Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-05


al last you are locked tightly within |
one which has got you safely for q |
little time.
Then, certain of still being all wrong,
the train moves away from the docks; |
weaving and swaying past where red
shirted French boys play through lon~
summer days on golden sands; + 8
frowning battlements; past quaint u.u
rookeries Of the seaport town; under
meath the shadows Of the great Calais
lighthouse; past out-jutting roofs and
underneath overrcaGlnng balconies and
hooa-like arches; until at last, with n
bump that brings you to your feet, you
are within another raging din where
trains are made up for all parts of tho
continent.
Here porters with blue blouscs and
red-rimmed caps, guards with gold lace
and itching palms and gems d. armcs
with bow legs and Quixotic stataliness,
again hustle you; tear your tickets from
you; throw your baggage after you;
commisserate you; wheedle You; take
your pourboire and hurl you, as from
catapult, into a carriage compartments;
where, sick in body and demented in
mind, you sink exhausted into perturhed
sleep as the hour of / is tolled from the
ghostly towers of the Calais churches;
haunted by dreams of Brobdignagian,
gaudily dressed guards continuing in
finite fortunes through compartment
windows, supplemented by invisible
choruses Of
evous remerciel"-
"Pardonnez moi ~
fitted to the staccato of the wheels upon
therails;evcr after carried in the memory
like some Internal realization of witch
walled Walpurgis Night
There is a great distinction between
British clipping and American "tip-
ping" in Great Britain. Your true
Briton tips" with something like un-
! conscious kindliness. We Americans
who travel in Europe bcstow our
gratuities largely, loosely, loudly, as
though we We're either defying criti-
cism or resenting petty brigandage.
Quite MS striking a difference will be
| found in the disposition of all British
serving people in their acceptance of
tips" from Briton or foreigner. They
often seem bullies to us, because our
manner arouses their antagonsm or
cupidity, or both But they are yelitable
lambs to their own folk, and the Eng
| lishman, who is the greatest of travellers
in his own country, will leave a shining
trail of gratitude and good will behind
him by the iudicious use of copper only,
when we perforce follow in perturba-
ton and discomfort, though we spangle
our way with silver.
have seen the English side of this
fact illustrated on countless occasions
Only recently while waiting for Il Lon
don train at the great Rugby station, a
handsome, portly, venerable gentleman
| alighted from the carriage of a train
from Coventry. A porter hastened to his
assistance and conducted him to a com
Portable seat next the door where |
stood. Then he struggled with the lug
gage. There were altogether l6 parcels.
Four were huge leather hand bags, each
of the size and weight of a marketable
Limerick pig, They were all finally
tidily piled alongside the distinguished
traveller. The latter's hand went into
his pocket where there was apparently
much coin, and surely, thought, it will
appear with at least a shilling, possibly
with half crown. | could not help
seeing 1t was only a ha'penny. But the
bland and perfect grace with which il
was bestowed, and the momentary
half.conscious look of attention and
sympathy which accompanied it, were
what filled me with amazement and ad
miration. The porter, still blowing from
exertion, touched his cap with GLAD
sort of humility, and said, "rhankeo
sir!" in tone of positive gratitude
In response to my own "thripenny bit '
and an inquiry who the gentleman tina
slipped" with half-pennies might be
the porter answered heartily:
elm? Wy ees the Earl of ---
An VERY fine man &c is, sir"
"What an excellent courier he woult
maker | could not help thinking and
saying.
"Doan't know as to that, sir" replied
the porter, admiringly; but ee's VERY
fine man, sir; VERY good un to eel
people,"