Tombstone epitaph., 1891-01-11
IN SHINY ITALY.
EsANFoRDs NOTES cf A n
 ACROSS TIE CONTINENT.

know and Cola Instead of Baimy suB
 shine - Sissomforfs of Csat8Hs-ta
 ==sasrf-S7overnmsnr Katiroaa r4xsrS
 Ia HsIy--Aa later stias siSaI
 Before leaving England ? had bees gwen the most extravagsnt descriptions of the beautffrd spring to be found in sunny Italy I asye now been away from London a 5eek and have found no piace where the citrate was as mild and even as in the city al London itself The further south have gone the more snow Rs [ cold have fourd WbeI 1 reached tht border of sunny Italy, where my inn auinhtiOn had DictErAd En atmosphere S5 tropical warmth, . A. e0nfEoBtsd with tremendous snow storm, which blocked tks trains, made me niiss my conneetioas, aud I lost twenty-foRr slsurs sn route.
 The trains from Fa.s south are run with great raps6ssY. The Paris-ByoHs and Mediterranean express really merits she name of being rapid train. It makes
 70 stops for eating, and on the line of the -uute taken by me, via MOdane, there was
 iOthing offered during this long journey ct any of the stations by any hawkers, in spite of the fact that the train was
 crowded from end to end with people
 nearly as famished as wolves, who would nave been ready to pay almost any prios tor something LO eat. The hideous dis
 ,Omfort of night travel on the Conti-
 aent4l trains is something beyond desGriD-
 ion. It needs to be actually experienced tu order to he fully realized. If had not been warned by friend of some of the possibilities in taking a trip south al thiA time of year, should undoubtedly have suffered much more than did. But fol- lowing his instructions 1 had made nearly the same preparations that would if had been going to join SD Arctic sXpedi- Gon. had thick woolen rug, 0 eardi-
 gan jacket over my wElstcoat. and over all a heavy English box coat, Q much heavier coat than I have ever found neces- Eary to wear in any climate in the United States. With all of this bun,Iling up ! have just managed ts keep warm in my
 visit to sunny Italy up to the present time, when the weather has shown some
 Tign of modeFating-
 u WAS not until the Alpine country WAS
 reached that l really saw snow. Every thing before that was a mere play in com
 parisOn. In the neighborhoOd of the
 Mont Cenis tunnel the snow fell in great white feathery masses, piling up in the
 most fantastic way. In some places ths
 snow was at least thirty or forty feet deel on the heights. The trees were shrcuded ss fl in blankets. The mountain chaietE
 were covered with enough weight to almost break in the roofs. Yet it was considerably warmer in the mountains in the midst Of this tremendous pile of snow than in Paris, as the air was much dryer. ! The track hgd Been cleared that morning, but the train proceeded very slowly through the mountains, although it Ian wiCh great rapidiJy through the famous Mont Cenis tunnel have heard this tunnel designated as one Of perfect horror, sc far as the disconIfOFts of passing through it are concerned. Inl5 GinatiYe travellers have described it as a place
 where passengers run almost the risk of suffOcaricu. The train pass.d through this tunnel in thirty i've minu,Ps. At nc
 time was there the slightest dis,'C mfort in breathing. The air was much better than
 on the underground railroad in tlle city in
 London. The only disagreeable feature l connected with the passage was the in- tense cold, which came into the loosely
 built cars, giving one the sensation for
 the time of being e ninel iE an ice
 chest The little foSd wErmfFs Ailed with hot water which were put into the carriage from time to tidte made but little impression in c0HtendI Ig with the cold,
 which constantly sifted in through the
 loGse joints of the cars.
 The Italian government controls fhs
 railroads Of this country. SlcweT RHi more uladdening trains it would sba hard ic find in any country in tde world. took local train from Turin tc Milan fn order tn make cannssttes fer Venice, and was oyer five hours going a dis tauce of sixty miles. The train always started out with great reluctance and
 began stopping Rs soon as the station was remotely visible, slowing down so grad. ualIy in order not to jar toe nerves of this never hurrying people that you eolIlJ hardly tell when the train came tS e stop. The nest irritating part of ths travel was the long wait at each ststiOn. The guards would visit with the officials at the ya- riOus stations and walk up and down and gossip until they felt inclined to start the train once more on its headlnng career to- ward another station about half a mile away. I do not think that the train ever made run of more than two miles with out stop.
 The starting of z train in Italy is vezy Interesting sight to a stranger. The guards wear military uniforms Their
 saps are ror al with low visor. Red
 bands encirt ls these caps. Their great coats are b3Rek, with cowl like caPes
 hanging down their backs. Thzse cogts
 are commented with brass buttons.
 Wheb lhe train stops the guards rush up and dEsn calling cut in the most socoT- GUS a,id musical of voices the name oi the staziens. This sounds exactly as if they
 were sifentiug When the train stops the
 facehiRas or Iorters in blue blouses, come running Up to assist passengers tpi .slight and tO carry their haggaRe foi
 them Nc matter hoN sTsu your pack
 sge you are not Perinitted .o carry it You must smplcy u facchino or fight. Ira- posing sOoking gendarmes, with the same cooked hats worn by similar French officials and nufffed up in long blaek
 Gloaks, stand about exactly as upon staEt iesRa in an opera. No Uas ever ksw then do anything except pose
 Men in gray cloaks and huge fur coI1a. sfaIk sls.IIf tsIsirl., chafferfrsz ssn1llr.