THE CHINA MATE FRIDAY JULIS, 1935.
ABSENT. MINDED
(Continued from Page 9), ་“་
Calabrino proceeded at a walk- to Punte Cavour, through Via Condotti to Piazza di Spanagua, slowly, slowly, as far as Via Sistina
Till Via Sistina be had managed to keep awake, to avoid the traffic) ---the electric trams, the 'drays. motors. and harrows-arguing
that such
a
miserable funeral wouldn't command any precedence.į But at the end of Via Sistina, he relaxed. Tipping his hat once more on his nose, and resting a leg on the splashboard, be settled down again to sleep.
Anyway, the horses knew thei road.
Everyone stared at him. That driver asleep on the box in thej glare and beat, that corpse asleep in the coffin in the dark and cold, that solitary mourner in her pat- terned dress, with her white para- sol and down-at-heel shoes-ia | short, that whole cortege, ao queer, so silent, and so lonely-filled them. with consternation. Whatever had That corpse been thinking of to] treat death with so little solem- nity! What manner was that of travelling to the other world! It was all of it wrong. The hour was wrong, the day and the season were wrong. Had that corpse no sense of decency? The thing! offended. It jarred. After all with an odd funeral like that, could one blame the driver for being
sleep?
And Calabrino no doubt would have slept till the cemetery had! the horses at a certain point (who) knows why?) not quickened their pate. As it was, be awoke with al
Now, on awaking with a jump. he saw, standing on the pavement, looking at him, a tall, emaciated gentleman with black whiskers, bis eyes encircled by black-rimmed spectacles, and under his arm a parcel Then-Bang! Whiz! Cala-¦ brino had the parcel in his face, plumb on his nose, half-stunning him, while after it screaming like!
maníac. came the gentleman bimself-blaspheming, gesticulat- yelling. letting loose the most frightful insults, shaking his hands at Calabrino, as though, having nothing else to fire, he was trying to fire off his hands at him:
"Blackguard: Scoundrel! Assas-¡ sin! To me
just to me!—
father of a family, the father of
nine! O-oh, you rascal!
O-oh, you villain!
father of ninet
you!
FU...
To me, the
But I'll teach!
I'll have the law on you!)
In a flash a crowd gathered. Shops vomited their customers, windows. became blocked with beads, tramway-cars, cars, lorries stopped dead, from the adjoining strees rushed pedestrians and vebides, everyone rushed forward, women screamed, men struggled, jumped about, stood on their toes, to see to get a view, to under- “stand....
"What's up?
What's hap pened?. A bomb?.. My Is there danger? 04.j
God!
A comse? . But where?
In the coffin?
A parcel?
"What?
At the driver?
But nohy?”, The tall gentleman, meanwhile, had ben dragged to a cafe, where he stll yelled, demanding, with threas, his parcel But why, woky be hal thrown it, not a soul could make but?
Calibrino, on his box, pale as death the centre of a jeering crowd was replacing his topper on his had, while questioned by z policeman who was writing bia answer in a pocket-book-"
After a long, long time the bearse moved on, the crowd, mak- ing wy for it, shouting. But when he solitary. mourner took her plce behind it, in her yellow-
and-blck dress, her long « vell obscunly her face, bok ngs high hermite, parasol, there Was sileno
Antwhat, after all
ed?
Noting Just
had fogotte
MR.JIGGS WILL..
·SHOW YOU WHERE THE LUGGAGE IS. HANDLE IT VERY CAREFULLY
WILL YOU HURRY? 1 THINK YOU ARE
JUST TRYING TO MISS THAT BOAT
COME WITH ME
O-KAY-
1 QUIT TRYIN TO DO
THINGS "IN THIS: HOUSE YEARS
AGO
ALL RIGHT- ALL RIGHT!
HURRY! I HEAR THE BOATE
WHISTLE
YOU LISTEN! WHEN WE GET TO EUROPE.
I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND FLE
NOT GO AROUND WITH|
DINTY
MOORE
„ME: OH.MY WE ARE ON THE WRONG BOAT.
NOW WE WON'T GET TO EUROPE.
BOO-BOO!!!
BRYŁ WE HAVE LAUNCHED A BOAT ON THE PORT SIDE ÖF *THIS SHIP IT WILL
TAKEYOSTOA FISHING BOAT 19 ANCHORED A FEW
ES FROM HEREZ
MAGGIE WILL YOU LET ME
TALK
TO YOU?
1TRIED TO TELL YOUR
Bringing Up Father
"GOSH!YOD: #FOLKS ARE SURE TAKIN A LOT OF LUGGAGE TO ́ ́EUROPE.
AN I'M SUPPOSED" TO BE GOIN AWAY FER A REST
YOU AIN'T
SEEN ANY-
THESE ARE ME WIFES
THINGS.
YOU SAY: TO PUT YOUR WIFES "THINGS IN STATE- ROOM TWENTY”
SHUT UP! WE
HAVE NO
FIT WASN'T FER
TIME TOʻLOSE.
TESLAN THESE
AZARE ME DAUGHTER'S THINGS PUT-
EM IN STATE- ROOM EIGHTEEN
5-6
IT'S NO SENSE.
GOIN TO EUROPE
THEYVE GOT "NOU
TROUBLE
HOUT US:
I KNOW WHERE
AN THE
PU
SPACE
?
FER TT.
"OH, BEARS I WISH
MOTHER AND DADDY WOULD' HURRY. TM- AFRAID THEY WILL
MISS THE BOA
WILL YOU SHUT UP AND GET ON
THIS BOAT ?
YOU CAN
TALK LATER.
MAGGIE WILL YOU LISTEN
TO ME?
WE JUST MADE. IT. WHERE
WOULD WE BE IF IT WASNT FOR
ME?
"D BE.
DINTY MOORE! WHAT ARE TOW: DOING ON
THIS BOAT?
SHUT UP, HERE COMES THE DECK STEWARD. GET THE TICKETS OUT: WE MUST FIND OUT.
WHERE OUR
CABINS ARE.
2, 1995, 120g Festures Syndicse, Inc., Grest
WHAT WILL
IMEZ
SAY
IN THE SOCIETY COLUMN?
YOUR CRY
AINT GONNA DO NO GOOD.
AN THIS AS
OFFICER WHAT DECK ARE OUR STATE-ROOMS ON?
HOO
BOO
B00
THE TRIPI VAZ
TO MAKE
1 COULD
A GOOD RES
HOO
WELL. THEY ARE ON DECK C BUT
NOT ON THIS SHIP, YOU ARE ON THE WRONG
SHIP
CEK!!
BEG YO
BUTV
ME
BLOW [FOG
WISH MAGGIE
TERRIBLE.
HELLO, JIGGS!
TVE BEEN TRYIN' TO TELL HER
THAT FER THE
LAST TWO
HOURS.
HELLO
JIGGS
BOY
EEK
DUGANS