Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-03

| know 1t was very wrong in prin-
ciple. but when we got to the Grand
Central station Tor depot, as perhaps
ought to call it, did wish that slavery
existed again so that / could have
bought two or three of those delight
full cafe au lait colored porters in gray
livery and red caps. There were sew
eral | would have given anything TO
have to take home with me and make
pets of, but | suppose even if they
had been for sale they would have
come too expensive, and l should have
had to give them UP. for their eyes
alone. to say nothing of their pleasant
white grins. would have been worth
pounds and pounds.
AS for their voices, they were the
sweetest I'd heard il America-soft
and a little throaty. with peculiar
quality, quite different from the voice
of person who hasn't been dipped in
cafe au lait With their vivid red
caps. their brilliant eyes and their
lightning flash smiles they looked to
me more like great. wonderful tropical
birds than human beings. anG they
seemed so honey luscious in their good
nature that I'm sure all the things that
serious and learned people say in Eng
land about the dangers of the in
creasing cni5red population in Amer
lea" mus Da nonsense. Serious and
learned people do make such mistakes
through never seeing the fun in any
thing. and every few years they find
out that they have been quite wrong
in what they have taught with SO
much trouble. about comets and mi
crobes and men and other progressive
things.
We had a number of these tropical
vrds that have been tanned to serve
the railway, to help us with our bags
and things getting into the train, al
though there were Louise and cou-
pie of Mrs. Ess Rays footmen as we'll
J. looked at their brown hands, and
they were quite pink inside, as pink
as mine. l don't know why this gave
me shock, but it did. Perhaps one
had the feeling that the nice creatures
were only painted TO play their parts
or that their white souls-just like
ours-were striking through their skins
1t was beautiful train. Even the
engine was different from our kind
much fiercer and reared its head high
err. like Il, wild stag compared to q
stout but reliable OK. Our carriage
had no compartments in it, but was
just one long, wide, moving corridor
all plate glass windows and mirrors
and painted panels and velvet arm
chairs dotted about rather like hote
drawing room on wheels.
There were Il good many people in il
when we got in. which annoyed Mrs
Ess Kay SO much that she wished
she had borrowed private ear froE
friend who would have loved lending
it. But was glad she hadn't. for the
people were part of the fun. Mrs
Ess Kay was sure they were no
bodies because she didn't happen t
know any Of their faces, but perhaps
they were thinking the same thini
about her.
Anyway, they were mostly womer
and all pretty and perfectly dressed
as even quite common people appear
to be in America. l haven't caugh
sight of dowdy woman since l came
None of their frocks hitch up in from
and dip down behind, as you see PEG
pies doing IL you are taken to shoI
in oxford street or even sometimes il
Bond street, and their belts Away.
point beautifully down at the waist
although 1t isn't the season in New
York.
The train was fast one and sim
ply hurled itself and US through space
as IL We had got onto the tail OF ,