THE CHINA MATE-
Travelling
Companions
(Continued from Page 9:)
at me
I felt the lady in black looking I felt the lady in black looking at the lady in grey. I felt she was very psychic. I felt she did not like the other lady.
I was not watching. but I felt all this.
The train went very fast. Thel wind beat continually "upon thei glass by my face. and we weat through many tunnes
It is beky" said the lady in black, that the trains are electric in Italy. She was talking to me because the lady opposite her was still looking out of the window.
"Yes," I said, "there's no smoke. One need not shut the window every time."
We shot out of the latest turnelj and ran along beneath a tall -hill The hillside was covered with grer olive trees, not yet dusty, and there were cherry-trees amongst them in new laundered white bodices all sparkling and gay-
Suddenly the lady in grey began to laugh. She laughed quite à Rood deal
I looked across the carriage out of her window, and saw that we were driving through a small sta tion with a curious name which I forget now. There were a lot of Z's in it.
The wind was playing with the skirts of some foreign women standing upon, the platfrm. I knew they were not Italian women because the natives of such a small place would not be wearing those sorts of clothes so early in the year. Their skirts showed 3 perverse tendency to ascend to heaven. The) women were holding them down with difficulty.
The lady in grey, ignoring the lady opposite her, turned her head towards me. She was still Mugh- ing.
They don't need so much trou- ble with their souls," she said. Then I saw that she was only laughing with her mouth; her eyes were quite different
T had thought, from the colour- ing and a from her silence, that she was herself Italian was a little astonished, and did not know
what to say.
The lady in black flashed a small. malicious glance at me. I knew she did not like the lady in
rer.
But as the lady immediately!
to look turned back her head azam-out of the window I saw I need not further search for cor- rect words. It was the first move- ment had seen her make. and then she only moved her head. Her body remained set and her! fingers clung all the time to thei little padded shelf just below the window. She was holding on very tightly, and the second joint of all her fingers was arched and rigid beneath the thin film of grey kid They were thin fingers, and they looked like the grey claws of a bird:
A ticket collector came along the corridor and saluted us all very politely.
He looked approvingly from be- neath the peak of his uniform, cap at the red plush upholstery of the carriage. He thought it all re- fected much credit upon his coun- try. His eyes said as much.
The lady in black and I extend- ed our slips of pasteboard, which he clipped after a perfunctory ex- amination. The other lady did not move. She said something very rapidly in Italian, and the official "nodded and went away,
I looked out of the window once more, and was very pleased to see that we were far down the coast towards Portofino Cape. The sta- tions through which we passed looked very healthy. There were some nice villas with bright pie- tures painted on them, and, now and then a flaming Judas-tree iz a garden. The sea was merrily attacking the land, the best
I like the jndas-tree," said the lady in black suddenly. I to round and saw she was now look- Ang out my
Her hands were flat upon cushions
the
TIME FOR YOU
TS GO TO THE BROAD-CASTING STATION AND READ YOUR = SPEECH NOW: DON'T GET NERVOUS.
I WISH IT WUZ OVER.
AN AS GREELEY SAID:"YOUNG MAN! YOU'RE ALL WETT MEAN-"GO WEST, BEFORE ] » TAKE ANOTHER DRINK-NO.
BREATH IS WHAT-15 WHAT IT SAYS HERE- WHAT I WANT. TO SAY IS -EH-AH-UM- JUST
A MINUTE.
I'LL START
ALL OVER.
THE TROUBLE TO-DAYIS-
THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT WUZ GONNA BE HERE TO-MORROW AN" WHO IS TO BLAME? I DONT KNOW THE PAGE WITH THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE IS MISSIN' NO MATTER: WE MUST KEEP
AWAKE-
1935, King Features Syndicate, Inc., Geet Brinin rights reserved.
Rosie's BEAU
GERMANUS
GOT IT ALL KED FOR YOU. SIE WANTS OU TO COMES
Bringing Up Father
WELL BE LISTENING IN. I KNOW: YOU'LL HAVE THE WHOLE
TOWN STALKING ABOUT YOU
SPEECH-
THAT'S WHAT I'M AFRAID OF
WHAT'S THE MATTER,
MOTHER? I CAN'T HEAR A THING:
THIS IS THE STATION-1 HOPE: OUR RADIO ISN'T OUT OF
ORDER-
GOOD LUCK DADDY.
AN STAND ON OUR OWN FEET-I'VE HAD MINE TREAD ON A MILLION TIMES-WHY? BECAUSE I LIKE TO DANCE. WE MUST GIT AN EYE- OPENER.1 MEAN WE MUST KEEP OUR EYES
OPEN.
YOU SAY ARCHIE WILL
LEAVE THE HOSPITAL
TO-DAY WIE
YOU BRING
YOU
THE POOR BOY OUT TO
SEE ME?
LADIES AN GENTLEMEN- I'M GLAD TO BE HERE TO-NIGHT- NOW I ONLY HOPE MESS VOICE LASTS:
L'AM A CONVICT- I MEAN, I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS CITY NEEDS MORE SALOONS-
NO-I MEAN, SAFETY ZONES. AN' I-ER-EH-T'LL TAKE A BEER - NOW ON THE OTHER
HAND-TAKE THE SOCIAL PESTS-
I MEAN, SETS.
JUSTA MINUTE,MRIJIGGS: LET ME HAVE THAT MICROPHONE. I'M SO SORRY WE HAD ALL THIS
TROUBLE.
WHAT TROUBLE?
STO MINUTE-IVE WRONG-PAGE I'M HERE BEC TM HERE AN
STA
JUST A MINUTE. PAGE SIX. IS GONE-ANYWAY-PASK YOU WHAT THE DEMOCRÀ EVER DID FER THE REPUBLI CANSPAN' WHAT DID THE REPUBLICANS EVER DO FER THE DEMOCRATS?
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OWING TO CONDITIONS- BEYOND OUR CONTROL; WE WERE UNABLE TO
BROADCAST FOR THE
AZ BLAST TEN MINUTES,
BUT NOW ALLIS-
RIGHT-WELE GO ON
ILL GO TO THE HOSPITAL
RIGHT NOWI KNOW IT WILL MAKE HIM. FEEL GREAT TO KNOV
IT'S THE GYPSY IN ME
THIS IS THE THIRD VESLIPPED ONE THESE STEPS
TO-DAY!