Fantasy fiction; Utopian fiction; Utopias -- Fiction
A hundred years had made very little change in the heterogeneous
assortment of vehicles one sees in a great city. There were many fine
and elegant equipages, with and without horses, the latter driven, as
Cobb presumed, by electric motors. Yet of this class there were not
very many, as San Francisco is a city of hills, and not well adapted
for anything but horse or attachment propulsion.
The attire of the pedestrians was that which struck him as the most
peculiar. All the women wore short dresses, none reaching lower than
within eight inches of the ground. Their feet were covered with low-cut
shoes, in some instances; in others, with small, neat patent-leather
top-boots, the top of the boot just hidden under the dress. He noticed
very few silks worn, most of the dresses being of heavy goods.
No bustles were worn, and the dresses were close-fitting with jacket
basques in most cases. Hats were the prevailing style.
It seemed to Cobb, as he looked at his own new clothing and that of the
gentler sex, that the very acme of simplicity and good, sound common
sense was seen in this new order of raiment.
Cobb knew that there were many things for him to learn, now that he
was so new to the world, and that there would be so many peculiar and
remarkable inventions that he ought not to evince much surprise when
he should behold them for the first time. There was much that demanded
immediate attention and study, if he wished to be upon an equal footing
with the rest of mankind.
At this moment Lyman entered the room, followed by Rawolle.
"We have been a little longer than we anticipated," exclaimed the
latter, throwing off his coat; "but there was really no need of
hurrying too much. We have plenty of time to reach Washington by
to-morrow morning."
"To-morrow morning!" cried Cobb, in surprise.
"Certainly, to-morrow morning. I think we will be there at 6 dial,"
nonchalantly knocking the ashes from the end of a cigar which he was
smoking.
"Mr. Rawolle, I am prepared for many new and, to me, quite startling
statements, but this of yours is a little too strong, is it not? We are
over three thousand miles from Washington, and I very much doubt your
ability to overcome that distance by to-morrow morning, though you may
have made great strides toward its achievement."
"My dear Cobb, it is just as I tell you; at least, as near as I can
remember. Let me look at the schedule and I will give it to you,
exactly."
Rawolle took the time-card out of his pocket, and, quickly running over
it, said:
"No; I am a little out of the way. If we leave here at 16 dial to-day,
we will be in Washington at 8 dial to-morrow."
"Enough!" pettishly exclaimed Cobb. "I will not question you any more.
Go ahead and do it, that is all, and then I will be satisfied."
It piqued him to think that they were making sport of his ignorance; he
lighted a cigar and walked to the other side of the room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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