Litchfield enquirer., 1876-02-24
From Temple Bar.l 3E F'RONA.
THE wAsHERwoIxN's DAUGHTER OF THE ~72 '591"-'5 ESGADTNE. v

Only yesterday, we had been up, there. with our heads in the sky, so if seemed to us, to-day, looking back on those nights, and we had seen the sun go down in sol emn splendor, and the snow-t tops flare up with sudden fires, peak behind peak, slowly revealing themselves like virgin daughters of dying monarch gathering around his bedside; and then, by degrees, the sky had grown sharp, and clean, end cold, and blue as glacier, and the old | stars had come out, and vain young moon as we'll, and gazed at themselves in the depths of the dark green lake, and we had buttoned up our coats as we paced the terrace. and by and by had gone in and feasted off chamois outlets and Val | teilina, after which we had betaken our | selves to. the salon and talked. .. s l We were a pleasant party about to l break up. and there is always something rather melancholy about that. We talked of 1t, however, as English people generally do talk of such things, without the least trace of sentiment, laughing over past ad- ventures, and making plans for future meetings.
 ''We must do the Sella pass, next year." said one of the ladies. Ladies usually l are foremost in these proposals. "Mr. W, at Pontresina, has been telling me all about it. You must sleep at the Roseg l inn, and start at two in the morning, It only takes fifteen hours if the snow is in good condition. and you have the most magnificent viewsin the world. Oh-and there is the Piz+Campaccio-I can't bear going away and leaving that undone, Gus"
 Well, we did try that last year, you know" said Gus, soothingly. ''But that 'tiresome snow-storm caught rs up, just as we got to the Bernina pass. We had some fun out of it, though, all the same Don't you remember the snow- balls? and how we pelted travelling carriage that happened to be passing at the time" ''It was some Italian nobleman's car riage," said Gus's sister. "He had just married young girl from one of these villages, and was taking her back to Italy with him. l remember her face-such a pretty, bright face she put it up 10 one of the windows and laughed at the snow balls -" And Miss Brooke went on talking in pleasant, picturesque way which she had; but none of us listened very much, am afraid. We were tired, or dull, or sorry to part, or glad to part, and presently we all shook hands with each other, and, before the next days sun was fully awake, we were most of us scat tered far and wide over the face of the mountains, like the handful of seeds the Venetian girl throws down to the pigeons in the Piazza San Marco.
 The Brookes and I were not going to part quite at once. We were old friends, and had agreed to pursue our journey a little farther together. My acquaintance with the doctor, indeed, dated from a very early period. while he was only as yet under-master at private school, and I just budding into all the glory of short jackets and tall hats. My acquaintance with his sister, who was about the same age as myself, commenced at the same time. Our friendship had always been based on the broadest principles of enmi- ty. At that early age she used to reproach me with vulgar taste for ''sucks, pro- pensity to dirty hands and rough hair, and low-bred preference for marbles over dolls. Now, her taunts were chiefly leveled at my low, radical principles, my democratic tastes-(why didn't marry a washer" oman's daughter, and make a shining example of myself ?)-my want of enthusiastic admiration for the places she raved about-for Switzerland in general. for the Engadine in particular
 But do admire 1t hugely" I inter- posed meekly. "Only there is rather too much of it. Endless snow peaks and pine forests, and metallic blue skies clear as crystal and equally cold, are all very we'll in their way, but own to liking some thing less bleak to look at, something certainly more genial to feel, 'whene'er I take my walks abroad"
 ''Yes, that is it, she retorted. Tt is all too grand for you. You had better spend your next summer holidays at Mar gate"
 At Como final separation of our forces took place. The head masters holidays were nearly over. He must be setting his face homeward. He was as melancholy and low-spirited about it as any one of his boys could possibly be-.
 'You are lucky young fellow, Myles, ,'' said he to me, envlously. "You have no horde of young barbarians to beckon you back with inky fingers You can wander at will through thls sweet classic land of Homer and Cicero . ..t-.-f5 -. .......
 "Well, I think had better see as much as can of the country, this year, since 1 am doomed to spenL all my future sum- mers at Margate.' say I with laugh.
 "Only you will never find that washer woman's daughter in Italy. The race does not exist P cries Mrs. Brooke, with sorry glance at her own limp, crumpled draperies.
 Not really I ask incredulously. And then the steamer on which l stood began to plunge and snort like great sea mon- ster, as it was. and the head-master shout ed out something about Bayeno and Stre- ga, and dinner, and I went across the rip bling, dimpling, dancing lake to Menag- gio. l slept there, that night, and the next day walked through the chestnut wood to Porlezza, where I again took ship, and crossed over to Lugano, from whence I wandered through more vine- yards and cornfelds and chestnut woods, till | found myself. the following day, at Luino
 There is nice little inn at Luino, kept by two brothers who were formerly wait CTS at one of the large Milan hotels. They are pleasant little men, exactly alike, ex- cept that one has large, melancholy, brown eyes, and the other small, twinkling, black ones. They wait, cook, clean, and do everything In the hotel themselves. One of them cooked my lunch, and very we'll cooked it was; the other served me With it. They both came in at the finish, to receive my compliments |
 Have you had a good season ?" i asked
 They shook their heads It was their first year, indeed, and they had not ex- pected much; but the result, unfortunate ly, had fallen far short of their very mod crate expectations. Last night, however, they had had stroke of luck. An invalid gentleman had occupied the whole of the
 ''But he leaves, today" said the mel ancholy brother. with asigh.
 ''WelL, he is travelling for the benefit of lis health; we could not expect him to stay here forever, replied the other.
 "What is the matter with him p I asked, more for tie sake of prolonging my conversation with the two little men, than for any vivid interest 1 felt in the invalid gentleman. -r.-s ....+ ......
 His malady is old age, said the black eyed brother. '
 II And that is a malady that can never be cured" supplemented the melancholy | Al