The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1898-05-13
THE SELFISH WOMAN.
A TRICK THAT ENRAGEO HER SLEEP
ING CAR COMPANIONS.

fore Leaving.
a sleeping car which arrived in New
York numbered eight women among its
passengers, and one of them displayed
wisdom which made the other seven her
enemies. She was prim looking, mid
die aged woman, and she had attracted
attention the previous night by the busi-
nesslike way IN which she ordered her
supper. 1t was evident that she had
travelled on a sleeping car before and
from their nervousness it was quite
clear that the other women were novices
in night travelling and that they were
anticipating great disCOmfOrts. 1t was
not until the morning, however, that
the wise woman proved her wisdom as
we'll as her seIfshness.
Two hours before the train was due
in New York she left her berth and dis
appeared in the end of the car. This
sleeping car, like others of its class, had
four wash bowls for men with large
mirrors over them and only one wash
bowl for women, In a room so small
that two women could not stand in it
at the same time. Half an hour after
the wise woman arose the other women
III the car began TO stir around and four
of them went at the same time to COM
plete their toilets. The wise woman
still occupied the room and they sat
down to wait Half an hour passed and
still the wise woman didn't appear
The men in the car had become inter
ested in the comedy, which promised to
develop into a tragedy. They had al
ready completed their toilets without
interfering with one another.
'This is an imposition" said a big
woman whose hair was disorderIy, "and
l am going to investigate.
She disappeared, and the other pas
sengers heard her voice, first mild and
then loud and angry, but the responses
of the wise woman could not be heard.
"What do you suppose that creature
is doing " said the big woman, when
she returned. "Why, l never heard
anything like it. Here we are within
an hour of New York and not one of us
has had an opportunity to wash her
face and that woman inside has a little
alcohol lamp going and she is deliber-
ately curling her hair. She should have
some sense of decency. I'm sure she is
old enough"
This information cast the other wOm-
EN- into the depths of despair, and as the
train sped on one of them, the youngest
woman in the car, began to cry. Her
woe was greater than that of the others
because a certain young man had prom
ised to meet her at the station, and she
would not have him see her as she then
looked for the whole railroad. The men
III the car evidently thought that she
was good to look at just as she was, but
none of them knew her, and this in
formation could not be conveyed to her.
\ delegation of two women was sent TO
compromise with the wise one who was
curling her hair, and they returned i'll
disgust.
She says that she is going to COM
plete her toilet before she comes out,
said one of them. "She is curling her
hair all over. 1 asked her if she
wouldn't please just curl it in front and
then put her hat on. The rest wouldn't
show, you know. She said she would
attend to the curling without any as
sistance from me. This is simply dread
ful. I'll never ride in sleeping car
again. 1t is an imposition to have only
a little bit Of a Cubby hole reserved for
women, while the men have all the
room they need. I'm going to sue the
road"
An indignant discussion followed,
and just as the train was pulling into
New York the wise woman made her
appearance. Conscious that not single
flaw could be found in her toilet, she
ignored the angry glances of the other
women. It was too late for them to
make elaborate toilets, and the men
withdrew from the smoking room, so
that they might at least use the mirrors
TO set their hats on straight They
trailed after the wise woman as she left
the car, and If angry glances could have
stabbed her she would have become
COrOner's case right on the platform.
''This isn't the first time that have
seen such an exhibition, said q COM
mercial traveller who had been in the
car, land really don't blame the wise
woman at all. She simply showed her
experience. The fault is in the con-
struction Of the car, and it is a short
sighted policy TO make them so incon-
venient for women. 1t takes a woman
longer to dress than a man, and / be-
lieve that if the car builders would sac
rifice the space occupied by a section or
two and put in wash bowls for wome~
more women would be willing to ride
in sleeping cars. As it is, the average
woman would rather stay at home thac