Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-10-29

Grace Greenwood writing from Switzerland to the
N Y Times

Grace Greenwood writing from Switzerland to th
N. Y. Times.
We 90 back and forth between the Pen
sion and the city usually in one OF the
barees peculiar to the Swiss lakes, gay
ly-painted affair, with striped awning and
scarlet curtains, propelled BY one oarsman
standing, somewhat, like Venetian Condo
lier. but neither so yavicIous nor graceful q
fellow, and the boat, il more festive than,
is not so light nor so fast as. the melan-
chOly and stealthy gondola. Still we en-
JOY it. and yet more our w-boat-though
that is clumsy and hard to pull. taxing the
muscular Christianity of our young oars
women, as it would have done that OF Ellen
Douglas or Grace Darling. We lInger on
and on here, though nearly all the summer
visitors are gone now, and, save our party.
the banquet hall is deserted-linger not be-
cause we are in love with Alpine ighliving.
but because living at all is luxury in this
lovely place-an unfailing feast OF pure,
clear air. bOundless banquet Of beauty
spread on mountain, lake, and sky, and. OF
course. ON the fruitful table land. The
grounds and woods are full of arbOrs. rus
tic seats and tables. Olt-times have We
taken our books or writing and fed from
! juvenile piano practice to these secluded
spots. But as sure as | resolve on the rural
and poetical, and, portfolio in hand. seek a
forest sanc.uary.as to-day have done, 1t is
invaded by strange.tourists. come who pros
pecting' for next summer to the chateau.
A large Eng lish party has just passed by me.
| How familiar and. | must say. how pleas
ant, sounded the light rising infections Of
| their insular voices Stroling lazily in the
rear. came a fair, piquant English girl,
chatting with two merry young gentlemen,
| Just out of h0bbyde-h0ydom and round
abOuts. One Of these she carelessly sd
dressed a. my dear, whereupon he blush
ed celestial rosy red ." aud his companion
laughed and asked. is it your habit, Miss
Edith, to call US fellows by SO sweet u
name? 20 "Oh, yes" she said, in her cool.
silvery English. Il always call boys dear
until they get about fifteen, and then |
leave off. They both laughed heartily and
cried encore. showing that there as not
the stuff for "muff7' in either one. llav-
ing the opinion OF the Swiss peasant that |
have expressed above, We were not displeas-
ed 10 find. upon coming here, that beyond
Casper, sleepy gian: Of q boatman, there
was not a man about the main building of
Pension Stutz. Neither. though the house
was full. was there, for some time gentle
man boarder
With the exception Of = good complement
ot Nu4lQItu. W tlD d-StTktu lutll-tANt1 dlAtl
the manner of their kind. it was nun-like
community. There was one gallant look
ing Frenchman who came occasionally to
see his cousin. the fair wife of q naval OIL
Ger. She was usually pensiye and listless
in her air and careless of her appearance,
for her husband was away in Peru, bat
when her cousin came she put on smiles and
puts and was quite another creature Ii
was really touching to meet her driving, OF
TO come upon her sitting in an arb0r beside
the blg, handsome, lnsOlent-lOOklng fellow
-glancing into his face with an expression
halt glad. half sad, q sort of troubled tend
erness. W hen he went away she grew list
less again, and some how al the ladies
seemed to avoid her, to Look at her askance,
or not look at her at ali, even when she
had on an 500 franc dress. felt sorry for her,
deprived of sweet feminine sympathy and her
husband away in Perl-hOw she must have
missed her cousin There is no such thing
as primrose path of dalliance" for We
man. Not only does she End the way 10
Heaven steep and thorny, but the mia-
giving Of her own better nature, and the
condemnation OF society make for her feet
the easy decent to Ayernus hard road tO
10 travel" At last the two lett together,
and We lost our BIT of painful romance. our
perennial spring Of melancholy gossip.
Once we had among US for awhile brave
Young Cuban, very DARK aud interesting
but he soon departed, saying that the place
was not lively and stylish enosgh Tor his
sister and his mother. Not lively , with
any number of children in the house and
the prima donna making it ring with roul-
ades and run over with runs, "upstalrs and
down stairs. and in my lady chamber"
Not stylish when they had the Queens
own rooms vet redOlent with royalty We
shall always believe that the intellectual
strain and the moral restraints OF the cl0ls-
ter-like place were too much for the young
man. At length. an American friend OF
ours, a young gentleman Of excellent char
acter and connections, came out 10 call On
Us, and, being tired OF lonely roaming, was
tempted to stop for two or three days,
which finally stretched themselves into a
week He was called the lone young
man, and ho bore his honors meekly and
was altogether As nice. modest. and proper
as a woll-brought-up young woman. We
were careful to meRGqer him, allowing him
considerable liberty and leisure, kindly per
mitting him 10 90 out boating with US, and
70 pull an car. and 10 smoke when he row.
ed, though we disapprOyed Of the practice.
We even took him into town and let hlm
carry homo our purchases-caryed lions,
bears, chalets. and some trlhes-and once
We humored him in an amiable desire he
had to purchase and let IF some fireworks,
and from our boat on the lake applauded
the display. Occasionally, grieve to say,
he would run away to climb some noun
tain. or 20 uander his centimes in beer
garden, and would come home tired and
dusty at the dIssipated hour Of ten, and
would sleep until ten the next morning
4 al. !. l. 4 y
we were all very sorry to have him ~ on
his winding way 10 Nienns, where be l. 10
enter on q student lie.
The night before he left, We gave him an
entertainment-he furnished the wine and
our landlady made the cakes. and We all
drank 10 his health, and spared not. and
he made little speech in reply, which was
a very neat thing. though he was freq quent-
~ interrupted by our applause and his own
emotions He said Mrs. ChairwOmsn
aud lades-When came here to this Pen
sion. a paradise without d man or a serpant
in 1t, said to myself, here is Il rare spot
10 which to study nature and natures fair
est most incOmprehensiblew work-women-
Applause and cries of hear. hear ~
Ladies, found that though my mother
was a member of your honorable guild
that l. to say of your SEX really knew
little Of it. have seen how the young
American woman on coming abroad
Doth suffer a sea change
Iat0 something strong and strange
and how armed with one of Cooks tick
cts, PHRASE book, and an alpenstOck, she
IS equal to any emergency, and could make
headwuy against the whole Swiss COnted-
eracry.
Ladies. As the sad time Of parting draws
M fLs.f |
have striven 10 accommodate myself to cir
cumstances somewhat trying, AMI that |
have borne my separation from my kind
with-with-cOns rable-ah-fortitude. "
Sensation and cries of ''Ah ah ~ "In
Pension Stutz and in your society | have
rested. body and mind; and upon the
whole have had good ime-th0ugh there
have been moments in which felt like the
last representative Of an extinct race. Mrs.
Chairwoman and ladies Il have the honor
to drink your health. and to express the
hope that each one OF you will continue tri-
umphantly to make. and that not one ofyou
will ausS, her way through life" immense
applause
BETTER THAN NoTupG \ good old
Methodist lady, very particular and very
pious, once kept boarding house in Bos
ton. S,auch to her principles, she would
take no one to board who did not hold to
the eternal punishment Of large portion of
the race Bat the people were more intent
ON carnll comforts than spiritual health, so
that in time her house became empty, much
to her grief and alarm
After some time, bluff old sea captain
knocked at the door, and the old lady anwer
ed the call
Servant, ma'am. Can YOU give me
board for two or three days? Got my ship
here, and shall be off soon as load" 2"
"Wa-al, | don't know said the old lady
"Oh, house full, Ell p
mo, but -"