The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-03-06
A BRITISH SPxT.
One of the Charming Amenities Of
TrQYel ON an Eucliah Railroad

One of the Charming tAmenities of
Travel on an English Railroad
There are several thingsi that strike the
American travellers on English railroads as
being curious" said retuEned New
Yorker to the Sun, but none more SO than
the custom that obtains OF the messengers
talking at each other. There lis a slidinfI
window set in the door atsach end OF the
transverse compartment, as you know, and
there is nc other airhole in the whole out
mt. The persons who sit by ,cthese door
windows control the ventilation of the
compartment. Generally, too, sthere is a
diversity of opinion on the subject of ven
tilation between those who sit by the
window, the party who travels with his
back to the engine declaring in favor OF
having the window open, while the other
man. who would then sit in the draught, ia
in favor of having the window closed The
responsible for these fncpnveAences, but
the Rriton perpetuates them by refusing to
attempt anything in the line Of concession;
Nobody ever, or rarely ever, thinks Of ap-
pealing to fellow passengers idea of the
fitness Of things, and they content them
selves with growing at each other or else
appealing to the guard and talking at each
other through that official
Il saw a very amusing instance of this
while travelling on the Great Western Rail-
road l was one of two passengers in a
Eecond-class car, the other being a chunky
mddle-aged man, with very red face, a
stubby, iron-gray moustache, and the blu
est blue necktie I ever saw. At one sta
ton, Bath, l think it was third pas
senger got into our compartment. This was
a lady, also of middle age, as prm chilly
and severe a new granite gravestone
in snow storm. Both the gentleman and
myself had been sitting with our backs to
the engine and with the windows way
down, so that there was plenty OF fresh
air for both of US without our being in it,
fha 1o1 ~ tn,
other fellows end of the compartment
and as he did not attempt to move she ar
ranged her parcels and her cage and her
self on the seat opposite him, facing the
engine AS soon as the train started the
wind rushed In and nearly blew the tail
feathers out of her parrot. She at once
reached over and pulled the window up.
The fellow, who had been watching her
over the top of his paper, instantly reached
over and let the window down. Out stream
ed the ribbons OF her bonnet, away spread
the tail feathers of her parrot, and I'D
flew the window This sort of thing was
kept up continuously, with short intervals
or glarlng at each other, but without g.
word until the next station was reached.
THE fellow damned the window down.
it happened to be an up spell-and yelled
for the guard.
Look ere, guard he cried, as soon as
that official presented himself, ham to be
smothered to death because there 'appens
to be a rheumatic ole critter in ere who
caunt bear a breath of fresh hair?
Mr.. Guard screamed the lady, there
is no reason, even if I am unprotected why
4 should be insulted by rouge faced
brute
80 they went at it, hammer and tongs,
aarruping each other over the guards back,
until the gentleman knocked the lady out
by telling the guard that he knew it was
against the company's rules to allow par
rOtS in the passengers compartments, anN
threatening to report him unless he Instant
~ took the thing away. At that the con-
ductor whispered to the lady, and Selling
the parrot and parcels she hurried away
with him, evidently to some promised Sc
clusion, giving her late antagonist q Par
THAN shot as she swept out about travel
ing hogs 1t was the funniest thing ever
saw, and certainly could never have hap
pened anywhere outsidefof an English rail-
rOad.' L.