News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-10-30
ON A SLEEPER,
The Porter and His Work-NIaking Up the
Berths.

The railroads are the great highways
OF the present day. The highwayman,
who has long left the slower thorough
fares, now appears as the porter of palace
cars. As you pass the ticket gate and
come alongside the long line of cars
standing engineless, waiting for passen-
gers, you will notice the porter waiting
at the steps of the Pullman or Wagner,
and as the crowd passes him he relterates
| the words:
| "Chicago sleeper, sir ?"
These words are varied according to the
train. 1t may be Rochester sleeper OF
Buffalo sleeper, or st. Louis sleeper.
He never says sleeping car" If you are
tired and want to get to bed soon you
say to the highwayman:
81 wish you would make up my berth
as soon as possible"
(Which is your berth. sir ?"
Flower three on the VENEZUELA"
very sorry, sir; bus three ladies, q
sick gentleman and a couple of young
men are ahead of you, sir"
As you turn away he says:
"II see what l can do for you, sir. I'll
do my best, sir"
Later he comes to you and avs in q
| confidential manner-a sort of husky
whisper:
GIVE managed so as to get your berth
made up second, sir. Lower three, !
think you said, sir. I always like tc
oblige an old patron of the road, sir"
This latter phrase is delicate bit of
flattery. He wants you to think that he
recognizes you as an old hand. When
| the train starts it is busy time for the
porter, and he works in rather strait
ened quarters very deity. People pass
and repass him in the narrow aisle, but
| his politeness never varies. A dozen are
at him to get their berths made up, and
with great tact he satisfies them all.
His method of working is worth atten-
ton. He places the inevitable valise
under the seat aud draws the seats over
it, making bed of the lower berth.
Then he let's down the upper shelf and
takes out the end boards and fits them
into place, fastening down the upper
shelf SO that by no possibility can the
! lower tenant push it up if he is the only
occupant of the section. It would never
do to let the lower tenant have so much
space for his 50. He takes out mat
ULC55 dlll SDICdllS IL ONGT Gu5 lON6T seal.
He goes to the cupboard with mirror
for its door and takes some clean, white
pillow slips and couple of sheets there
from, and holding the slip in his teeth
slips the pillow inside. The manner in
which he spreads sheets and quilts on
the bed is most admirable. The space
is very limited and he, with a peculiar
and indescribable jerk, lands the sheet
just where it belongs. He then turns
down the sheet and coverlet in kind oil
triangular manner, pulls down the win
dow blinds, filings the hooks of the long
curtains over the brass rod at the top,
tucks the corners in and then, "Lowe1
three is ready, sir"
The Quickness with which o car full
of berths is made up by porter who
understands his business is something
marvellous. In the dim watches of the
night, as you sleeplessly toss on the
hard mattress, while the snore of the fat
man rises generously from lower four,
when the jerk of the trains stoppage at
some midnight station wakens you from
the half rumbling semi state
into which you have fallen, you hear at
the end of the car steady "swish,
swish" This is the porter's midnight
solo on your shoes, the only tangible
hook on which he bases his claim for
robbing you in the morning.