"I am writing this at the desk in the library car,
and the train shakes so I am afraid my writing
will be worse than ever. Uncle Henry says I shall
soon get accustomed to the motion, but just now it
makes my head ache, and the car feels very hot and
stuffy. I opened the window, but a great many
cinders came in, and a lady in the section next to
mine asked me to close it again, so I had to.
"I hope Father didn't tell you what a goose I was
at the station. I didn't mean to cry so much, but
when I thought of you and Aunt Jessie waving
good-bye to me from the porch, with such a
sorrowful look on both your dear faces, I just
couldn't help it. I am going to cheer up right
away, though, so please don't worry about me.
"It really was very exciting when the train
stopped at Lorton, and Uncle Henry and I got in.
When it began to move, and I realized that I was
actually on board, I gave a kind of gasp, and
would have liked to scream, if I hadn't been
afraid of shocking Uncle Henry. There are not many
people on the train, the colored porter says, and
Uncle Henry and I both have sections to ourselves.
I thought there would be regular beds to sleep in,
but there are not. The porter says they turn the
seats into beds at night, and there are curtains
to let down. I should think it would be very
uncomfortable sleeping so close to other people,
but I suppose one gets used to it when one has
traveled a good deal. Uncle Henry says Aunt Julia
won't travel unless she has a stateroom, but he
doesn't object to the sections. I looked into the
stateroom in this car, but it didn't look very
different from the sections, except that it was
larger and there was a place to wash.
"We had lunch at a little table in the dining-car.
It was delicious but my head ached a little, and I
wasn't very hungry. Uncle Henry talked politics
with a gentleman who sat at the same table with
us, but they didn't say much to me, so I looked
out of the window, and it was all very
interesting. We are in Mexico now, and to-morrow
we shall be in Kansas. Kansas makes me think of
Undine and Mrs. Hicks. Oh, how I do wonder if
Undine will ever remember!
"Uncle Henry says we shall be in Albuquerque in a
few minutes, so I must stop writing if I want to
post my letter there. Good-night, Mother darling;
I will write again to-morrow, and indeed, indeed,
I will try to remember all the things you said to
me last night, and to be always
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