The Osceola times., 1883-10-27

.r from the Toxic station. 1t is a fine larg
). building, built Of stone. having two larg
@ entrances in front. The waiting-room
are furnished with the daily native an,
!, foreign papers. Five minutes before tn,
A train starts a warning bell is rung. Tn,
+, ticket Office is styled Docking office,
and a notice tells you that you must b,
booked before you can enter tn,
train.
Just before the train starts the bell j,
again rung in the station and the dool
closed, 50 there is no possible chance fol
II belated passenger to run for the train,
and possibly get run over by the train
There are no side doors either through
which you can dodge the official.
Having booked yourself, or purchased
your ticket, you are allowed to pass
through very narrow passagcway TO the
outward bound train, showing your tic
ket as you pass. Although there is no
geld leaf or bird's-eye maple on the cars
there are other arrangements that more
than compensate for this loss of elegance.
No official goes with the train; no
brakeman in dulcet tones whispers out
the name of the next station. The only
break on the train is on a car made spec
rally for that purpose, and attached to
the rear of the engine. No conductor
shouts Tickets, please" and when he
has finished his rounds sits down by the
fair miss who goes daily for her music
| lasSnpS Eyarv naaSanu.r Ia av,.,taI o..
enter the class car for which he holds n
ticket. If he doesn't 10 this and he is
found out there is a penalty for his mis-
demeanor.
When it is time for the train to start
an official on the platform blows little
whistle, the steam engine blows shrill
whistle, which would be terrific ifitlwere
only powerful enough, and off we 90
And now we see one advantage over the
average American railroad-there is not
the slightest jerk in starting; indeed you
never know when you are really in mo-
ton unless you loJk at objects outside
the window.
The train glides THAT just expresses
it); not swiftly to be sure, for if it were
swift probably the Japs would condemn
it. Nothing upsets a native like swift
ness, tline is no ODlect mere.
The road follows the Tokaid and the
coast Of the bay most of the distance. II
is nearly dead level On both sides
are the rice fields, where, at this time of
the year, the farmers stand nearly up to
their knees in mud, setting out the rice
plants. There is nothing particularly at
tr,ctive to see, unless on bright day
you watch the changing forms of that
noble mountain-MountF Fuji-the "peer-
less" as it towers up in the distance.
Let MS look at our fellow passengers i'm
the ear. As it is an early train there are
various officials going to Yokohama for
their daily business. These men are
dressed in foreign clothes, and many of
them un ierstand some foreign language,
English or German. They are mostly an
intelligent looking group of men.
Besides these somewhat ioreignized
natives We have the real, genuine native
article, with nothing foreign about him
unless il is hat. Hats are very gener-
ally worn, except it is rainy day, when
they are left mt home and the weare.
goes bareheaded.
The Japs are peculiar. On a cold, rainy
day they go abou. with their dress skirts
caught up to their waists, and the water
streaming down their bare legs. skin
does not cost as much as cloth YOU know.
In the car we can see this native dress: a
loose robe with no buttons, but folded
over the breast and fashioned by sash.
This is the dress of the men as well as
the women. Some of the dresses are
very rich indeed, being made of beauti-
fnl silk. One-half is longer than the 9th.
cr, which allows foT pulling up above the
sash, and then hanging down in front,
making pouch. This is the pocket
where nearly every thing is carried.
there are also pockets at the bottom of
the large square sleeves. Suspended
from the sash is little box and leather
wallet. Sometimes these articles are ex-
quisite and very costly. The box CON
tains the tobacco pipe and the wallet con
tains the tobacco. The box is frequent
" made of ivory or bronze, finely work
ed. japanese tobacco is very, very mild.
The average American smoker would dis
dain TO use it.
The pipes consist of long slender
stem, and a tiny brass bowl not so large
us an acorn cup. The smoker opens his
wallet, takes out very small quantity Of
tobacco and fills his pipe; then he takes
bul hIS UbA VI WHICH dft ike
the "parlor match" in America, contain
ed in a sliding box that horrible nuis-
ancc. a sulphur match doesn't exist hcre);
closing the match box about two-thirds,
the pipe is lighted and three whiils OF
smoke taken-vcry seldom more than
that; the ashes are then cmptied into the
open third of the match box, the pipe
rcfilled aud lighted from these ashes.
Frequently the ashes are dropped on the
floor until the pipe is rclichted, when
they are extinguisbed. A pipe is seldom
rcfillcd more than three times, when it
is put back into the case. The whole
amount of tobacco imbibed would not he
equal to one puff of a strong cigar. But
the almost universal practice here is To
draw all the smoke up, cxpelling il from
the nostrils instead of the mouth. Wom-
en- smoke as well as men.
Every one in the ear has morning
paper Most of the passengers are sit
ting on their feet, which are crossed un-
der them--a favoritc posture.
1t is generally the custom to read aloud,
The reading is very peculiar, being most
ly in monotone, with occasionally a
rise and fall in the tone. Some of the
people have a very disagrecabc habit of
sucking the breath between their closed
teeth. The noise thus made with un-
ceasing regularity is almost uncomfortable
if one has any nerves.
The japanese are not a meddlesome
people, and travelling with them is at
tended with almost no risk. A single
lady could travel with a car load of Jap
anese men, and there would be not the
slightest improper word spoken or act