The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-03-04
WESTWARD, hO!

S00to E0s A. "a
with urrip" in hand, boarded one OF tnos
elegant 16.wheel palace cars OF the s''"' W
d Q. Ry., in Chicago, on wednesday evening
Feb. 18th, and in few minutes more 'ne ''A'
pulled out Of the depot and went oouhdins y
ovar The prairies OF Illinois. Soon the goa
a,aer took possession Of us, and In moment
On after hied us off to dreamland, bringing
hack next morning in time for breakfast az GUN
CIV. where, after short stay we crossed I'll
"rather OF Waters"
ON the Hannibal & St. 10. Ry. LUCKY Cuss'
mo thinks hear someone say; what q happ
fellow J. D. must be, and what a pleasant occu
nation he aas-with chance OF seeing I'LL
wprldm What delusion! and where inc Piea'
urc in travelling as business comes IN Is no'
than can see. II may be all pleasant enough
Won can 20 Just when and where you please
stsv "a long or short as you like and be oiesse'
with happy and congenal companions 10 "hii'
the time away-then there is pleasure IN 'ra'ei
inr. but travelling as business is an ehtrel1
difIerent thing and the hardest kind OF work
From an old bachelors standpoint can view
in no other light than that OF getting married
everything is lovely for little WHILE or until th'
romance of the honeymoon is over; ana thel
the aesthetic sunfower OF the business shines
like withered cabbage head. So 1t is Win ZIG
on the wing" or travelling as "commercia
Sourist"--the first trips, weeks or months are
enough. One Is infatuated with the dazzle aho
glare of the hotel grandeur Eye Sods), the seen
cry of the country, towns and strange faces thar
one meets and sees day after day; but all THIS
I'D tba and scenes
dazzling at first become tame and OF no interest,
save in a business way. This climbing out oil
bed at all hours of the night, especially IN win
Ger! In mid summer early rising has its eompen-
sations in the beauty and freshness OF the morn
ing the purity of the atmosphere, the colorihg
of the sky and the shading OF the landscape,
rendering 1t the most reviving and charming
time of the day; but In winter, say anywhere
between the hours OF 2 and o'clock, when the
dingiaess and gloom of night is still lingering
in the lap Of morning. giving but little recon-
pense for rising at an early hour, and forced TO
dress with the dim light of other days "a cande)
or q lamp with broken chimney, using the
sense OF touch more than that OF sight, then ei-
low moves around a room as ii followed by a
spirit, and his shadow on the wall looks like the
ghost OF some departed enemy Of whom he is in
mortal dread; and during all this time he talks
10 himself in suppressed tones and bangs his
old trunk cover down as thought it was coffin
lid. This done, with grip in hand and overcoat
siung over his arm, he glides out into the pas
sage and along the halls to the office the lights
are low down, and there seems an unnatural
gloom In them although nothing particular has
been observed in their appearance Then the
terror and endurance Of bus ride to the depot!
banged first to one side, then to the other,
haps strike your head against the window or top,
sending your plug hat down over your ears,
making it look like n bursted corporation At
the depot you thank the gods the bus ride was
no longer, and after all your hustle and hurry
you learn that the train Is an hour or two behind
time. For this bit of information you proceed in
the most modern and improved style of Christian
charity to bless the railroad company, their en-
piOyees, the bus man, and especially the hotel
clerk for not finding this out before, you could
''snooze" little while longer. But all you can
do now is to grin and bear it, and banging your
self into chair, you button up your coat collar
and valny try to sleep the time away until the
train arrives. -Boarding railroad train at early
morning or during the "wee sma'" hours of
night always seems to me like entering grave
yard. In the smoking car one is Disguised with
the filth end dirt, while the fumes Of cabbage
leaf cigars and poor tobacco is sickening. In
ladies' car all looks gloomy and reckless and
sometimes distressing; here everybody sleeps, or
At a., ola M th.; :
make picture for an artist to weep over. In the
parlor car the linen covered chairs remind one Of
discolored toombstones, while the decorations and
costly mirrors are too grave in the dim light TO be
enjoyed or appreciated 1t is bad enough when
travelling to know that you are dirty and mussy !;
bat TO be forced to confront all these humlliatng
facts by having mirror after mirror present you to
yourself as others see you! And then there are
the beauties of the sleeping car at that hour
when the occupants are leaving their little beds
Did you ever see it? OF all scenes that takes the
cake! | am always thankful whom palace and
sleeping cars contine themselves TO their legiti-
mate business of carrying me along comfortably,
without making the eloquent silence Of mirrors
do unpleasant criticism on my personal appear
sD1e. But Of all the nuisances the trunk bust
ness Is the worst, trunk is q WEAKNESS to the
aesh, vanity 10 the body and vexation to the
mind. have often thought OF writing an essay
on trunks and trunk packing, but inexpcrence
in certain details has prevented me lest should
be set down for benedict" instead CT a "bach."
II come philosopher, male or female, would
only demonstrate method to travel without bag
gage, or at least half Of what is logged along
nowadays, they would confer a favor on their
fellow creatures and deprive the baggage smash.
CT Of his dearest employment The trunk pack.
ed with the hopes that its contents will be pre-.
sentable at the end Of the Journey tae worry OF
baggage is just begun, as you are in mortal ago
ny as to how your buds will look when next you
see them. lady once remarked to me that the
only article which she did not worry about was her
hat, for, as she said, time was when whatever