The Van Buren press., 1897-05-15
A CHICAGO EPISODE
Il Was on n Dining Car and w.,
of the Cook County Ro,,,. VI

of the Cook County Routine
The Inauguration of dininp cas
rice on one of the trunk lines SCH
aard from Chicago was an event ;a sas'
city by the lake II years ago. The ea .u'
mony consisted in running the -.
FULLY equipped, some Is miles ont s ~,
back.
There were 20 guests. They incl,a.,
representatives of the daily puhllcatias
+ the city, two press association ac.sa
and several men about town. ono
whom had the somewhat questionen
reputation of never having been ~,
lnder the table. The man who ="
ranged the details and accompanies ~,
ar and guests was singularly oualjeas
for such a mission. In one sense he NV
4 Mark Tapley. In another he was
Boniface. To drop comparisons. he VA
the advertising agent of an entern,.
ing railroad company. lie understood
his business.
The train, made up of a locomotir,
decorated with bunting, a eommissa,s
and dining car, moved out at fop,
o'clock in the afternoon of wintar,
day. Every invited guest was tbers
1t was novelty to some. No particula,
reflection is intended on dining M,
service of to-day in the statement tb.,
the menu was, in the free and easy tab
Of the agent, strictly bang up.s A,
each guest took his seat he received
dainty box, daintily tied with ribbon
On the card attached to the ribbon
was written: "The compliments N
- Railroad company to Mrs. -
If a guest was not entitled to bm
With such an inscription the agent 81
the company knew it. and the inserin.
ton was to a "miss." And the agent
made no mistake. 1t was no trick i'm
/ the agent to get the home address al
each guest, and this address was printed
on cardboard, to which was appended
silver thread. The addresses were held
in reserve by the company's agent.
Somewhere on the white sands that
skirt Lake Michigan and extend jDh
/ the pine tree forests the train cameh
a stand for a few minutes, and tbp
guests were seated at the table in the
dining car. Then the engine shrieked
pulled out, and the first dinner on that
line was begun. Fact is generally dis,
torted in efforts to describe big dinners
and the wise generation has come 10
skip that part of an account of fest.
val. Whoever reads this may be s,.
sured. however, that though he wing
his imagination he cannot fancy a
spread equal TO the one on this occasion
Somewhere in Indiana the tran
stopped, and the engine was turned
about and started on its return trip
with commissary and dining-car OF
tached. The feast continued Some
where in the pine tree forests the tran
slowed mp. and man who had been con
stituted master of ceremonies by Tel
son of his staying qualities stood "
and commanded silence. He unrollet
a manuscript and read thefefrom BON
bastic words in which the greatness d
the corporation was extolled; sentenc
after sentence lauded its generosity ami
hospitality. and the grand glorifeatO
in the closing paragraph was in homo
OF the agent of the company. Hayn
read the "whereases" and "resolyes
with dramatic force, the master Q
ceremonies said in true sincerity:
81 take it upon myself to move Ii
unanimous adoption of the resolution
Under ordinary circumstances | shou
ask for a rising vote, but on this occ
sion it is ineNpedient. | shall thereof
content myself with asking every que
to raise his whichever hand
convenient. | trust that everyone VI
do this heartily, for the resolution
have just read were written by Ma
-, the gentlemanly agent of the con
pnny, to whom we are indebted for tn
occasion, and it is due him that the vO
should be unanimous" 1t was unaH
, nous.
Then silence came upon those att
tables. Every man slept. The gent
manly and efficient agent" took b
, cards of addresses from his pocket, al
! every sleeper was properly tagge
| When the train stood still in the St
ton, back of the old Exposition bull
: ing, there were drawn up at the pi
q form as many carriages as there we
: guests. a corps of efficient employ
of the company was on hand, and ga
: sleeper was taken from his table TO
carriage. The driver looked at the I
+ on the button of the sleeper the do
was closed softly, and the vehicle we
its way.-N. y. Sun.
THE WAY NIGHT LIGHT.