The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-23

He rang for an attendant. "The sig norina here has no compartment. See that one is given to her."
 There are no more, your excel lency," the attendant answered.
 That does not matter. She must have one." With that the attendant was dismissed.
 Good night" He shook hands with he. T hope you have enough material for your article"
 Yes, thank you, but the message Please, won't you write something
 Not now. Tomorrow, perhaps. Let me See" and he looked at the morrow's program, which lay on the table. Come to the prefecture at ? o'clock and you shall have your mes sage. Good night"
 We shook hands cordially, like old friends.
 As I lack back between the clean sheets of the berth in my private com partment l tried to make myself real ize that l owed all this material com port, this interest in my personal physical we'll being to the Duce, the fierce, austere dictator who. the morning before, had made me quake with terror. l saw the big, round, penetrating brown eyes darting from right to left, the stern set mouth, the rigid erect posture, the forbidding distant attitude of the Mussolini l had first met and then '. the eyes softened and looked at me in friendly recognition through half closed lids. the mouth curved upward in a smile, there was an intending, a loosening, general relaxation, hard lines be- cane soft, and I heard only the play ful gay voice of Mussolini che de- lightful human being, as I dozed off to sleep and dream.
 Partisans Welcome Him.
 Cheers and cries of ~Eja, Eja, Alalah;" discordant bands shrieking the notes of "Giovinezza" "Eyiy Va Mussolini" "Evivva il Duce del Fascismo" .. thunderous ap- lause and then pandemonium of sounds-that Is what made me jump out of my cot and rush to the window shortly after daybreak the next morning.
 The train had stopped at Alessan- drla an important industrial and agricultural center of Piedn.o ont. This was Mussolini's first visit to the city. Although the train pulled into the station before seven in the morning of cold, drizzling day, the place was thronged. There were.the local Easel With their black shirts and fezzes and their banners, the war widows and mothers of fallen soldiers, the mayor anu members or the town council in | nigh silk hats. an octogenarian bishop in red cloak and hat, young girls and old. laborers, peasant, ar tlsans, business men, captains and lleutenants in gala array soldiers and arlstocrats. A motley crowd inspired by a single faith. A hopeful, cheer tui, confident crowd. A crowd which believed in the new leader and was expressing its belief in enthusiastic cheers and cries, frantic waving of arms, handkerchiefs, flags and ban ners, and in violent handclapping.
 Benito Mussolini, dressed in black cutaway and high hat, appeared on the platform of his special car.
 Alaiah! A million alalahs in unison surged and roared upward "a veritable Big Bertha ex- plosion of human voices '. a deaf ening roar din which gave a physical shock and paralyzed the mind and then the Duce lifted his hat and saluted the crowd.
 Silence immediate. |. absolute The silence of thousand human voices a silence more eloquent than the preceding uproar .,. the tense silence of anticipation a silence worthy of a message from the Messiah.
 O O O
 Give Salute To King.
 The deep. powerful voice of the Duce broke the spell. In sharp em-