Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-21


A party of three ladies recently travelling
abroad met with the kindest courtesy from all,
even from the proverblally icicle-like English
man. In the lake country oxford professors
jumped out of the wagonette and picking UP
bouquets of English cowslips and primroses
gave the youngest member of the party a de-
lightful lesson in botany; in Rydal the home
of Wordsworth was made douby interesting
by the conversation Of a Welsh clergyman on
the top of the coach. who jumped down as they
passed Grassmere chuI chyard, where the poet
lies buried, and not finding the sexton with the
key of the gate, daringy jumped the low
churchyard fence and helped his companion
over that she might have time to pick yellow
primrose from the poets grave before the
coach started. In kouen an old French lady
alighted from the ''bus" and walked half a
mile cut OF her way 20 show the American girl
the way 10 the beautiful gothic cathedral of
Saint Maclou. In Paris a most obllging young
Englishman. whom she took at first for =
Frenchman, stopped an immense wagonette
with much trouble, and seeing she timid
escorted her across the crowded Boulevard des
Italiens to the door of the Hotel Splendid,
making his conveyance wait En- route TO
Florence a handsome young Venetian con-
ductor, seeing she was travelling alone by
night. reserved the whole of an eight-sest
coupe for her, without being requested, and
most wondrous of all, refused all mention Of .
fee!
At Verona the home of Romeo, Q French
gentleman, hurrying to catch his train, stopped
TO interpret her questions to the ticket seller
and inform her about the custom house inspec-
ton, which lis one OF the most dissgreeable
things ladies travelling alone have TO encoup-
ter. Bowling along the shores Of Lago Mag
giore an obliging French conductor on the
roof of the diligence stopped the whole big
coach load while the American girl hunted
through the corridors of an immense hotel for
an American ''sandveech."
Perhaps the funniest bat of genuine kindness
was performed by little Bolognese conductor;
black-eyed, with something Of the figure Of .
Bologna sausage. The express train had been
rushing through tunnels all day. Anxious to
miss nothing, the girl had her head out of the
window, until finally, overcome by fatigue, she
fell asleep with her head resting on the open
window A rapid stop in an immense station
suddenly woke her. Looking at her watch, she
saw IL must be lunch time. She started GUS
into the station toward the buffet The con-
ductor followed her, wildly gesticulating and
talking in shrill Italian. She offered her ticket;
he shook his head getting more excited. He
tried French; no use; still he followed her.
What could il be? The little man grew GRIM
son with excitement and she more puzzled than
ever. Finally q brilliant thought struck HIM.
He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out,
not plum, but big pocket mirror, and held
il before her face. IL told the story The
whole Of one side of her face was as black
the ace Of spades, The Kindness Of the little
Italian, by which he almost lost his dinner, had
saved her q Notifying debut at the dinner
table before her fellow-trsvelers.
All these little acts Of kindness, given simply
without any srriere pensee, for the traveller
was neither very young nor good looking show
that ladies can travel in Europe safely and COM
furtably and that the country where chivslry
originated has still enough of il left 10 smooth
the path for womankind, IL she is, like Mrs.
Gummidge, q ''lone, lorn creetur" The
memory Of the numerous kindnesses shown TO
the party Of three ladies by perfect strangers
whom they never expect TO meet again in this
world forms one of the plessantest pictures that
hang on the wall Of memory of that Europeaa
trip, whose every day, even without man, IVES
q constant pleasure.