Page 15 - Stepping_Stones_1942
P. 15
Q iin (fter
met her when our train stopped for a while at a way-
'*k# side station on our way between Mukden, Manchuria
(Manchukuo), and Peking (Peiping), China.
As the trains in the Orient always make a long stop, we
went out on the platform for a breathing spell from the stuffy
coach. She was far down on the platform, for the train, tho
“dinky” , was a long one, and as far as we knew when we boarded
the train, B.J., Dave, and I—with the exception of two English
men— were the only white people on board. So when we heard a
voice call, “ Hey there, fellow Americans,” in our own language,
and when we looked down at the far end and saw this young
girl running towards us and almost embracing us—it was like
finding a long-lost friend.
She had bright red hair, the merriest of deep blue eyes,
and a freckled skin. Naturally, questions flew back and forth
among us until the first whistle blew as a warning that we were
to start—in about half an hour. Thus when she told us that
she, too, was going to Peking, we asked her to join us in our
compartment.
We learned that she was from Oklahoma, and was employed
[13]
met her when our train stopped for a while at a way-
'*k# side station on our way between Mukden, Manchuria
(Manchukuo), and Peking (Peiping), China.
As the trains in the Orient always make a long stop, we
went out on the platform for a breathing spell from the stuffy
coach. She was far down on the platform, for the train, tho
“dinky” , was a long one, and as far as we knew when we boarded
the train, B.J., Dave, and I—with the exception of two English
men— were the only white people on board. So when we heard a
voice call, “ Hey there, fellow Americans,” in our own language,
and when we looked down at the far end and saw this young
girl running towards us and almost embracing us—it was like
finding a long-lost friend.
She had bright red hair, the merriest of deep blue eyes,
and a freckled skin. Naturally, questions flew back and forth
among us until the first whistle blew as a warning that we were
to start—in about half an hour. Thus when she told us that
she, too, was going to Peking, we asked her to join us in our
compartment.
We learned that she was from Oklahoma, and was employed
[13]
