Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2852]

I WRITE THIS on the cars from Albany to New York. The parlour car is nearly empty. In the seat next to me is Governor Tilden, as of this morning governor no longer. At the moment Tilden is sleeping in an upright position, the expression on his face politely expectant. Bigelow is across the aisle from us. Nearby, the detective is reading a novel with a yellow cover. Our several fellow travellers stare with some interest at the president-elect. It is New Year’s Day, 1877. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2852

Note

The opening sentence establishes a personal and immediate connection to the narrator’s experience, setting the scene vividly with specific details about the setting, the time, and the characters present. The mention of the ‘parlour car’ and the ‘nearly empty’ space evokes a sense of isolation even in a crowded historical tableau, hinting at the political tension to come.