aragraphs. (I would
rather be reading, you understand; my pen is running for the same reason
some street cars run--to hold the franchise.) And speaking of Mill, do
you remember the library catalogue which contained the consecutive
items, "Mill on Liberty" and "Ditto on the Floss"?

* * *

One can get through a good many books on a long railway journey. My
slender stock was exhausted before I reached Colorado, and I am
compelled to re-read until such time as I can lay in a fresh supply. At
home it is difficult to find time to read--that is, considerable
stretches of time, so that one may really digest the pages which he is
leisurely taking in. Fifty years ago there were not many more books
worth reading than there are to-day, but there was more time to
assimilate them. A comparatively few books thoroughly assimilated gave
us Lincoln's Gettysburg address. Not long ago my friend the Librarian
was speaking of this short classic. "Did you ever," said he, "read
Edward Everett's address at Gettysburg?" "No," said I, "and I fear I
shall never get to it." "It is stowed away among his collected
orations," said he. "Not half bad. Unfortunately for its fame, Mr.
Lincoln happened along with a few well chosen remarks which the world
has preferred to remember."

* * *

Another advantage of a long railway journey is the opportunity it
affords to give one's vocal cords a (usually) well-merited rest. It is
possible to travel across the continent without saying a word. A nod or
a shake of the head suffices in your dealings with the porter; and you
learn nothing from questioning him, as he has not been on that run
before. Also, business with the train and Pullman conductors may be
transacted in silence, and there is no profit in asking the latter to
exchange your upper berth for a lower, as he has already been entreated
by all the other occupants of uppers. When the train halts you do not
have to ask, "What place is this?"--you may find out by looking at the
large sign on the station. Nor is it necessary to inquire, "Are we on
time?"--your watch and time-table will enlighten you. You do not have to
exclaim, when a fresh locomotive is violently attached, "Well, I see we
got an engine"--there is always somebody to say it for you. And you
write your orders in the dining car. There is, of course, the chance of
being accosted in the club car, but since this went dry the danger has
been slight. And conv