New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-21
INDIVIDUALITY IN 4 PARLOR CAR.

Tron Tatt wit a Conductor IN me Phadde'Dht1 Press
Roscoe COnkling generally gets one seat IN a
drawing room and he gets all the newspapers he
can buy reads them and throws them all over the
drawing room in a mass, besides he always has
pOrtmantcan full of law papers, which he strews all
over every seat in the diawlng- room. CUnkllng IL
q very vain traveller and wants everybody III The
car To loo at him. Now, there's Blaine, he's Just
the opposite, he always buys the whole draw ing
room and shuts himself mp. and Is very modest,
retiring traveller but Grant is a queer old fellow.
When lie President of the United states. he
pearly always travelled IN special car. but now.
sin. To haE become n private citizen, he travels
lust about the same AZ ordinary folks You eau AL
WAYS find Grant IN tho rear end OF the car in the
smoking apartment with cigar IN his mouth and
there he sils with hand on either arm OF his char
and smokes aud smokes. thoroughly obllvIous OF
every body In the ear. lie uever looks at anyone
sourtimes no will look out OF the window for hours;
when he's not doing that he's glancng over news
pupct He's indifferent TO everything that's going
on why, II the train he ~ in stops on the road IN
tho open country for some minutes he never moves;
never inquiries what's tho matter, but sits and
smokes stodly until tho train starts, while all the
other pa songcrS put thrir heads ont OF the WINDOWS
or get on To SEES WHAT'S gone wrong.
remember trip % Chicago Grant made In my
chr some time ago. His seat was directly behind
lady gho WAS travelling alCne-and who, by tho
by knew very little about travelling. She hal her
wlrdow up for some time and It was pretty chilly.
bgsidrs the black smoke poured into the car. |
watched Grant tor httlo while and saw he was an-
moved as the smoke aud the chilly breeze blow right
over ann. Presently he got dp, and leaning over
the lady's shoulder put his hand on the catch and
let tho window lash down. lac little woman gave
an involuntary start aud turned round hercely. but
Grant never noticed her and dropped back into his
chair. After "A little Willis the little lady hOlsted
the windu again aud some of the passengers who
had seen q affair smllcd at one another. Then the
htle woman beckoncd TO me aud said Con
ductcr who IL that hog back OF me y
"rhat's General GrantV SAID /.
"Oh - said the little woman. and she dropped the
window Immediately. Grant heard tho question
let and woht on rcadlng his paper as II
nothing had happened. ,,,.,,
But Oscar Wilde touk the cake. Oscar Wilde was
more bother than all The women who ever rode on
n railroad car. lie had an idea that he was the
greatest man that America had ever seen, and he
put on more airs than II lie had been tho Car OF
Russia the Prince Of Spain and the emperor o 81
the porter of the sleeping car 10 tell people NJ the
stations along the line wherever the tram stopped
est most conceted mule evoi saw. lilo wouldn't
drink water out of the glass ut the cooler. but
slpped IL ont OF o silver and gold mug he carried
with him. and he'd SIT with the tips ot ms myers
pressed together and ook up at the roof or the car
as If he was about to offer up prayer.
Herbert Spencer was tho most restless tayeller
gersoll enters % car to go on u journey. the first
thing he does In 10 hang up his big slOuch hat then
he commences to make himself comfortable anu by
the time the train starts he just acts n II he were
at homo in his study fltheres no one on the tram
that he KNOWS. 1t DOT take him long to strike mp
an acquaintance, and everybody seems glad TO
know him. He's a very Jolly aud q very liberal
uayeller-smokes nearly all The tne on tho cara
and always carries bundle OF choice cigars with
him. j remember one nlBnt tnere was aIreisnt
wreck ana our train had to lay nv for three or four
hours 1t was r terrible night. the wind blew
hurricane. and the rain came down In torrents
Colonel Ineersoll was one Of the passengers.
Everybody got tired. Nobody could get any body
to talk with him. At last a little Scotchman who
was travelling through America sight-seeing.
learned who Ingersoll was and he tackled him then
aud there. Ingersol was Just IN tho humor, aud IN
less than ten inmates eyerybod IN the car crowded
around him and listened TO him for over two hours,
aud the pas gers seemed pleased aud entertained
that they forgot all about tho night and the acct
dent