The Argo Goes West

1, Dorothy meets the Harpies

"No way!" Dorothy Abbott cried, "You said the trains were out of service, but I'm not convinced. I came here after getting off the train in Omaha because the train to San Francisco was canceled. However, I was told the same thing here. I have important business in San Francisco. It's a very important business. marriage? No, it's not a marriage. It's a job. Do you know the San Francisco Examiner? It's one of the most famous newspapers on the West Coast, no, even in the United States. It is an authoritative newspaper with contributions from famous intellectuals such as Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce. I will work there. No, I am not a newsvendor. I was hired as a journalist. My college classmate Jean's mother is Mark Twain's niece, and she introduced me to him. Mr. Twain, who now lives in London, went out of his way to write a letter of introduction to Mr. Hurst, the president of the San Francisco Examiner. I haven't met Mr. Twain yet, but if I'm late, I'll betray his trust. I beg you. Please do something about it! "

 Dorothy appealed to the ticket clark at Kansas City Station. She just graduated this summer from Vassar College, a prestigious women's college in New York. Her hair is red, curly and thick like wool, and she tied it back. She wears a black wool brimless cap. She is wearing a checked ulster coat with a tight waist. In fact, these outfits imitated the woman she admired. That woman is Nellie Bly. She was the star reporter for the New York World, run by Joseph Pulitzer. In 1888, when Dorothy was twelve, she challenged herself to see if Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days was feasible.She left New York via England, France, Italy, Suez Canal, Ceylon, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco and back to New York. It took 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds, even faster than the novel. It was a new world record at the time, including the men's record. Dorothy recreates Nelly's fashion of the time. However, there was one thing she could never imitate. It's a small leather handbag. It was too small for her clothes, dictionaries and diaries, so she had to choose a larger leather trunk.

 Hearing Dorothy's story, the ticket clark felt sorry. But she wasn't the only one he sympathized with. Many purchasers were lining up behind her. For everyone's sake, the ticket clark have to work fast. So the ticket clark decided to repeat the explanation to Dorothy again.

"The railroad tracks have been severed on the way. Currently, the track-laying team and other staff members are working without sleep and rest, but there is no prospect of when it will be restored."

"Please tell me when it will be restored, even if it's roughly. Is it one day? Two days? Or is it a week?"

"I don't know."

"I'm really in trouble."

"Me too."

 The purchasers in line behind Dorothy were also silently perplexed.

 Dorothy visualized a railroad map of the United States in her mind and tried to see if there were other routes. she said,

"If I go to Texas, is there a train going west from there?"

 The ticket clark looked disgusted and said, "Ask about Texas in Texas."

 Dorothy finds it useless to talk to the ticket clark any more, and decides to let the next purchaser take the turn.

 Dorothy made her way to the exit with the heavy trunk she had at her feet in her hand. She calculated in her head whether it was worth going to Texas. If there is a train from Texas to the West Coast, of course she should go (maybe she can go to San Francisco via Los Angeles). But if Texas had the same situation here, it would be a waste of money and time. If so, she should take an inn in this town and wait for recovery. But Dorothy is impatient. Will she be able to wait quietly? Gene and Adelaide, who were close friends in college, would laugh and say, "You can't do that." She thinks so too. Dorothy decided to move westward, even if only slowly, instead of staying there.