Evening star., 1922-06-11

MISUNDERSTANDING between TWO couH-
tries). Once you have your berth or
seat ticket you have your fixed place
n compartment. car and train. No
one can jump it. SO you snOoze past
the best scenery in the sleeping car.
1t was not ever thus. loved TO
choose ard see my path. ! loved tne
earish day. And. spite of fears, pride
ruled my Will. The change OF heart
occurred between Nice and Paris.
= =
D ETURNING north a year ago my
~ mother owho is not young) was
so shaken in the long trip by the
train de- luxe that | said, after
meditation: Il do not ask to see the
distant scene; one step enough for
me, This year We vii! stop off and
rest up in hotels. at Marseille, Lyon,
Dion and any old place"
And this, observe. in spite of the
advice of Mrs C-(En glish, aged. very
stout and short of BREATH. and Mrs.
k tAmerican, asthmatic and rheu-
matic). both full of twenty years eX-
perience of Riviera travel Don't.
they warned US. Just stick to the
train de luxe for mother, Its soon
over Then. after t~enty-four hours
of it. you can rest up at home" Even
Mr.. and Mrs. Elliott Shepard twho
are young and full Of strength). said:
do you want TO stand up six hours?
The night was dark, and | was far
from home
Cooks boy said: Sure. you can Sc
cure numbered seats in the express
frcm Nice to Marseille, All you
have to do is to apply five days III ad-
vance"
The lad spoke true. 1t cost L frame
GO cents), per seat to find our names
on a numbered card clipped 10 seats
4, and /. compartment s, car No.
L. as plainly written on our yellow
reservation slips. But what the joker
did not tell was that. in Europe. it
takes a "rapide" to realize an en-
press train, while an express Is
close to a way train. stopping often.
Also. an American mans numbered
seat is we'll worth it's cost when two
nice American girls. on shopping
trip to Cannes. are found TRANQUILITY
taking turns in it.
l passed the first hour standing IN
the corridor. i completed the trip TO
Marseille on an upturned valise-
because lovely young French war
widow and her babe had got into our
car at Cannes, with third-ciass
ticket.
THESE things (Which l had known
long since, and lost whlle',
came back to me when we sought to
quit Marseille. In France. the war
has reacted. not only on cars, but also
on the travelling public. The refugee
habit persists. whirling otherwise
ouiet people around the land wonder
fully.
Two "rapides" pass Marseille. We
could reserve seats for Lyon on
either-by waiting a few days. until
three in the same compartment should
not be reserved at Nice. But one of
these luxe trains quits Marsellle
very early in the morning, and the
other late at night. the things We
sought to avoid.
Remained on the through train
for Paris. You cannot reserve num-
bered seats on them. but the Hotel
Terminus head porter engaged to pre-
empt them for US. with the ald OF
our hand luggage and two lads OF
local repute as wrestlers
We made it at $50 am. 1t was a
car of 1887 model, before corridors
were invented, each compartment a
coupe entered from the side and sep
karated from another like it by a
redolent lavabo. Back there, in the
twin compartment, found an Amer
lean couple any one would admire
quiet. alert, knowing exactly how to
lam their yalises in corners. to make
the whole compartment look occu-
pied. They were way-training 1t up
to Aries, then Tarascon, Avignon
and all the rest I'VE never ride
more than two hours" they boasted
happily.
Our little party of three-we were
alone in our compartment. At the
last moment in rushes a porter with
nine valises and three American
looking boys, who let him pile them
on our feet. 1t was time to speak
the magic words The return hail