DEAR ABBY: Your columns about random acts of kindness prompt this letter. I'd like to tell you about some people I'll never forget.
I was taking the train to Oklahoma from Chicago for my Christmas vacation during World War II. I stood on the platform while all the servicemen boarded, and soon the train was packed. The conductor leaned out, announced, "There is no room for you!" and closed the door. I was standing in the snow and it was getting dark, and all I could think of was, "Will I ever get home?"
Then a couple of the cooks leaned out of the dining car and said I could ride with them. They had such wonderful smiles and laughs. They pulled me up, put an apron on me, and sat me beside a big, warm, pot-bellied stove. After they had served everyone else, they cooked a wonderful meal for me. It was so much fun.
When we arrived in St. Louis, they took my luggage and we ran through all the steam until we found the train going to Oklahoma. I'll never forget them, and think of them often. -- ANN IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR ANN: You must be a person "of a certain age" to remember train travel when the industry was in its glory. Those were wonderful times.
The dining car staff was generous to take you under their wing, and you probably received better service than any other passenger.