Evening star., 1942-02-24

your ultc11lkcilCc py 6SAltlk you 70
guess who is in charge Of the train.
The children have stormed every
day coach. every Pullman, and are
holding 1t against repeated counter
attacks by the soldiers, cooperative
civilian passengers, conductors.
brakemen and porters.
They are In complete charge Of
the ice water cooler and no one on
the train has a chance Of getting
a drink until they decide to abandon
this post for an all-out attack on
the aisles. Stern military police
men, with revolvers swinging on
their hips, are going about with
their tongues hanging out from
thirst. Even when the children
abandon the water cooler 1t Is
doubtful II any one will be able to
get a drink, because, from the looks
Of the floor around the cooler, they
have decided on the "scorched earth"
policy. Paper cups are knee deep
around the place. The water has
been running steadily since tho
first one figured out how to turn
1t on.
The aisles-the only avenues Of
escape from the grownups-have
been blocked for hours. To get to
the club car, the last stronghold
Of the adults, would seem to take
more strategy than any civilian or
soldier on the train has. The
youngsters are swinging between the
seats as children have probably done
since the first train was invented.
Those who are tired of swinging are
rolling up and down the aisles, and
those neither rolling nor swinging
are climbing up the backs OF seats.
looking under the seats for lost
pennies and pieces Of candy. putting
together jigsaw puzzles. and wrest-
ling.
Literally, the only way to get
from one end OF q car to the other
is to forget as best you can that
these little rascals constitute the
future Of America and step on them
as lightly as possible.
To challenge their authority the
least bit Is to bring down parental
ire on your head. I'm convinced
that statistics would prove that no
parent ever took child on q
train trip, either for no fare or half
fare, who didn't feel that once the
AL aboard" signal was given, tbs
child ceased TO be the parents OBJ
legation, and became O sort Of
privileged ward Of the Pennsyi-
vania or the New York Centr1
or the Southern Pacific or what
ever road was being Travelled.
With all the privileges extended
them, 1t is amazing how much
children cry on trains. A blond
bomber In my car is now hve
minutes away from the transconti-
mental yowling and bowling record.
don't know what Is disturbing him.
Perhaps the conductor fiatly refused
him permission TO 60 up into the cab
and drive the train.
My memory isn't 50 bad that 7
can't remember the trains I, as .
youngster, did my bit toward de-
stroying. 7 recall my first train
trip. As o member of a fife and
bugle corps I travelled 40 miles to
play in q county fair grammar
school hfe and drum contest.
Every mother whose son was Q
member of this outstanding musical
unit worked right up until train
time to fix a nice shoe box lunch
for her potential Sousa-
The train was tagged down at
our station. We piled into the day
coach, and every mothers son Of
US was sent away to the shouts Of
BE o good boy, and remember to
eat your own lunch. Don't swap
lunches with the other boys"
Not until this moment has the
secret been revealed, In print at
least, that the Rochelle Fife and
Drum Corps as one boy threw their
carefully prepared lunches out OF
the window and scraped UP enough
pennies to buy candy inclosed In q
glass pistol or lantern, o mess Of
bananas and Q few bottles Of soda
pop.
AL Of Q sudden 7 feel young again.
wish mamma were here to give the
porter q quarter to take me back
to the observation car to watch the
rails disappear.
Distributed by McNsusht Syndicate. YncD
Gen. HoIcomb Warns U. 5.