The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-04-05
WHEN EVERYBODY SNEEzED.
Amusing Incident That Happened on
Cross Town Car.

The Spectators experience warrants him
now in embarking on a street car trip
with a wonderful expectation. Not that
his hope does not sometimes fail. An ad.
venture would not be an adventure if it
came every day. But all the elements of
adventure are present in a street car, and
frequently they combine. There are hu.
man nature, uncertainty, an independent
relationship, and, above all things, that
transiency which gives such a zast to all
undertaking, keeping the mind alert.
The Spectator boarded a cross-town car
at the ferry house end of Twenty-third
street. There was the usual crowded wait
while the outgoing passengers swarmed to
the ground; then the incoming lot scram-
bled up. 1t will probably never be known
what had happened in that mysterious
car; whether some d-fashioned gentleman
had been taking snuff, whether some
housekeeper had split red pepper, what
tickling sprite was abroad. But no soon
er were all the passengers squeezed COM
pactly into the seats and suspended from
the straps than they began to sneeze.
The performance was not obtrusive at
first; anybody may sneeze in our climate.
A young girl gave delicate utterance, her
face in her handkerchief; a stout old man
echoed her with resounding emphasis;
baby startled itself, interfering; and two
or three elegant ladies suffered distress.
ing, abrupt perturbation in the midst of
their dignified calm. Then gradually it
became apparent to the vaguely awaken
ing car that good sport was abroad. A
perceptible wave of attention swept
through the crowded company, working
genial relaxation. There was probably
no event in the world which could so
easily have reduced that assembly of
technical strangers to their natural basis
of friendliness as Just this so human, so
vulgar besetment, this ridiculous malady.
So vulgar-that was the exquisite point
1t appears that the searching tests of good
humor are not elaborate situations in
which one may stand on his dignity, but
the commonest accidents of daily life Per-
haps it is better, in the long run, to
grade ones dignity to the common level;
then one can walk, not stand, on it. One
can even safely fall down.
The Spectator took an absorbing inter
est in watching the different occupants of
the car serve their turns with the ma
licious plague. Some of them were quite
frankly pleased; they contributed their
CALCULATIONS to the sum of the general
humor with a laughing good will. Several
were shyly embarrassed, deploring the
public attention. But one or two were
superbly scornful, and of course they fur
nished the best fun of all. One magnif-
cent gentleman in high hat and a fur
lined coat, held himself grandly aloof in
his manner. expressing high disdain
We'll, Of all the vulgar, disgusting pro.
ceedings" his profile said quite explicitly
as he hung on his strap and gazed out of
the window. The hopeful Spectator would
not for the world have taken his eyes
from him. Presently tiny tremors began
to agitate the majestic calm of the classic
countenance. The Spectator received an
ecstatic poke from the market woman
she chucllled in audible tones. The proud
lips frightened convulsively, the fine eyes
blinked very fast; he had heard that
chuckle, he tried his best, he would not,
he, would not-no usel Away went the
gold-bowed eyeglasses on the spring of