The Portland daily press., 1894-10-12

| So we got on the street car and went
| jingling back through the city.
| After awhile | said to the conductor,
"Let me know when we come to the Cen
| trail station, will you:''
He answered, why did you not tell
me, when you paid your fare, that you
were going to the Central station? Then
could have given you tickets that would
have taken you through. AS it is, you will
have to get out at the next street corner
and pay your fare on another carr
l was acquiring Information rapidly,
but still I was not pleased.
The other car took us to the station /
went to the ticket office to make inquiries
about the Hook of Holland
oh, you want the boat express, - said
the clerk, THAT leaves at O'Clock from
the Beurs station, two miles from here"
us there no other train that goes before
that from this station?"
Eyes, there is one at $50, another at
6:15 and one at 7:51."
"They all reach the hook before the boat
express, SUPPOSED"
'sOh certainlyP'
Every we'll, I will take two tickets
now, !" and got them.
'tIs there good hotel near the the sta
tion?' asked
There is buffet in the station, but
If you want a good dinner you will have
to go to one of the first class hotels for it. ="
'sAnd where are they?''
down in the center Of the town and
at the steamboat landings"
GOOD heayens!'' I exclaimed. "Is there
not hotel nearer than that?''
"No; this is the resident portion of the
city,
So learned that Rotterdam differs in
ehis respect from almost every other city
in Europe. They have table 'hote in Rot
terdam at the somewhat unusual hour OF
$50, and by the time we got down town
it was g. So we concluded to go to res
taurant and order what we wanted. By
this time the person who was with me had
lost all confidence in my knowing any
thing whatever about foreign travel.
The guidebook said that the best cafe
was in the Arcade, and we made try for
that. But the street car conductor put us
on the wrong track, and we ultimately
got into restaurant that was exceedingly
second class
Ny partner began to be afraid that the
Ill luck that was following us would ex-
tend to the train service, and that we
would miss the boat altogether, and so re-
fused to search any longer for the Grande
cafe.
1t may strike any person who does not
know the circumstances that the correct
thing to do would have been to take the
boat express at 8 o'clock, which went right
Through to the steamer without stopping.
It was just because this was obviously the
right thing to do that I did not wish to do
1t, and for this reason: The boat express
dumps down at the Hook of Holland some
hundreds of persons who probably have
not telegraphed for berths. Now, had
not telegraphed for bezth, and SO was
anxious to get down to the boat before the
crowd arrived
We reached the Central station in good
time for tire 7:51, the last train but one
which would reach the Hook of Holland
from Rotterdam before the boat express.
was so nervous about things by this
time that I thought it right to make a
few inquiries on the platform. There was
large crowd on the PLATFORM SO I collar
ed man in uniform and said:
From what part of the platform does
the train for the hook leavef"
There is no train for the hook, % he
answered.
''Oh, nonsense!'' replied IT have got
my tickets for 1.-THE 7:51.''
The 1851 goes to Amsterdam, F." replied
the man.
Here was fine state of things. brushed
back to the ticket office.
Look here, I" 1 said, "the fellow on the
platform says that the 7:51 does not go to
the hook at ALL.
.Well, you tell him that it does" an
swered the ticket man.
Are you certain it does?'' ~
ssOf course am.''
This seemed reassuring, so went back
and again collared the man ON the plat.
form.
The ticket clerk, said, "insists that
this train does go through to the hook.
Are you sure there is not carriage on
that goes that way?" sss
II tell you the whole train,' answered
the man, "goes to Amsterdam. It stops
at Schiedam and The Hague and does not
go anywhere near the Hook of Holland"
He was SO positive about this that my
faith in the clerk was once more shaken,
and rushed back to him.
You will excuse my bothering you
again, but this man says that the whole
train goes through to Amsterdam, stop
ping d1 OCulouaH anu Inc hague, ana
does not go near the Hook of Holland
Now, what have you to say to that?'
'sOf course it does not go near the Hook
of Holland. You get off at Schiedam
Across the platform you will find another
train that goes to the hook
'sOh see" replied, much relieved,
but think you might have told me that
before.
Ny comrade, who had been making in
quiries, having lost all faith in me, now
approached and said hurriedly: "They
say this is the Amsterdam train that is
coming in.''
cob, that is all right answered air
lily, waving my hand to intimate that
knew all about it. 9'We get on this train
and go to Sohiedam. There we change
cars and get to the hook. Don't you both
er. Leave it all to me-"
BY this time the long train came tear
ing in. The platform man saw us board
the Amsterdam train. He came up tc
the carriage door and said:
This won't get you to the hook, you
know