Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-23
CLARA BELLIES CHAT.
A Talk on the Delights and Annoy
anceS Of Travelling Alone.
THE QUEER PEOPLE ONE MEETS,
And the Well-Meant Efforts of Trainmen to
be Entertaining.
BUYING ONE CHICKEN FIVE TIMES
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcH.l

NEW YORK, June 22.-It is funny how
people fancy themselves unobserved in a
theater All wellI what is one to do in a
great city like this? What chance have the
innocent, foolish and exuberant young
things who want to be alone together. II
they are simply fond of each other and in
spired constantly with a desire to talk to
each other about it. where, OIL where, shall
they go? Parks? Impossible. Nurse maids
and policeman, you know. Cab? Awful
cobhle stones and racket Luncheon? 1t
won't do to have a. private room, and, even
so, there is always the waiter. The theater
is, after all, abou. the only resort left.
Time was when, if there was money enough
to buy box, two hours tete-a-tete could
be secured, but not now. You might as
well try it on the steps of an elevated sta
tion. The boxes are all open, except, per-
haps, in one or two theaters. But even if
he can't buy a box he can get seats, and the
pair of them begin to believe themselves all
alone in the world. Just sit in cosy box
and watch the people in front of you. You
will see as many cases as you can count q
holding her wrap on with one hand and
tanning her with the other.
saw Eben Plympton the other evening
holding a wrap on and tanning. How a
tiny, black gloved hand does show up when
it is clasped in big ungloved one, and how
cosy it is for two persons to share the one
arm between the chairs. The only way to
keep from falling of is to link arms of
course, and then, too, hat brims are so big.
1t is hardly noticeable whether one head is
under or two. If John goes out between
the acts, Jane takes out her powder puff and
freshens up her complexion a little, never
supposing anyone notices. OH the theater
is great place for privacy. 1t is away
ahead of the top of Fifth avenue omnibus.
TRAVELLING BY RAIL ALONE.
But it is in railroad car that couples feel
alone in a crowd because the spectators are
strangers, and many an honr have whiled
away, on journey which would otherwise
have been tedious-because was myself
really alono-watching the spooners The
sights were much like those mentioned as
seen in theaters, only more intense.
Passengers are not allowed on the plat
form" We all know that. Still, it is the
only place to ride sometimes. The inside of
the car gets stufy-horribly stutfy. Men
come in from the smoker and spread tobacco
around about. Bread-and-butter children
and sour-milky babies add 70 the stiffness,
till you can stand it no longer and it is a
case of fresh air or death. About that time
you sneak out on the back platform. What
a changel Especially if your car is that
rear one. A swirl of fresh air and cinders
but never mind that-a flying country,
exciting whir of wheels and the track spin
ming out back of you like a black thread
woven by the flying shuttle you ride on.
Your ulster flaps madly, you jab your hat
down over your ears to keep it on at all,
you plant your little French heels firmly
and unbutton your gloves that you may get
a safer grip on the rail. Once so secured
you rejoice in bridges and short curves
OF course, you are inclined to get reckless,
and let go to answer with a whoop and a
wave of dirty handkerchief the flying sig
nal you get from a way station, or lone
telegraph girl, who feels firtatious, and
takes you for the brakeman. He turns up
sooner or later. You have to pull long
face, and assure him that the heat inside
made you quite ill Then probably he will
stay out with you. If he does be is likely
to prove bore. He will tell you lots of
yarns, point out this place and that where
accidents happened, and assure you what a
hero he was each time, till you pretend to
remember it in the papers and make him
nervous. Then he has his girl at each town.
THE WAYS OF TRAINMEN.
O0, ne great fellow, Is Tue DTakemaQI
He confldes to you that many of the girls |
have waved at him Just like that for years
and all that time he has never exchanged a |
word with them You ask him about his |
wife. Sometimes he gets mixed but you |
pretend you don't notice it, and he thinks |
what nice girl you ares
Now and then the conductor discovers |
you instead of the brakeman. The conduc- |
tor is usually man OF more weight Be |
sides, he has to attend to tickets, and can't |
stay long. If you manage to look faint and |
miserable, he will suggest the baggage car. |
If he does, jump at it. or all places to ride |
the baggage car is the best. The engine |
smells of oil, and the wind there blinds you,
but the baggage car is lovely. The baggage
man will always take the best of care of
you. You will find yourself, if there is not
an awful lot of trunks, ensconced by the
wide open door.
The baggage man lounges around the
trunks, and talks or not as you encourage
him. He usually has bit of an eye for the
landscape, and prepares you for meat
piece of land" as you near it, or strip of
water that's right pretty to catch through
the trees" Maybe he passes his home some
where along the line. and you see him swing
out beyond the door to catch the last glimpse
OF Mollie and the little one. He tells you
how, when the little one was coming, Mollie
hung white scarf in the window so that he
knew his baby was little girl. and how he
cried all over the trunks and wanted to
Jump off at risk of life and limb, Just to
hurry up to the little house and hold Mollie
close to his arms and kiss the wee daughter
As it was he had to make the trip and back
before he saw the two, and sit was hard
waiting" said he.
BAGGAGE MANS LAUNDRY WORK.
You wonder what the men on the train
do in the winter time. They have better
time than the sleeper passengers thought
There's a rousing big stove at the end of
the car. The big doors are closed, the
place is well ventilated through the roo, and
the winter evenings aren't SO dull, after all,
when the boys get together, tell stories, have
hot whisky and play poker and seven-up on
the trunks. You wonder, being practical
young woman, how they get their washing
done. Well, they have clothes at two or
three places. They start clean at New
York, exchange soiled for fresh linen at
Buffalo, do the same thing at Chicago and
the same back. Then, too, Mr.. Baggage
man confdes to you that he does a bit of
laundry work himself now and then, il
being easy enough to heat water, and clothes
dry famously when hung over trunk by
the big door. So we never know what may
have happened to our trunks in the baggage
car.
Bageagemen are artists in their way, too.
and it is considered awfully bad form to let
q trunk down on the fat. Tip it on the
corner, Miss, and child can move it." ad-
vises the brawny Hercules Also, he hasn't
much use for basket trunks, they are light,
but you can't tell where they will land, |
which you try to feel is a serious objection