Evening star., 1925-05-31
One of a series Of the
wears best short
stories.

| kindly looking man opposite her look
ed up from his butterbrotchen in as
| tonishment. But her eyes were dry,
| and she put up her hand to her mouth
and said ''verzeihung" very solemnly
so that he should think il had been a
| hiccough.
Every now and then the guard came
in and took great bites out of her
ticket. And each time he nodded to
her and said:
Ma, vie gehts?"
And Trudchen said: Quite we'll,
| thank you"
| He was little, fair, bustling fellow
with snappy, blue eyes, and Trudchen
thought how angry he would look II
he knew the truth. 1t was terrible TO
| think how every one would shrink
away from her. She felt like a small
black lie sitting there among all these
sad, friendly people.
/ The stout man leaned forward Some
thing in his expression told her that
/ the hiccough had been no good
Are you going long way, little
fraulein?.
| ''YeS-sir.'' -
1T must be very lonely"
| Yes
Haven't you any people?"
| She shook her head. If only he
|
| Every one was looking at her so kind
| ly. They saw that she was in mourn
| ing. Poor, forlorn little girl, The
stout man leaned across and took the
label and read aloud:
| "Fraulein auf und 20 und Won Prut.
| w1tz-Arnstein, bel Sir Ambrose Hamp-
den, Stanten Court, Ayrsdale, Che
shire, Holland-Dover." He looked up
at her. smiling, puzzled. "All that
way, Madel?"
Yes"
ITO England?"
| They were all listening now. They
had even stopped eating. with their
| butterbrotchen halfway to their
mouths, and in a minute that queer,
withdrawn look would come into their
faces. II was a terrible thing to be
very small and belong to a family OF
heroes who were never afraid
! Yes"
| Have you people there"
And then suddenly, before she knew
what she was doing, she had said in a
high, squeaky voice, MY mother was
English"
| "Ah--I see"
| The stout man nodded and sat back.
| Every one went OH eating Trudchen
knew just what they felt 1t was like
| that in class when some one had done
or said something wrong. One was
| ashamed for them in ones very bones
OF course, it was just chance that a
few minutes later, when they slid into
a big station, every one should begin
3, to gather up their possessions They
numbered out into the dark, one after
another. They didn't look at Trudchen
except the stout man. who turned
back and patted her on the shoulder.
Poor little fraulein,'" he said.
OF course-just chance. And vet
ut was as though they were getting
up and leaving her because they
couldn't bear 1t. Without them the
carriage grew cold and filled with
shadows. The whole train seemed to
have died, and the guards voice com.
ing down the corridor had terrifying
hollow sound.
''Passports-get your passports
ready, please
He peered in. She was so small
so blotted out in her corner-that he
had to look twice before he saw her
II get Off here. It's the French
frontier. Good luck, Fraulein."
"Danke," she said. 'Danke shon. y
He couldn't help laughing. She was
such prim, composed little thing.
The door slammed. The train jerked
forward, throwing out a long, nelar.
choly whistle into the darkness. In
a moment they would have passed
over the mysterious line. Fraulein
Won Arnstein- Prutwitz scrambled down
form her seat. She flung herself
tagainst the closed door. All the brave
with the stiff handle that wouldn't
yield.
Continued in TOMORROW $ starr