Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-07

small tables holding two or four people
in white. barefooted ana with turbans on,
winch was the badge Of the line. The meal
was much the same as the usual thin at
n 1se sssop but Ss,, little more elaborate ate
locked from the outside as we entered, and
there we must stay at least until the next
station. We found, to our amazement, a
goodly company Of English tourists one Of
whom had crossed on the ship with us and
VINO. as dinner progressed, leaned toward
us from his table and said with twinkle
In his eyes. This is very far from being
not?"
Had Enough Of It.
AS far as the east is from the west"
piously answered my friend and companion.
We finished the meal and the train began
slowing up for station, when we all
rushed en- masse to the windows to try to
attract the dusky guard outside and get
unlocked, but we had been there at least
ten minutes before he came leisurely I'D
and released US from the very hot, very
stuny little box Of a dining car, and we all
decided then and there that we would
.oIeso the delights of such from hence
forth and forever more
we entered the Ajmere station once more
at ~ o COCK at night, and as the train for
Jalpur was to start at 1905 there was a
rush ana q scramble to get ourselves and
our myriad packages from one end of the
long Platform to the other, amid ringing Of
peiis, howling of coolies and shrieking of
the arriving and departing natives, scurry-
ing along the platform in their white gar
ments each with his bundle of household
goods and his brass drinking vessel 1.
wishing to secure compartment for our
serves alone, and greatly fearing that the
traln would suddenly start off, compart
ments and all, looked far and wide, for the
station master. and at last found that
dusky gentleman, who promised at once
that the train should wait until We were
quite ready; and 1t did. until we had I'M
earthed some stored baggage, had it put
INTO the luggage van and settled ourselves
in the big room for the few hours before 3
CLOCK, when we were to arrive at Jaipur.
A eulogy l feel I must make upon the sta
ton masters of India. who are all perfect
ly alike In looks, being dusky and gentle
looking in expression. which Is amiably
anxious and slightly deprecating. and in
voice, which Is very low musical and ca
ressing. with pretty accent and a half
appealing expression, as who should say:
MY English I feel to be faulty, but pray
you to pardon my mistakes and to believe
that am more willing than my tongue can
express" I never found them too busy TO
look up train times. never too hurried to
go with me in search of the compartment
for which 1 longed, one We could have by
ourselves, and never too absorbed to come,
with gentle smile, to the door of that same
compartment before starting the train to
see If the ladies Inglees" were ready to
have the train move off. Many time have
we fmoved off, from his gentle, smiling
face framed in our window, and many 4
time have we called down blessings on the
station masters of India.
Abdul Was on Time.
We curled ourselves up on our hard sofa
beds as the train started, trusting to fate
and to Abdul as to the time Of our awaE-
ing Abdul was presumably in the third
class carriage next to ours or sitting pack
ed in among many other natives. his small
tin box at his feet and his bundle of wad-
ded quilts in the crowded rack above his
head. Neither fate nor Abdul proved I'M
mindful of us, and at Of cold morning
we arrived at Jaipur, to be received by a
sleepy but amiable station master and six
or eight coolies, their chuddars wrapped
closely around them and hanging over their
heads. We stored our big pieces, and then
sought on the outer side Of the station for
a gharri or tonga, or even an ekka, which
is a tWo-Wheeled native cart, to take us
and our dreadful amount of small things TO
the Kaiser-i-Hind Hotel. Alas; none was to
really rapid rate for the genus, with the
nod and gesture which said that he would
be back anon with a tonga for US, SO we
walked UP and down the picturesque little
station, which was literally covered with
vines end with myriad, potted plants in
bloom massed up along the platform and
banked up under its arches.
1t was quite deserted as Abdul was
standing guard over our things on the other
side. the coolies standing guard over him /;
so we paced along in the cool, mysterious
darkness, past the blooming plants, on
down to the little garden Enclosure and back
again with flowers; and the one dim Ian
tern supposed to light up the line, cast
faint CLEANS into the deep surrounding
shadows. AS we neared the far end of the
platform we beheld the most delightful fig
ure imaginable. the station sweeper, stand
ing bolt upright fast asleep under a vine
frnged arch, covered from head to toes in
his white chuddar. not an inch of mis-
BROWNIES visible. and clasping tightly I'M
der one arm his brush, a long, loose bunch
of stiff grasses. He looked like the ghostly
limitations Of the martyrs of the Spanish