"Where was I? Oh, yes. 'The ladies' dressing-room will always be found
at one of the two ends of the car. Care should be taken early in the
journey to ascertain which end. If there are many ladies in the car, one
should rise early, to take advantage of the unoccupied room for a
cooling and refreshing sponge bath. It will be necessary to carry a
sponge for this, and a small bag of rubber or oiled silk should be made
for it to prevent moistening the contents of the suit-case after
using.'"
"Supposin' they all subscribed for this paper," Matilda objected, "and
all should rise early for the cooling and refreshing sponge bath?"
"'Tain't likely," Grandmother answered. "'After the bath one should take
plenty of time to dress, as nothing is less conducive to comfort in
travelling than the feeling that one has been too hastily attired. By
this time, the porter will have the berth in order, if he has been
tipped the night before.'"
Matilda murmured inarticulately, but was too wise to speak.
[Sidenote: The Porter]
"'The usual tip,'" Grandmother continued, hastily, with her cheeks
burning, "'is twenty-five cents for each person every twenty-four hours.
In order to insure comfort, a tip should be given for every slight
service, but nothing smaller than five cents should ever be given at any
one time.
"'It has been said that a porter is a dark gentleman who has been
employed to keep air out of the car, but the lady traveller will find it
easy to induce him to open a ventilator or two if he has been properly
tipped. Fresh air is very essential for the true enjoyment of
travelling.
"'He can throw many little comforts in one's way--a pillow during the
daytime or an extra blanket at night, or----'"
"I don't know," Matilda interrupted, "as I'd care to have comforts or
pillows or blankets thrown at me, night or day, especially by a man, no
matter what colour he is."
"'Mindful always of the possibility of accident,'" Grandmother resumed,
"'it is well to keep one's self as presentable as possible, especially
during the night, when according to statistics the majority of wrecks
occur. Consequently the experienced lady traveller will not undress
entirely, but merely removing a few of her outer garments, and keeping
her shoes within easy reach, she will don a comfortable dressing-gown,
and compose herself for sleep. Some people prefer to have the berth
made up feet first, but it is always better to have the head toward the
engine, as experience has proved that the slight motion of the train
assists the circulation, which should run toward the feet if sleep is to
be enjoyed during the night.
[Sidenote: Where to Eat]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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