Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-15

8 Sunday evening am
~ ~ - the most familiar
- terms with the brake
and the colored
porters, and even the
conductors on some of the slower trains occasionally
give me greetings. Every milepost, every painted
board is an old friend now, and have watched the
leahess slips along the route grow into splendid trees
wither away and die, as the case may be; but |
have regarded them all with the solicitude of the
commuter for his early spring rose bush.
1t has been my habit these weekly trips to
patronize the parlor car, not so much for its extra
comfort its extra temperature raised by the Negro
porter that of his old Southern home, but because
l find that the double well polished windows of the
chair make much better mirrors than the single
glass affairs of the day coaches. like to lie back in
my hot plush chair, and by apparently looking
through the window at the landscape see my fellow
passengers at work and at play like to wat Oh the
PhiladelphIans happy in the return to their old
home, and happy too in the thought that they have
escaped safely from the clutches of the money mad
New Workers. Sometimes one sees little tragedies
and comedies too,-there the partngs Jersey
City, and the meetings the other end of the jour
ney. One afternoon, | saw woman lose small
fortune at bridge just across the aisle from me- and
remember having seen the three corners of
eternal triangle sitting in a dismal row, and when
the husband of the triangle looked out of the
window, in laudable attempt to see where Wash
ington crossed the Delaware the other two corners
kissed each other violently, and then as suddenly
fell back into their former dismal state.
The prime incident of the return trip
is usually beautiful and well dressed young woman.
Exactly why every Sunday evening unaCcOm-
panied, beautiful young woman, and never the same
one by any chance, should choose a train which
lands her in New York at midnight, | really do not
know; but the fact is indisputable Sometimes she
is demure young woman who invites our con-
fdence, and sometimes she is trife forward, and
would seem not so much to invite our confidence
condolences. In either case she is always the
keystone of our parlor car on Sunday nights Every
other woman, every drummer, every Princeton
student, even l through my mirror window, watch
her movements with much interest as one does
the center pole of country circus when a tempest
is tugging at the guy ropes outside.
On this particular trip she a very dark and
very tight fitting blue cloth tailor dress. On the
cushion at her feet rested two little patent leather
ties and above these black silk stockings of cobweb
transparency. Her hair evidently of most
vivacious blond type and curly, but this almost
entirely concealed by Nile green velvet toque and
dotted black veil She sat directly opposite me- and
beneath the veil | could see bowed lips, about which
there seemed to Turk continual SMILE the tip of
somewhat retrousse with sensitive nostrils and
a delicate but firmly cut chin and jaw that denoted
a strength of will not at all in accord with the smiling
lips and the plquant nose. Her eyes and forehead
entirely concealed by the veil In her hands,
goved in glistening white she held magazine; but
throughout the tWO-hour trip she did not open its
pages change the severity of her attitude except
occasionally to cross and uncross the transparent
StOcknged inStepS When neared Jersey CITY
she refused the proered aid of the porter, and
attended and with considerable difficulty put
short lambs wool coat.
Whether bachelor should or should not assist
lady passenger with her is still disputed dues
ton in my mind. Should the lady be elderly
and homely, invariably and dexterously go to her
ad but in the case of the truly beautiful find that
my gaantry frequently fails | also find the
same conditions hold in the case of the lady with
the heavy valise. My beautiful neighbor on this
occasion had suit which she herself carried off
the tram with the greatest difficulty.
AS she toted her heavy burden up the long plat
form at Jersey City | could restrain the traditions
my hlc ono and zach,