The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-08-30
ON TIE SUBURBAN TRAIN.
The Occasional Passenger Makes Com
posite Note Of tho Conversation.


posite Note Of tho Conversation.
In point of interest the suburban
train is 20 the commuter by no nieans
what it is to the passenger who boards
it at rare intervals. and whose naturc
is such as to be diverted by watching
his fellow travellers. AMI there is ever
so much to be seen if one cares To lOoX.
The conmuter is likely to regard his
daily trip to his suburban home as bnt
the g-drawn-oat moaotonoas inter
val between hard da,''s work and din
ncr The train is for. hnti I p:rgatory
with dinner as TIE hope hell out. IL"
boards it several minutes before tn.
time for its departure ard. after depos-
ting his buudles-connuter always
have bundles--on the seat TO keep
passenger out OF it as long rs possible.
he unfolds his evening paper. The scat
he has taken is next an unoccaple't
track. and he bangs up the blinds as far
as they will go, SO as to get as much
light rs possible. Then ha bncilS mp
against the window So that the light
will come in over his shoulder. and "A
he does so the back rim of MS hat in
variably collides with tie glass and tho
hat Slides over his eyes. lie iancies he
can do better with hi; hat OF. so he
puts It on top OF the bundles anil settles
back again. People are continually
crowding into the car. and by the tim:
the commuter has read about three
lines of his paper Il woman carelc sly
carrying an umbrella knocks this
hat to the floor. Thore is haSty
apology, an inaulib!e something in re-
ply, u dusty hat, and the commutcr
starts on the next three lines. lie
reads them and then has to 60 back
and read the first tI,r,, to fn.l ont
about what it is he is recalling. lie gets
on swimmingly until a train pulls in
beside the window all shut, ont the
light altogether At this he t;irns
around fercaly anil clare, ut the pas
sengers in the ncwly arrived train.
hcaping muttercd nal"cIiction> on hair
head, for bringing their confoundcl
train in his light. Bat he has bought
the paper and nc Is going to read it in
spite of the railroad c.mpary or any
body else, SO nc turn, his back the
other way. This nccc.,Sitatcs moving
his hat and all the bundles. This new
scheme i, even worse than the other.
because the aisle is tillel with mo"ing
people. and his paper is one mo'nent
bright and then eclipsed. He tries hold
ing it silewisc, high up low down.
fiat, and every other way. lie may
have read as much Is ten lines by that
time but the car is filling up anal at
last some one touche, his shoulder and
asks if the adjacent seat is reserved.
Then the bundles and hat are gathered
together and dcposite on ais lap. While
the person soueczcs in and the paper il
folded and put away.
The casual passenger, from his seat
near the door. has watched all this
with keen interest. Innldtion to this.
the noises and sounds in and about the
car amusc him. From the station u
train is pulling out to the accompani-
ment Of the engines deep chur- chug-
ging and Changing bell. The locomo-
tive OF the train just in is breathing
gong somewhere is striking AMI two or
three voices are crying: All aboard!'
1t seems as il the voice.; had been cry
ing the same thing for the last ten
minutes In the car is 4 confusion OF
conversations, each mOmentarily drown
ing another, some almost drowning all
the others All conditions and classes
Of people are getting on the train, and
each human being is talking about
something to somebody. Nobody APP
pears to be listening. except the casual
passenger near the door. Men women
and school children troop in and talk.
The conversation comes in communicating
Interruptions
''Ilello, Jack, going ont on this train
with Hamburg edg;ng fonr inches
deep for only-two hundred dollars,
why your bicycle cost as much as
those confoundcd chickens ate the seed
before it had time to sprout-on my
wfc's hand when she ba,npei again It
the oil stOve-with black name and
beautifully gaitelto Do fnur examples
in long division-yith n lace collar ana
puifcd slcevas-in Chicago gus on Il
margin of-soothing siruo thls you can
get at anyone of his b,o;c, $50 stupid
that-the day has been .iast too lovely
and my children have bad il four
timcs-con.ting By the new time
table
Then three conversationaily-incl
Italian laborers climb aboard. AMI the
casual passenger gets tired listening,
\ moment later the conductor waves
his arm. q whistle blows. and tn:
suburban train gii,Ics out. Y. Sun.
The SUMS PUMPING WORK.