Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-09-15
SLEEPING CAR MANNERS.
Two Girls Tell of Experiences With the
American Man.


women in a parlor car on a New
Jersey railway the other day and
two Of them gave their experience
in travelling alone at night. One had
ventured the remark:
''The American men are always
polite to women travelling alone If
they are not, it is certainly the
woman's fault. She is forward or
common or something"
That started the conversation.
One girl didn't know about this
and protested:
Girls, you know am not for
ward, at least hope am not, or
common, and yet had a very I'M
pleasant experience once. l was go
ing to Pittsburg alone. Father and
brother Frank went over to Jersey
City with me and I went on the
western express at half past G.
Frank had the tickets and found my
section, No. 8. There were satchel
and overcoat and umbrella there,
which he moved to the next section.
''We had only time to get the il
Illustrated papers, say goodby, and
was off.
II hadn't turned the second page
of the paper l had taken up before
we were crossing the meadows,
when I was startled by a gruff voice
saying, Who moved my things?' |
found my paper too interesting to
look up. Again he shouted: Who
moved those things2 This is my
section, and I want my things put
back in it.
II felt my face getting hot, but
said nothing. He picked up his
satchel, sat down in No. opposite,
unbuttoned his shoes, kicked first
one, then the other, across the aisle
under my feet, put on slippers and
a travelling cap, hung his hat over
my head, then went for the porter,
who had just come in. He growled
something at him and I heard the
porter say, Domino, sab; have to
see the Pullman conductor. He
went into the next car. l called the
porter, found my tickets were all
right and wondered what would
happen next l didn't have to won
der long. In he came again, and,
girls, he was tall, broad shouldered,
elegantly dressed-looked gentle
man, anyway, though he wasn't
one. He said something to the por-
ter about a mistake, then came over
to me, and, bowling, said:
g 1 made mistake l ask your
pardon.
i know my face blazed then
did feel so insulted to think he could
kick his shoes under my feet and
then apologize. looked straight at
him and said: 1 think it time you
asked my pardon. You are the
rudest man / ever met in all my
life He stood there long enough
to tell me that if he had known that
/ was that kind of woman he new
er would have apologized, and then
went back to his section.
AT Philadelphia some one he
knew camein and he must have told
him all about it, for, in one of those
mysterious lulls which on the train
are just like those at concert, we
all heard him say, I went up and
told her I'd made mistake and
asked her pardon, but she was SO
ID sassy was sorry did ;
Now, girls, was that my fault? You
see, even an American will be rude
sometimes to women.
The champion of men took a back
seat, and jolly looking girl gave
her experience.
Mine was just funny, girls, and,
guess, my own fault. was alone
too. One night we were going across
the Alleghanies, and the train rock
ed like mad. | had watched several
people land in the place they hadn't
wanted to land in and was getting
a good deal of amusement. l called
the porter to have my berth made
up, walked up the car, sat down
without a mishap, patted myself on
the back and wondered why the
other passengers weren't so agile
AS l came back noticed man
sound asleep, arms folded, head
down and hat over his eyes. AS
came opposite him the train gave a
fearful lurch; l felt myself going
and grabbed something. It was the
man S neck; was on his lap, arms
round him. My head struck his
head, and his hat flew into the next
seat. He said merely, Good Lord'
and was gone l didn't look back.
l Just crawled in between my cur
tains. Then had 20 laugh. New
York Sun.