a scrawl from my pencil, for it
a tell of a matter which may inter-
est at least some of your readers.
After our tedious and dusty ride
from Cheyenne we arrived at Omaha
hot, hungry and perhaps a little out of
sorts. A friend, who "knew the
ropes" said: "wait awhile until you
get IN your car; there's the place to get
your tea" A moment after, a cour
teous young Ethiopian in the un:-
form Of the Pullman car company,
approached and, with almost a military
salute, informed us he was deputed to
take our satchels and ourselves to our
sections OF his ''cyar." We went un-
h~esitatingly and beheld a novelty. Our
eyes had long been accustomed to the
dark walnut of the Pullman cars on the
Union Pacific, and it was for a moment
new and strange to step into a car of
which all the wood work seemed the
color Of oak. More minute examine
ton showed that the panelling was
that most beautiful of all woods, Be-
hemian ash, something like our birds
eye maple. The mirrors, the windows,
and the lamps about the car were glis-
tening with the care and polish that had
evidently been bestowed upon them.
The whole affair was a model of neat
ness and taste. But we had been told
to wait here for our tea; and what
symptoms of tea were therep None
that we could see. The whistle blew
and away we went, side by side for
awhile with the train Of the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy road, waving
good by as we sped along toa bright
face that will be missed in Cheyenne
and at Camp Carlin, as a face like hers
may well be missed. Out we went ovel
the flats of the Missouri bottom, and in
a few moments our engine seemed tt
have settled down to work, and We
were spinning along the valley. Then
as the declinin 6 sun sent his ray.
through the western windows and thu
turbid Missouri looked like a flood O
molten gold, another Ethiopian sud
denly appeared, .'clad in spotless raj
ment." His teeth, as he grinned, al
most rs white as his apron, and pre-
sented the "cdrte de jure." Wondering
where the good things enumerated OIL
his list (copy enclosed) were to come
from, We were a moment in doubt a.
to how or what to order, when the
conductor OF the a approached.
He explained the whole matter il
this way, that he invited us out to- in
spect the most compact, complete littl'
kitchen ever seen. He showed us, ant
our ladies especially, through all thu
intricacies of his little household. II
short he did everything that was cour
teous.
This car conductor is a gem in hi
way, and whoever goes over this roat
with Thad Slower viii find him or her
self in luck. Army people, though
they do not know him by name, may
recognize him at once by his great re
semblance to Lieut.. Schuyler, of Gen.
Crooks staff.
Well! All this time you are KEEP
waiting for tea. We gave our orders
and then, resuming our seats in oul
section; were speedily provoked with Q
table over which was spread o cloth
spotless us snow, napkins, goblets with
icel, castors and %cruets, all looking as
though they had been subjected to ;
polishing process every hour during the
day. Then came another Ethiopian
bearing a tray on which, in the dainti
est way imaginable, were placed oys
tiers, toast, tea, everything in fact w
wanted. We were served as we nigh
have been at Delmonico's-we lived a
w WouAu uafo uNcu az uoulc.
Then l took my pipe and talked ovel
the thing with Mr.. Slower, and he ex-
planned it to me as follows:
You get into one Of the cars on this
road 1.-THE Chicago & Northwestern),
your section becomes your own for any
purpose, you can write, read, sleep, OF
eat there.
All this we found true. The Pull
rhan company has put on the road
system of hotel car keeping very ex.
pensive to the company. There is
every advantage to the traveller but
little to the company, beyond that
the Chicago & Northwestern road is
n of the best built, best graded, and
the best ballasted l have we seen,
and l have seen a good many.
TRAVELLER.