Grab a box of tissues, your favorite beverage, and get ready to read the emotional journey of Sophia Lancaster.
Her heart was broken in the worst possible way, and only moments before her wedding was to take place. Not only did Sophia learn her Fian...
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The train would be nearing her final destination soon, Forrest Park Station, located in the heart of Dallas County. It was one of the major hubs where the Texas and Pacific Railway trains made frequent stops.
I cannot get off this dreadful train soon enough!
All though the first-class passenger section had beautifully appointed decorations, plush seating, and the food was surprisingly good, the compact and very humid compartments kept Sophia covered in a constant layer of dust-covered sweat the entire ten-day journey. It had not been pleasant at all. She probably didn't smell very pleasant either.
I have never felt so dirty in all my life! Oh how I long for a good soak in a bathing tub!
Because of the heat, many windows on the train were opened and it brought in lots of dust that seemed to cover her body and stick to the layer of sweat. She did have a personal compartment to sleep in at night which contained a small bed with built-in drawers underneath it to store items or clothing in. Next to the bed on the other side there was a small writing desk attached to the wall that could be unlatched and pulled down when it was needed.
The cramped quarters contained one tiny window, when opened, provided very little relief from the unrelenting heat. The one exception was at night when the temperatures dropped just low enough to make it less humid.
Luckily, she had the room all to herself since she was a first class passenger, all thanks to the generosity of her father, whom had upgraded her ticket at some point prior to her leaving the train depot in Wellington.
Other passengers who were not in first class had small compartments like herself with the exception that each one held two bunked beds with a very thin mattress that were stacked vertically. There was one set of these bunk-style beds on each wall where four passengers had to share one tiny room. In many cases, they were used by the servants of passengers who stayed in the first-class compartments.
Sophia was thankful for her father's foresight, and his kind gesture of upgrading her ticket. Had that not happened there was a high chance she might have gone mad after the first night or two and would have went right back to Wellington. Traveling by train was torture for such a long period of time. Ten days on one felt like an eternity!
How do four people manage to share one room? Lordy! Maybe this just proves that I was spoiled growing up.
Sophia made a mental note to thank her Father for this kindness when she arrived. Her father's experience of having taken the train before on long journeys came in handy.
During the monotonous train ride, there had been ample time to read the books she'd brought on basic homemaking, cooking, child rearing and even some gossip rags. Some of those she had bought for herself, and a couple Nellie had given to her as a gift. Nellie had also given her a blank leather-bound book, telling her to keep a journal about her experiences and new life. Not one who was ever big on writing, Sophia thanked Nellie for her kindness but never planned to use the journal.
