The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-11-14
VISITS
Continued from Page One)


ampton on June "a, / Immediately
called Mrs. Cunningham and told
her l was on my way. Thinking
that / would arrive on Monday,
she had meet three trains that day.
After travelling to London with
my tour. / left them and set out
for Blackpool alone. The first step
was to change stations (there are
four in London). Arriving at Eus-
ton Station, l easily found a porter
who looked after me until was
on the train. l was aware of the
English customs when H.. :. Even
though all Americans are thought
to be rich, the porter suggested
that l ride second class, as most
people do. Getting on the train, /
found seat in the compartment
with two elderly ladies, who the
moment l spoke, knew me for an
American and began to talk. was
later told that the English never
talk to each other on trains. When
four o'clock came, both ladies got
out their thermos jugs, little bot
ties of milk from their pocketbooks
and prepared for tea. Each also
had a box of cookies, which the
English call biscuits. Incidentally
l was not asked to share in their
repast. This breach of Southern
etiquette was due, I'm sure, to
their lack of utensils. The top from
the thermos jug was their only
teacup.
Even though it was past ten
when l finally reached Blackpool,
it was still daylight. The summer
days in England are extremely
long. In winter, | was told, it gets
lark by four in the afternoon. Hav-
ing met an earlier train that Cay,
Mrs. Cunningham was not at the
station when l arrived. In a few
minutes l was at her house in a
taxi, and her first sight of me
came as l held out my money for
the driver to take his fare. The
English money, which l never did
learn, was too much for me; so l
always trusted to the honesty of
the English to take what l owed.
I'm sure l was never cheated.
Mrs. Cunningham, whom l shall
now call Barbara, was just like
her pictures. l easily recognized
her, as she did me. When her son
Tom, now ten years old, is at
school, she and her mother and
aunt Ia retired school teacher) live
alone in a row-house with a beau
tiful little garden in front and
back. Blackpool, very new city
by English standards, has popu-
lation of about a million people.
1t is sometimes called the "Atlan-
tic City" or "Coney Island" of
England.
The day after my arrival Bar
bara had arranged for US to visit
Tom, whose school is about 140
miles distant. The drive through
some of the industrial centers like
Manchester, and the little villages,
was very interesting to me. AS
usually happens, we were both late
in keeping our Appointment, so Tom
had a long hours wait. He had be-
gun to think that perhaps his mo-
Their meant that we were coming
the next Wednesday. Like his mo-
Their, he also was familiar to me
through his pictures. Now nearly
ten years old, he compares fav-
orably in every way with our boys
of his age. The school which he
attends, and of which he is ex-
tremely proud, is located at Bari
borough pronounced Bal bro), a
small village. The school itself is
in an old 18th century castle, which
though very pretty, looks every
day its four hundred years. The
grounds are well cared for, and
the flowers, as in all England, are
beautiful. When l admired the ros-
es, Tom Immediately got out his
pocket knife and shipped off two
huge buds for me. Before left
Marlborough, Tom was eager to
show me the whole school. AS we
went into the dining room, the
house-mother was preparing to
serve the boys their afternoon tea.
A bus brought them back from
the cricket field just as we said
goodbye to Tom at four o'clock.
The next morning Berbara and
l took the train for Liverpool, fiji
ty miles, distant to visit the other
Cunninghams, when we arrived at
1890, Madeline Cunningham was
at the station to meet US. Though
her school was still in session, she
had obtained permission from the
head mistress to meet my train.
| expressed surprise that she would
leave her class alone for two hours,
but she assured me that her forty
girls would work while she was
gone and that they eagerly await
ed a report on her American friend.
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