In Betsy in Spite of Herself, Betsy experiences a growing sense of dissatisfaction with herself. She wishes she were more popular with boys in a romantic sense (though they flock to her house for food, song, and fun). She wishes she were more like Julia, an effortless flirt with whom boys regularly fall in love. When she confesses this to Tacy, Tacy is displeased, for she doesn’t like to see Betsy criticized, “even by Betsy herself” (p. 96, Harper Trophy paperback edition, 1994).

Betsy has become attracted to Phil Brandish, a wealthy newcomer in town who doesn’t seem to know that she exists. If she could were fascinating and exotic, she figures, maybe he would notice her. It seems to Betsy that the best way to accomplish this would be to go out of town for a while and return different, with a fascinating new look and personality. As luck would have it, she is invited by the Mullers to visit Tib in Milwaukee for two weeks over the Christmas holiday, and Betsy eagerly accepts, even though it means spending Christmas away from her family.

Betsy travels from Deep Valley to Milwaukee by train, and is delighted by the experience. The early 1900s were a peak period for train travel in America; it was the primary means of transportation across great distances. Trains were dependable, comfortable, and fast, able to attain speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and could offer amenities like the fancy dining car with white linen tablecloths that Betsy enjoyed. Throughout the 1900s, the rise of the automobile and airplane decentered the train as a means of transportation. Many train lines were discontinued and many others fell into disrepair. The rise of Amtrak, beginning in the 1970s, ushered in the current period of the standardization and reinvention of train travel.

Betsy opens a letter from Tacy on the train in which Tacy expresses her joy that Betsy is on such an exciting adventure and will soon see Tib. Betsy has the sudden realization that while Tacy’s large family cannot provide the same kind of experiences for their children as the Rays can, Tacy is never envious of Betsy’s good fortune. She is, quite simply, a wonderful person. This was the first time that the maturing Betsy “had ever consciously estimated her friend” (p. 115, Harper Trophy paperback edition, 1994).

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On the history of train travel, see: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/early-twentieth-century-railroads.htm

On the more recent history of train travel and Amtrak, see: https://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/decline-of-railroads.htm