Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-12-22
ENGLISH SLEEPING.CARS.
Ridiculous Dilemma Of an Innocent
Male Traveller.

JsaC
The following, from the London
Daily Ne,cs, shows conelusively that not
only in emigrant ships but in railroad
carriages the English women require
much more protection against shocks
to modesty than American women, for
it is pretty certain that not one man in
ten who has travelled in American
sleeping cars ever noticed an indicate
action on the part of a fellow passen-
ger.
"a new route has been established
this year to Switzerland. Leaving Lon
don at 10 A. NJ, you find yourself in
the afterno6 : al Calais there you take
| train direct to Balse. | had invested
the sum of eighteen shillings in ticket
for the sleeping car. This car consists
of compartments containing either two
or four couches. The coach to which
| my ticket gave me right was, | found,
in one of the compartments licensed to
carry four. Three ladies already were
there when l entered it. To say that
was received cordially would be an ex-
| aggeration. The ladies felt that Was
an intruder, and, to say the truth, being
a somewhat bashful man, felt so, too.
took my seat. The ladies whispered to
each other, and eyed me as did the
nymphs by the stream of Hellas
when shepherd broke in upon their
| natatory exercises. | essayed re-
| mark or two about the weather and
other commonplaces. The responses
were monasyllabic. In the day
time these compartments have only
two touches facing each other. At
night two others were arranged over
head like berths in ship. We had
passed Amiens when the attendant en-
tered with number of sheets in his
hand. The ladies looked aghast; so did
|. One-an elderly spinster-supposed
that | was not going to remain and thus
prevent her and her companions from
taking the rest for which they had paid.
A blush sufiused my cheek, but |
plucked up sufficient courage to hint
that |, too, had parted with coin of the
realm in order to enjoy n little repose.
After chorus of We'll, never = it
| was finally agreed that | should retire
into the passage until the ladies had
got into their beds and drawn the cur
tains before each of their bowers. To
this assented, and, having paced the
passage for about half an hour, return
ed. All the curtains were drawn. l
hope you are not updressing? pro-
| coded from behind the curtain of the
elderly spinster. He won't have the
impudence to do anything of the kind,
floated through the air from behind
another curtain. Ladies' said sleep
in maiden meditation behind your cur.
tains. l am clothed from head to foot
l propose to divest myself of my coat
and boots. shall then climb up into
my berth, draw my curtain and you
will see nothing more of me until to-
morrow morning. Mind, sir, only
your coat and boots, said the elderly
spinster, and, with this parting warning,
l turned in. The train was timed to
reach Basle at 6 a. m. An hour before
that time my rest was disturbed by
shrill cries from behind the curtains, |
was sternly ordered to get up and go at
once into the corridor in order that the
nymphs might also rise. No ladies'
| answered, | mean to remain in bed
until we arrive. Get up without fear,
and trust to the innate chivalry Of the
humble male who now addresses you.
He pledges his word of honor not to
peep through the parting of his cur
tain So they got up, and | did not
look. My experiences of this night
lead me to suggest that in sleeping-cars
the sexes should be placed apart, and
that there should be separate COM
partment for men and another for wo-
men, instead of the eclectic arrange
ment."