Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-17
SEEING PEOPLE OFF.
The Humors Of an Experience
That All Will Recognize.
You Go TO che station TO Hid Your
Fricnd IL sad Fnrcwcii--"Got Every
thingf" You observation-disclosures -
lie Replies with Conviction.

Are you good at it? ! am not. TO do |
1t well seems to me one Of the most diff |
hcult things in the world. and probably (
seems 30 to you too.
1t were easy enough to see friend off /
from Waterloo to Nuuxhall But we are /
rover called on to perform that small I
feat. 1t is only when a friend is going |
on longish journey, and Will DO absent !
for a long time, that we turn mp at the !
railway station. The dearer tho friend, |
and the longer the journey ard the long |
err tho likely absence, tine earlier do We
turn up, and the more lamcutably do We
fail. our failure is In exact ratio to the
seriousucss Of the occasion, and to tho
depth Of our feeling.
in n room, or even ON Il doorstep, We
can make farewell quito worthly.
We can express in our faces the genuine
sorrow we feel. Nor do words fail us.
There Is no awkwardness, no restraint,
on either side. The thread Of our inti-
macy has not been snapped. Tho leave
taking is an ideal one. why not then,
leave the leave-taliing at that? Always
departing friends inplore us not to bother
TO come to the railway station next morn
ing Always We are deaf to these en-
sincere The departing friends would
think it very odd Of us II We took them
at their word Besides. they really do
want to see us again. ARD that wish is
heartily reciproceted. We duly turn up
And then, oh then, what gulf yawns'
We stretch our arms yainly across it.
We have utterly lost touch. We have
nothing at all to say. We gaze at each
other as dumb animals Ea2c at human
beings. We make conversation and
such conversation. We know that these
are the friends from whom We parted
overnight. They know that we have not
altered. Yet, on the surface. everything
is different: and the tension is such that
we only long for the guard to blow
his whistle and put an end to the farce.
on a cold gray morning last week
duly turned up at Euston, to see off an
old friend who was starting for America.
Overnight we had given him fare
we'll dinner, in which sadness was well
mingled with festvity. Years, probably
would elapse before his return. Some
Of us might never see him again. Not
ignoring tho shadow OF the future. we
Faily celebrated the past. We were as
thankful to have known our guest as
we were greVed to lose him; ana both
these emotions were made evident. II
was a perfect farewell.
And now, here We Were, stiff and self
conscious on the platform; and framed
in the window Of the railway carriage,
was the face Of our friend; but It was
as the face Of a stranger--a stranger
anxious to please an appealing Stranger,
an awkward stranger. Have you got
everythnS?" asked one Of u.s. breaking
O. silence. yes everything" said our
friend, with pleasant nod. Every
thing" he repeated with the emphasis
Of ar empty brain. you'll be able "a
lunch on the train" said /. though this
prophecy had already been made more
than once "Oh, yes" he said with con.
viction. He added that tho train went
straight through to LIVERPOOL This fact
secmed to strike %. as rather odd. We
EXCHANGED glauces. Doesn't il stop AT
CrcNe?" asked one Of us NO" said oill
friend. briefly. He seemed almost dis
agreeable. There was a long pause. on,
of us. with a nod and forced smile al
the traveller. said welt" The nod III,
smile, and tho unmcaninr mouoevllable
We're returned consc cautiously Anotha,
pause was broken bv one Of us with 9
Mt of coughing. It was an obviously as
surned fit but II served n mass the time
The hustle of The platform was inabor
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