The enterprise., 1912-09-19

linked-up day-coaches and dingy
smoking-cars, packed with workers.
like ants.
Cars are mere vehicles but locomo-
| tives have souls. The express en-.
| gines roll In or stalk out with gran.
deur and ease. They are like EN-.
perors. They seem to look with scorn
at the suburban engines snorting and
grunting and shaking the arched
roof with their plebeian choo-choo az
they pun from shop to cottage and
back.
The trainmen take their cue from
the behavior of then locomotives. The
conductor of transcontinental node
to the conductor of a shuttle-traiu
with less cordiality than to brake
man Of his own. The engineers o.
the limiteds look like senators In
overalls. They are far-traveled men.
leading mighty life OF adventure.
They are pilots OF land-ships across
land-oceans. They have right to q
certain condescension of manner
But no one feels Or shows SO much
arrogance as the sleeping car porters,
They cannot pronounce "superciA
ous," but they can be 1t. Their dis
da1n for the entire crew OF any train
that carries merely day-coaches O.
half-baked chair-cars, is expressed g
only darkey In a uniform can ey
press disdain for poor white trash.
OF all the naughty porters that eve,
1oI lin <E0 tS,cyt NV 70
was the dusky attendant In the Sal
Francisco sleeper on the Trans-Amer
ican Limited. His was the train q
trains In that whole system. His ca.
the car of cars. His passengers ths
surpassengers of all
His train stood now waiting to Sc.
forth upon a voyage Of two thousand
miles, Journey across seven imperial
states, journey that should end only
at that marge where the continent
dips and vanishes under the breakers
of the Pacific ocean.
At the head of his car, with his lit.
tie boH-s&ep waiting for the scot o.
the first arrival, tna porter STOOD his
head swelling under his cap. his
breast swelling beneath his blue
blouse, with its brass buttons like
reflections of his own eyes. HIS name
was Ellsworth Jefferson, but he was
called anything from "Poarr-turr to
"Pawtah," and he usually did H7t
come when he was called
Tonight he was wondering perhaps
what passengers, with what disposl
tions, would fall to his lot. Perhaps
he was wondering what his Chicago
sweetheart would be doing in the
eight days before his return. Per-
haps he VISA wondering what his Sau
Francisco sweetheart had been doing
In the five days since he left her, and
how she wonld pass the three Says
that must intervene before he
reached her again.
He had Othello's ebon color, +sEd
he have Othello's green eye?
Whatever his thoughts, lie chHssed
gaily enough with his petghbor amt
colleague OF the Portland sleeper. .
Suddenly he stopped in the i41dst
of a soaring chuckle.
"Lordy man, looky what's s. couo~
in'!"
The Portland porter turned te gazs.
II got my fingers crossed"
Il hope you git him.
II hope I don't"
He'll work you hard and ouIs you
out, and he won't give you even
Much Obliged"
'"That's right. He amt got usher
to carry his things. And he's gos
enough to fill van"
The oncomer was plainly of Eng
lish origin. 1t takes all sorts of peo.
pie TO make up the British Empire,
and there is no sort lacking--glorious
or presty, or sour or sweet. But this
was the type of English globe-trotteI
that makes himself as unpopular
among foreigners as he is among his
own people. He is almost as unen
durable as the Americans abroad WhG
tw .ng their banjo brag through Flu
rope, and berate France and Italy tor
their innocence of buclxwheat cakes1
The two porters regarded Mr. Har
old Wedgewocd with dread, as h&
bore down on Them. he was almost
lost In the plethora OF his own lug
gage. He asked for the San FraT;'
cisco SLEEPER, and the Portland porter
had to turn away to smother his CUR
Cling relief.
Ellsworth Jeffersons heart SANK
He made feeble effort at self-pro
lection The Pullman conductor mo-
being present at the moment, he In
qulred:
"Have you got yo' ticket?"
"Of cawse.''
could I see it7'
"Of cawse not. Toe much troup.s
to fish 1t out"
The porter was rading. DO yo'
remember yo' numba?"
"Of cawse. Take these" He beha1
to pile things on ahe porter like
mountain unloading an avalanche
The porter stumbled as he clamberel
up the steps, and squeezed thrcngi
the strait path ut the corridor inte