The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-07-04
How Thcy Keen { lean in France.
From Prentice Mulford's Letter TO San Francisco
Bulletin


| From Prentice Mulford's Letter to San Francisco
Bulletin
Every rose has its thorn. They may
be ornamental at a distance, but they
urick contoundedly en- you sit down
IN them. Especially in looking for and
Getting lodgings suitable for a matrimo-
NAL pair in Paris who can speak no
French. Because my French has en-
tirely given out. | did know a little
french on coming here, but it was
French suitable only tor the require
ments of a bachelor 1t has broken
down entirely under the double strain
and pressure put upon it. Before an
American or Engli-h bred m can
sccu4tom herstli to French life, she
must pass through n period of reproach
at the customs OF the country. When
this is over things may run along more
smoothly. The liliputian water pitchers
IN the chambers first arrest her atten-
ton. There are few water pitchers in
France holding over "a quart. The
landlord is sent tor and n request made
tor n more commOdious water pitcher.
An English or American family can't be
washed in a quart of water. The land
lord OF lodgings by the month answers
with a grin and a shrug, That's all the
increased water privilege you'll get out
If him. The chamber floor needs scrub
bling. The French dictionary is con
suited for words suitable for "psil,"
"soap" and a "scrubbing brush" The
Interpretation is conveyed to the land
lord. But they never scrub chamber
floors in France. They'll scrub a court
yard, a bridge, or a dog. On the quays
me may continually see men whose
business it is to scrub dogs in the river.
but never chamber floors. They'll wax
your door. They'll wax wei the cid
iirt, and when the next deposit accum-
ulates they'll wax that. Every time we
endeavored to interpret Scrub" "pail,"
soap and brush" to our landlord, he
went through a strange pantomime OF
kicking backward and forward with the
ght leg. That's all We could get out
of him. Bat when scrubbing time, as
we supposed it would be, came, the
Interpretation became plain. He meant
the waxing process. This required the
use of the landlords leg and bare foot.
Yes. He kicked off one shoe and stock
ing, stepped on his hunk of wax, grabbed
it with his toes and heel and waxed the
floor thus rs easily ~ il his right leg
had been his right arm. That's all the
scrnbbing We could get out OF him. The
last penance had been our washing, 1t
is necessary for business exactness to
make ont two lists, one in French and
one in English. Well, we made fearful
work of it. We put shirts down for
drawers and vice versa. We sought in
vain the French name of some article
And when the first washing came back
minus more or less articles and the con,
comitsnt fuss was raised, we had first the
landlord, and then his wife, and finally
his son, all talking at once in our room.
They burst in one after the other, with.
out ceremony. They talked and we
talked, with the usual unsatisfactory
results when two parties onvers in q
language which neither understands
Finally, we sat down. and allowed the
French natien to do all the talking, :
seemed IS il they would neysrp
had rather go with garms,f |. oe
than endure the q. al vi an aVeI'ee
rin ~ q washing list. Because, at
a~od time, he endures for ever and ever