" TEAIN r BOYS." 231 



every particle. However, it comes off at a touch. Then you pull 

 the orange to pieces, cut off the edge of each piece, and pull out the 

 pips. Then// It is all juice, very sweet, and always seems to 

 retain its coolness in the heated rooms of a hotel. 



The " train-boys " come in for very unfavourable 

 mention : 



The train-boys are nuisances. They pervade the train. They 

 carry baskets full of books, or candy, or pea-nuts, or " pop-corn," 

 and put a specimen by the side of each passenger. They wanted to 

 sell me for a quarter i.e., twenty-five cents a book which sells in 

 the streets for ten cents. While going to Salem on Monday, I 

 thought that every traveller must have been taking absinthe. It 

 was only aniseed candy, which the train-boy had forced upon them. 



There is also an amusing story describing some of 

 the dangers attending a theatrical enterprise in the oil 

 district : 



There is a play called " Struck Oil," which was very success- 

 ful in New England, and the manager thought that he would try 

 it in the oil districts. It is a very sensational piece, with the 

 usual virtuous victim, the cold and calculating villain, the faithful 

 lover, &c., &c. The success was tremendous, and the treasury was 

 filled. Hotel accommodation was not to be had, and all the gentle- 

 men of the company had to sleep in a loft. The manager was very 

 restless, and about 2.30 a.m. he saw the door pushed open, and a 

 couple of huge ruffians come stealthily in. They went round the 

 sleepers, comparing notes, and from their conversation it appeared 

 that they were dissatisfied with the punishment inflicted on the 

 villain in the last act, and had decided on thrashing him. Fortu- 

 nately, they knew nothing about " making-up." One of them 

 thought that the manager was the villain, but the other identified 

 him as the lover he, of course, not needing much of a make-up. 

 Finally they decided that " the cuss had scooted," and went away. 



