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the Owl was backed in. When the chart at Track 15 - "NEW HAVEN R.R. - 12 m - THE OWL - SHORE LINE EXPRESS to NEW YORK - PULLMAN CARS ONLY" - was finally hoisted, a weak, somewhat maudlin cheer arose from the crowd. I happened to be standing by old Sergei at the moment and he looked around and laughed like the devil - I decided then that he probably is a pretty good egg after all. The train was frigid and we hastened to bed amid much grumbling, cursing and complaint.

New York, N.Y.
Thursday, Feb. 15, 1940.

A violent jerk awakened me. My watch said ten minutes before seven and it was light. I looked out the window and to my amazement we were still in South Station! They were just then trying to start the train and after a series of terrific jerks, they cut her loose and laboriously dragged out amide a scene of snow covering the yard, which was full of fires burning under switches and weary gangs of laborers standing about or shovelling. I went to sleep promptly and got up finally at 11 AM at New London. There was no diner and a lot of people had hopped off at New London to get breakfast. I went into the washroom and shaved. Soon we pulled out and a fellow came in saying, "When we pulled out then, the porter said we were going ahead only three car lengths but I got on. Two other fellows stayed on the platform and I guess they're still there!" One of them looked to me like Sergei's manager and I wondered if the other was Sergei himself - I didn't see the other man. If so, that must have been the supreme test of his good nature.