Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/109

 TRAVELING WITH A REFORMER

Now do go on with the game play the whole day if you want to and don t let s have any more trou ble about it!&quot;

&quot;No, I only sat down here to establish this gen tleman s rights he can have his place now. But before you go won t you tell me what you think the company made this rule for? Can you imagine an excuse for it? I mean a rational one an ex cuse that is not on its face silly, and the invention of an idiot?&quot;

&quot;Why, surely I can. The reason it was made is plain enough. It is to save the feelings of the other passengers the religious ones among them, I mean. They would not like it, to have the Sabbath dese crated by card-playing on the train.&quot;

&quot;I just thought as much. They are willing to desecrate it themselves by traveling on Sunday, but they are not willing that other people

&quot;By gracious, you ve hit it! I never thought of that before. The fact is, it is a silly rule when you come to look into it.&quot;

At this point the train-conductor arrived, and was going to shut down the game in a very high-handed fashion, but the parlor-car conductor stopped him and took him aside to explain. Nothing more was heard of the matter.

I was ill in bed eleven days in Chicago and got no glimpse of the Fair, for I was obliged to return east as soon as I was able to travel. The Major secured and paid for a stateroom in a sleeper the day before we left, so that I could have plenty of room and be comfortable; but when we arrived at the station a

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