The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-05-25

Pullman, I waited @ moment for Comstock, who, with an expansive grin on his face was reassuring the frightened girl. Don't you worry" he told her, "the man who got the milk bath is one of our party. He has more clothes than he knows what to do with, and it's high time he got rid ot that blue.Serge suit anyway. He's 0 good sport and as soon as he gets his breath back will be en- toying the fun as much aS any, body" And as we hurried to our waiting train Comstock pulled the restaurant manager along and slipped Q bill into his hand. "That," he said, "is to pay for the broken pitcher-and don't you scold the girl. It wasn't her fault. =. I saw how 1t hap pened. =. Good bye. We'll meet again some day, hope!" And the Pullman conductor and porter hauled us on the car plat form (vestibules didn't come till the following year), while the train was in motion--and the next section, with its hungry passengers, was slowly pulling up to take our place at the eating station.
 But the real fun at the eating stations began after we tourists all became well acquainted, and the "Trans-C Continental Opera O." got into action. From then on 1t was Q continuous carnival. The station agents must have wired ahead that 0 particularly jolly and hungry trainload of tourists were on the way--for our receptions grew larger and more enthusiastic as we proceeded. Led by tho railroad and restaurant folks - cowboys, Indians. half breeds, everybody greeted us smil. ing and expectant--and our crowd responded in the same fraternal spirit. Sure, we oil belonged to the same Grand Lodge of Amer. icans-whethe ahorigines or i'm. migrants we mixed the Pow. WOW with the Fourth of July till the welkin rang and the desert resounded with our friendly hilar- ity.
 Defying all conventions of table- manners, with mirth and laugh ter we rushed our meals, to have more time out on the platform with our new friends--carrying our pieces of pie in our hands along with Us. And after mak- ing our purchases of Indian sou- venirs-came the opera, which was a rip-roaring success from the beginning. The Indians en- joyed the performance as much as the others; and the old chiefs were especially impressed by Ko- Kos vivid description of his stern performance of duty as Lord High Misunderstanding his squirm- ing imaginary victim by his pig tail and decapitating him with his terrible "snickersnee" (which in fact was either his pie ce of pie or dill-plckle, as the fancy struck him):
 "With frightful, frantic, fearful
 frown
 I barred my big right arm.
 seized him by his little pigtail,
 And on his knees fell he,
 As he 'squirmed and struggled And gurgled and guggled,
 drew my snickersnee."
 The show over-we all joined hands in a giant fraternal ring overlapping the platform: Ko-Ko and Katisha taking the centre and choosing partners for a new tangled polka that they made up as they danced-Ko-Ko taking an Indian maiden or a waitress. and Katisha honoring a young Indian brave or a cowboy. And when too soon--the locomotive whistle blew and the conductor called for "All-aboo0rdl" we parted with something in our hearts that money cannot buy.
 COnversations and stories essd in our Pullman smoking compaFt. ment 60 years age viii be recalled next Saturday.