The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-30
THE PASSENGERS GOLD FISHES.
And the Part They Played I'm a Trip
Across the Continent.
New York Sun.

new 4 Ork sun.
1T Is interesting" said traveller from
will make a satisfactory diversion on a
trip across the country. A solitary coyote
running across the prairie half a mile from
the train Will attract more attention than
q dozen Of them would in a geological gar
den and single prairie dog popping out of
mis- mis- mole VIII cause stampede Of the pas,
furnish topic Of conversation for an hour
afterward- The appearance OF an Indian
scuaw at station will be the means Of
the production Of half dozen kodaks from
Some mysterious place, and, as the Indians
are always. superstitious about having their
ably for the hasty flight of the squaw,
much to the amusement OF the travellers.
ION my last trip across the country there
was man on the train who had pur-
chased three little gold fishes in Chinatown,
San Francisco, and bringing them
home to his children in the East. Some of
these peculiar fishes may be seen I'm a win
dow In Broadway in the. theatrical district.
They are red and white. beautifully marked,
and their tails are divided into three parts
by skillfui manipulation of those smart
Japanese, so that each fish looks as If IL
had three tails instead of one. 1 do not
Chinese sell them two for a quarter and do
a handsome trade in them.
This traveller OF whom / spoke had three
Of these fishes in glass pint jar, such as
used in preserving fruits. 1t was neces-
sary 10 change the water on them twice a
day and to leave. the top OF the jar open,
moderate tip to the porter caused that Off
cial TO keep a watchful eye on the fishes,
and to insure them place where the jar
would not tip over when the cars were
cunning around sharp curves. We came
over the Canadian Pacific road. On the
Journey Up. the Pacific coast from San
Francisco there was no difficulty in getting
fresh water daily. On the overland trip.
however. one had to know the ropes to get
fresh water. Across the plains the tanks
OF the cars are replenished with water from
time to time. but 1T is alkali water, and to
put the fishes in that would Kill them in
short order. The way this was obvlated
the tanks that supply the bathrooms in the
sleeping cars. That water Is not changed
on the trip. sufficient supply to last for the
entire journey being taken at the start
Every morning and night when the trav-
eler changed the water for the fishes there
was always a large attendance of the pas
sengers, the ladies especially. They liked to
see the fishes wriggle when they were.
dumped into the wash bowl, and they liked
TO catch them in their hands and place
them back in the jar when fresh water had
been placed in IL.
But. the most interesting thhg was the
way those fishes served to begin acquaint-
ances. Their owner would bring them out
of the porter's closet and instantly every
new passenger would be interested in them
owner and in ten minutes the new and old
passengers would be gpsspng. away as
If they had been friends for months 1
remember that an unusually pretty girl got
on at one station in the mountains. She
was reserved and resisted all efforts of
the ladies on the train TO get into con-
versation. 1t was seen at glance that she
was well bred and a person of intelligence
The passengers saw also that she was a
to the enjoyment OF the trip il only her
reserve could be broken.
We'll, those fishes did 1t. She couldn't
resist The temptation TO ask about them
and after the ice had been broken she be-
came the jclliest girl on the train. She
entered into all the games OF the evening
and was particularly adept i'm charades.
She also insisted on looking after the fishes
daily. -
into the sleeper. One of the children was
only three years old. and the others were
under seven. Those children would have
been a nuisance had IL not been for those
fishes. Whenever one of them would get
fretful some one would run for the fishes,
and In watching them the child would be-
come quiet. the passengers would take
turns ir answering the innumerab1e ques-
tions that would be asked, so far as the
you that mother was grateful. and so were
the rest of the company, that those fishes
were on the train.
1T soon became noised about that there
was some sort OF curiosity in one of the
sleepers, and the passengers in the other
cars would come In and stay awhile. The
result was that more sociable set of
travellers probably could not be found. In a
day or two everybody knew more or less
about everybody else, and 1t became like
dreariness OF the plains, and when we got
TO Montreal there was the heartiest kind
OF goodbye handshakes. Everyone took a
farewell look at the fishes and said some
thing recognizing the part they had
played in the pleasure of the trip. They all
plarveled that the fishes could be brought
successfully so far In a small jar, but
saw the fishes three weeks after they ar
rived and they were in good health. The
porter OF the car told me that at least
once a month some passenger would bring
these fishes overland. and that ne knew of
no agency that produced an acquaintance
| attractive little specimens from the Orient"
An Invincible Combination.
| Chicago Record.