Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-05-18
ON \ SLEEPER.
The Porter tells Of snorers who rival the
Noise of The Train.
YANKEES WHO HIDE THEIR SHOES
At NIGHT,

y TfrNS reporter StNili'I'tt dSip-9 d
worry bright, Intelligent porter on Il
GU the " Washington tx
press few lights ago. He WIS SIT
ting in In" forward end e his car
surrounded by pile of boots and
shoes, which he Just began to hlack"n.
All the passengers had gone to bed
and the porter had made hi, rcnid
and gathered up all the shoes lei
could find. marking in lead pencil iii
each shoe the number of the owner
berth and section. Lead pencil, he
said. would not rub out. Formerly
he used chalk, but found that it
rubbed off easily and sometimes he
found himself all mixed up. He was
Il genuine specimen of the Southern
darkey, and was rubbing away vigor-
ously when the reporter said:
you've got big job before YOU.
Yes. sah," said the ebony porter as
he showed his white teeth; hut dat
amt ali lie shoes in this hyar kyar:
dere is free pair oh shoes Il mssin'.
but l reckons L knows whar dey IS,
and the frowns over the porter's nose
grew deeper and he frowned very
knowing frown. I'm de fust place
de owners oh de missin' shoes am
Yanks, and dey hid dere shoes so dat
de porter couldn't black 'em and den
dey wouldn't had to pay muffin in de
mornln.
why did you say the owners We're
Yankees? 2" asked the reporter.
"Bekase, sab, no Soth'rn gemmen
wud hide his shoes. Dey amt SO
mean, but de people what belongs
to Yankee land does hit right long
Ehery trip de same fling happens;
sometimes dey wrap dere shoes up i'll
dere pantaloons-us and shoves dem
under de pillar when dey takes 'em
off. and sometimes dcy jest drap dem
into dere valise. Anything to hide
'em from de porter and sabe few
pennle3.'
All this the porter said in low tone.
while he shined his shoes as the
train was rafting over the road.
Use been on Saint LOuls run.
and Use been on Il Boston run, and
Use been hyar. and right hyar's dc
best cherry time. De trabei to de
Souf am fust class. De Soth'cn gem
men always am liberal wild deere cash,
and whar man from de NOrf gibs
de porter ten cents de SOth'en gem
men gibs him a dollah. and doan
make haf de fuss ODER hit,
"Golly, boss" said the darkey. with
chuckle and grin, de cullud trash
kin say what dey pleases bout bein
free and libin' up Norf hyar, but for
me Jest glib me back de good old
slabery days. Glib me back my old
NASSAU and missus, and I'd cut stick
from dis hyar kyar quicker dan a
'possum kin climb a tree"
but don't you make ont pretty
we'll here?" asked the reporter.
Stakes alive, yes, sah," answered
the porter quickly with grin: Il
does in fack. You see, de Pullman
Company pays me $50 month, and
hits very dull time when l can't
scrape together $40 month. Some
times beats dat; Use made as higl
as 800 in a month. Most oh dc
gemmin what calls der selbs CONNER
cial trablers is good pay, and dey am
good fur half a dollah, but de actors
and de actresses beats dem, and dG
people what's trablin' round sight
seein' takes de cake A man and hi:
wife trablin' from New York to New
Orleans am wuf bout - or So, and ;
man by hisself am wuf bout 81, but
de man what's just bin married" sale
the porter with another ch,,ckle, "ht
am de boss, 'kaze he don't know d,
ropes, and when a man Jest gets mar
ried he's kind OBJ reckless bout hi:
trablin' expenses.
People when doy am trablin',
continued the porter, doesn't go tt
bed as early as when dey am to home
but dc minnit one man tells me tt
make up his bed, den de hull kyar full
wants dem beds shuk up at de sam,
time, and den hits porter here ant
hits porter there till de whole oh d,
beds am made; but you kin always
count on dc newly-married couples
goin' to bed last. Dey jest hang OF
till everybody else am gone to bed
and den dey go too. Sometimes
gets hold of some VERY troublesome
trablers, wimen. OBJ course. De,
wants de kyar warmer or dey want,
de kyar colder or dey wants a drinl
OBJ water, or suthin' just foah de sak'
OBJ shown of. 1 spose
Sometimes gets passengers wha
nebber been in sleepin' kyar befoal
and dey don't know how to go to bed
specially if dey hab an upper BERT
and den lifts fun to watch dem climin
up into dc BERT.
Il kin member till Judgment Dav.
went on the porter, as he blew hi.
breath on shoe, "'bouta big, fat ole
gemmen what went down to Rich
mond last trip. Mighty souls! how
de did snore. He snored SO loud da
de noise of de de kyar Trailing ions
want muffin, and a gemmen in d,
BERT right ober him yelled at de fa
man and one oh de passengers on de
opposite side oh de kyar swoah at him
Mighty souls. how he did cuss de Of.
fat man. Den de gemmen in de toE
BERT calls foah ME, and he says, 'Por
ter, jest wake the ole rhienoseeros up
tell him to turn ober'"
'Does I cher hear pussons talkin
in dere sleep?"
Mighty souls, yes. sab! I hear;
very quare tings. Some gemmen eat:
a great mess Of stuff. Jest befoah de!
get on dis kyar, you know, den dey
goes to bed with dere stomick chocl
full and gets de nightmare"
As the porter gathered up an arm
full of freshly-polished shoes to dis
tribute i'll their respective places, he
said: Il hears and sees heap oil
quare tings. but l doesn't tell all
knows-not dis chile, ha-ha."
Railroad and cab fares are q YER,