Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-04-03
Two in Sleeps Clothing.
AN ADVENTURE.


It was in quaint little town in which
found myself last autumu-one as
we'll fitted for what I -s0ught, rest and
quiet as could we'll be- laiu a306 Il uy
q round-Rbo route on the coast, walk
ing sometimes by night to avoid the
great heats. Passing SO through little
towns that lay sleeping on my road,
towns Of a single street, in the middle
Of one Of which, as I reeollect, lay
Watchf1l dog, which eyed me narrowly
as I passed him and made my way to
the fountain for drink, He let me do
that, but distinctly told me that he did
not recognize my right to lOiter about.
So left him to groWl to himself, and
went or again into the open, fat cOun-
try, along sandy, hedgeless roads, ]
watched the wild driving of the clouds
across the moon, and listened to the cry
of some sea-bfrd which had flown in
land, and, like myself, was keeping the
most disreputable hours. On and on,
through more little hamlets, lust wax
ing up-I declare that at four o'clock
found a butcher opening his shOp-till
the breaking day showed, far ahead, q
lowered and domed city, from the RAM
parts Of which, when reached, / looked
down on the broad giistsuing sea, and
marked the first stir of the days work.
And SO after many such W8n0erings, i
had at last found myself in the little
town where I thought 1 would rest
awhile.
Had to live there, I might, with the
landlord, have called il q "hOle," but
I found it pleasant enough TO be for
once where there were no sights TO be
seen, and where I had nothing to do
but to watch the slow current of life in
the deadest Of little French,tOwns. So
lOunged about, smoking a cigarette now
and then in the studio of my landlord,
who was painter as well as an inn
keeper, listening 90 the stories of the
"Dunes" or sand hills hard by, and look
ing at his clever sketches Of the queer
country that he had described to nei or
else, hot as It was, 1 sat In the chimney
corner, while Madame and her daugh-
ters hustled about. There were worse
places, too, for lOunging than the seats
in the court yard, where cOnvOlvulUses
and creepers climbed up the walls. Aud
then the wonderful little market place
in frOnt-market-pla I suppose I may
call ib-Where, on set days, some dozen
or score of garrulous women from the
neigh borhOOd exposed their scanty
wares. I see it now as il blazpd in the
hot afternoons the Town Hall, a little
building of one story high and four
windows and door wide, led up TO by
a scanty avenue of stunted trees ops
posite To me big house, on which the
arms of countries represented by con
suls,. whose functions, 1 can take my
hosts word for it, are purely honorary.
| How quiet it is I hear OCCASIONALLY
the clink Ofthe bell which summons L.
her shop the old lady who enjoys the
| privilege, conferred on her by the Impe-
/ rial Government, Of selling the tobacco
I smoke. That is almost the only sound
for am too far of to hear the notary
who, lower down the street, stands ges-
/ ticulaiing to client. Dull enough, but
| in lazy way I suppose that passions
| are at work that at times break the
/ level surface into ripple. People are
/ born here get married at the absurd
/ Town Hall (after due adjustment OF
material interests), and love, and quar-
rel, and die. Only yesterday, I heard
/ from my bedroom, a mOnotOnous chant
| in the street. and looking out, saw q
! procession with priests at the head, car
/ Tying to the cemetery the coffin Of a lit
| tie child. The bell was tolling yester-
| day as walked round the church, quite
a museum in its way. Departed gener-
| ations of tOWnsmen have left strange
relics there. Models of ships hang from
/ the vaults; an inscription on one oi
them of a very strange build. explains
that it is the piOus Offering OF "Lamans,' y
who ''prays Heaven to bring the p,
| Nicholas into a safe port" 1t is forty
years and more since "LRmans" pre-
sented to the church this curious spec
linen of naval architecture-let us hope
that, in his old age, he has sailed into a
port as safe as that which was accorded
| TO his prayer.
Leaving this little town, I made up
my mind TO walk cOastwise along the
"Dunes," ofwhich had heard so much.
So one day, after breakfast, I packed
my knapsacl. and, after a hearty good
by, started of. Once on the sands ]
had only 20 keep along, following the
coast line for about twenty miles, when
without the possibility of q mistake in
the road, I should come to the town at
which I meant to halt. Wondering
| along the top of the low cliffs, I passed
at last through a little fishing village,
and turned down on the sands, from
which I already saw, some fifteen miles
| OF, the low cape which marked my
evenings hating place. And here be-
gan my experience ofthe Dunes. This
/ Is the name given to the sand hill form.
ing the boundary Of the sea on the dat
coast on which / WAS stretching from
/ HaaTlem with intervals to a long way
south Of Boulognes AS I walked On
noticed that they formed an irregular
line, which marked, no doubt she lim-