St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-24
Millions Who Travel Every
Year by Rail Between
Twin Cities.
Scenes, Incidents and Charac-
ter Sketches on Short
Line Trains.
Dudes and Collegians, Men Of
Brain and Women of Pleas
ure Meet.
How They Act and What They
Say in That Brief Half
Hour.

Twin cities are a sort of local institu-
ton that acquire personality of their
own. They are comfortable, nicely
heated, occasionally ventilated, and
have an air of solid responsibility, per-
haps acquired from the class of passen-
gers carried. The news agent and fruit
dealer comes not near these trains. The
hotel and railway advertising papers so
freely distributed, furnish class of
literature which any man might take
nto his family circle with impunity.
Like many patent medicines. ''they are
perfectly harmless" The plate
reading matter is of di-
versified character, contains jokes,
labeled so you can't mistake them.
Also authentic historical and biograph-
ical items. You feel an odd sensation
of having read it all before. If you are
guilty of perusing any patent-inside
paper, probably the same matter was
there and you read and paid for it.
Now it comes free on the short line
trains. Why be so critical? If you
have not studious and reflective mind
there are plenty of things to be OBJ
served.
You scamper through the union sta
ton just as the hands of the clock
point to the half hour, chase the de-
parting Manitoba train the length of
the platform, scramble up the steps. and,
if woman. ''wonder why the brake
man couldn't wait moment when he
saw you coming" He politely mutters
something about people being careless
and blaming the railroads if anything
happens. 1t seems to be point of
honor with most people to just catch
short line train, with perhaps minute
to spare. l suppose it looks business
like, but from an artistic point of view
the effect is bad. Few grown people
run gracefully, and men have not much
advantage over women in this respect.
Perhaps
LACK OF PRACTICE
has something to do with it. I would
suggest that the gymnasiums add to
their schedule course of exercises in
rapid running. Their present course
doesn't fill the want, for know several
athletic young people who run so awk-
wardly as to tire the behoIder more than
themselves. like to see people run
for train or street car and just miss it.
l feel most nnchristian glee at the
sight. I've done the same thing so often
myself and know how mad they are.
While the train glides through the
network of tracks and tunneled streets
you get Off your outer wrappings, put
your feet on the steam pipe and prepare
for halt hour of leisure. The train
stops, there is no station, but people
come and go just the same. A little hut
Two men, barefOoted and hatless, may
be seen. They are the same two who
go about the streets of st. Paul,
carrying lighted candles and speaking
to 10 person. Popular fancy invents all
sorts of weird tales concerning them.
The dime museum would reap a harvest
could these brothers be induced to ac-
cept an engagement and tell CHASTITY
tale of youthful sin, followed by years
of public penance. The train moves on
and your curiosity dies out. AS we
reach Hamline bright young girl
watches eagerly, flies to the door and
some long-lost relation had just been
found. It's so touching to hear the
medley of delighted questions and in
coherent answers, until you perceive
that they are relatives, and have been
separated-threew whole days. You hope
they'll get off at st. Anthony Park, but
they don't. The dear grille is learning
photography, spends at least three hours
day IN practice, is developing wonder
full talent. wants kodak. is going to
substitute her pictures for the works of
art now adjoining the family residence,
and so on, ad in finitum. They are go
ing to spend whole day in Minneapolis
selecting photographer supplies.
AT each station the matrOns, with sew
eral children apiece, come busting in.
They are going shopping. Everybody
knows everybody else. They discuss
domestic economy until the car seems
! like cosy sewing circle. The atmos-
| phere seems to remind the men of home.
They flee to the smoking car. AT the
university enter the students laden
with books, their broWs turrowed with
| the heavy responsibilities imposed by a
| classical or utilitarlau education. It's
| SO refreshing to hear them talk. Plato
| is familiar acquaintance, Homer a
| jolly old chap, Virgil paSsable sort of
! fellow, Newton ingenious but awfully
| slow. In the realm of science, me-
chanie OF agriculture they get away be-
Yond the ordinary mortal. and talk a
! dialect Ineligible only to themselves.
| One wonders how the small heads and
| delicate physiqueS can endure the strain
| of so much and varied information. The
| classical girl is there, too. Although
she looks old enough to be managing a
| home and teaching olive branches of
| Wv liz you tIAC ClCdJulC
| settles her eye-glaSS and gushingly tells
friend how every moment of her time
| is absorbed in study. No time for do
nestle duties,
SOCIETY IS BORE,
and even church duties have to be neg
| lected. "The university is just lovely"
She will feel perfectly lost after COM
| pleting her course. | wonder if the
world will feel the loss?
The mills, st. Anthony falls, the ex-
| position building and other prominent
| features of the landscape, are an unfail-
| ing source of pride to the Minneapolis
| people. st. Paul people glance about
| with an air of WEAKNESS and appear
anxious to get home again. The train
pulls into the union station and in two
minutes the crowd has scattered in all
directions. By way of variety you take
the Milwaukee Short line going home.
| This line, cutting diagonally through
one busy watching the people get out
of the way. There is seldom an acct
dent, however, and after the South
| Minneapolis station is passed, there
| is only the regulation Minnesota
prairie dotted with small houses
| There are few things rrore commo N
place. If you will go down to the D.
| m. train there will be no lack of COM
pauy. Minneapolis people seem to en-
Joy coming to st. Paul for amusement.
Yonder is party of clerks going to the
theater. One fashion-plate dude and
three young ladies. They take turns
amusing him. One feeds him confeet
ions from dainty oXydized silver box,
another praises the exquisite curl of his
mustache, the third tells him naughty
stories about an absent friend. Every
time he speaks the three girls laugh. |
wonder if that is compliment? Two
reporters on an afternoon paper are also
taking their lady friends to the theater
in st. Paul. But they look innocent
| next day. and don't care to be confiden-
| tial about it.
In the seat before you sits girl sob
| bling her heart out over tiny note,
which she reads again and again. She
| evidently considers her grief a sort of
| personal property and you get promptly
Snubbed for offering consolation.