LUTHER BURBANK 



occurred, an event which every old Calif ornian 

 remembers but too well. So depressing were the 

 reports of conditions in California that then came 

 to us that friends urged me to change my mind 

 about going there. I had finally decided, however, 

 and had made every preparation, and was not to 

 be deterred. 



Not feeling able to pay for a sleeping berth, 

 which at that time was a rather unusual luxury, 

 I was obliged to make such shift as I could to gain 

 snatches of sleep. And I retain very vivid recol- 

 lections of the discomforts of the trip. 



It is curious how some minor incident will 

 linger in the memory when many relatively impor- 

 tant ones are quite forgotten. For example, I 

 recall that when on rare occasions I had an entire 

 seat to myself, and would thus be able to curl up 

 on my side to gain a little sleep, the trainmen 

 seemed always to be hurrying through the car and 

 perpetually colliding with my projecting feet. And 

 there is scarcely an incident of the entire journey 

 that is more vivid in my memory than the recol- 

 lection of this trivial discomfort. 



A generous lunch-basket had been provided, 

 and this served its purpose well, for the train was 

 sometimes delayed for an entire day far out on 

 the plains with no house in sight. Several times I 

 had the pleasure of sharing my lunch with fellow- 



[62] 



