The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-08-05
4 WOMANS
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Photo by Bretzman.
BY Anene Sumner

PARIS.-There Is an old tale
from our rainbow books OF fairy
lore about the damsel whose blood
royal was known because her tender
flesh could feel a lentil even though
it were buried meath twelve COM
forters of padded eiderdown.
They tried eiderdown Of rose and
eiderdown of violet. They tried len
ills small and lentils large. They
tried golden beds, and couches OF
diamond. And whenever the maiden
did lay herself down upon the couch
which surmounted the lentil 10000
leagues below, she did moan plteous-
~ whilst her alabaster flesh turned
black and blue.
Then they knew she was the child
royal indeed and the throne was
hers!
One is reminded of the princess
and the lentil a hundred times
day in this land where soft seats on
train or bus, in church or theater,
are taxed, and where the poor can
pay for a plain Stat seat only.
: This, In short, is what first Sec
ond and third-class travel seems to
mean in this land across the seas
soft seat, medium seat, hard seat.
One is reminded Of the three bears
in their little house with the very
hard chair for the great big bear,
the medium soft chair for the me-
dunn bear, and the soft, squdgy seat
for the baby bear.
Because of economic conditions it
has come to mean, too, crowded
travel or roomy travel. For, though
the difference between the price of
padded leather first-class seat and a
plain board Stat third-class seat may
be but FIVE centimes on a certain
trip-or less than a quarter of cent
the third class will be crowded like
the proverbial sardine can. whereas
we who ride on the padded seats of
first class are made to feel like
bloated plutocrats by the envious
and even malignant glances thrown
us. Thus, do the people of Europe
today count their 'pitifully few cen
times.
Travel in this land afar is a bit
bewildering to the American used
to a system of conductors patroling
train aisles, willing to open windows
and volunteer all Information about
how long and far it is to Podunk or
Rooster Springs.
From the moment the European
passenger has her ticket punched at
the barrier and enters her ttain un-
til journeys end is reached. she sees
neither hide nor hair of any train
official.
One dashes past the barrier to grab
fairly unoccupied compartment, an
enclosed car for eight, utterly sep
arated from the rest of the train.
The game is to grab one early so as
to have the window seat and the ac-
companying privilege of lowering or
raising the window or shade.
Actual fist fights are no rarity in
these, cabs as though custom de-
crees that the one next the window
seat may attend to the ventilaing.
remoe passenger in the shadows
may. take exception to the method of
Regulation.
One then settles down, trusting
that a gracious Providence or an &C.
curate map will deposit one at the
right stop. There is no calling of
stations. and there are precious few
town signs One merely ascertains
that such and such a burg is the
seventh stop and gets off accord
ingly. A
Once upona time we by mistake
boarded "a direct" train, as the linn.
iteds are called, and were waited a
hundred miles beyond our destina-
ton.
If one wishes to dine. one leaves
the compartment at a station, walks
along the platform to the diner, eats,
and waits another station to leave
the train and walk back to ones
own compartment. A few lines have
corridors running the length of the
train. But very few.
One is treated to dramatic exhibit
tons Of public love making in the
compartment. The French swain
and the maiden OF his heart are no
whit Dashed at INDUCING in the
fondest endearments in park, the
ater, and on train, and one learns to
look calmly and benignly upon
them.