Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-05


damp, musty and dismal place. The
guide indicated the column to which
Downward had been chained. An iron
ring was attached to it near the floor,
and about breast high upon the stone
shaft BYRON was cut. ! lifted the ring
to hear it clank, and then impelled by
some inquisitive motive | rubbed my
finger over the letters craven by the
great English bard. ] observed also
that as the other members of the party
came to it they first read it and then
each instinctively did the same thing
q close inspection revealed the fact that
the edges had been rounded and worn
smooth by the fingers of thousands OF
others, who were either just as curious
or doubling. IL seems to be weakness
of the human race 20 not be content
with merely looking at a curiosity but
they also want to touch it. Finally we
were conducted to the apartment where
the condemned slept or rather were
supposed TO sleep the night before
their execution. lis sole furniture two
roughly draped pieces of rock, one
raised higher than the other, the upper
bed for the prisoner and the lower,
and by far the most uncomfortable,
lounge for the guard. An American
gentleman OF the party said, THAT was
a little rough on the guard, but pre-.
sumo the object was to keep him
awake" As we passed out into the
open court. yard the guide held out his
hand ior the fee. One of my friends, "A 5
joke, dropped into it collection of
eight or ten small coin of different
| countries, not worth in the aggregate
five cents in our money. As ! stepped
up he had the little heap in the palm
of his left hand stirring it around with
the index finger of his right, evidently
| putting a value on il. laid franc on
! the top of it and walked out. ] con.
suited my watch, we had been exactly
eighteen minutes doing the establish.
ment. We took Il hasty lunch at the
station, at the tail end OF which u
young girl came in with the usual dish
Of honey, and placing it before us apol'
ogized for having forgotten 1t.
"You Swiss seem to have honey at
every meal said.
"Generally, Monsieur. Do they have
! ii often in England at meals =
ave are not English. we are Amer.
cans"
She smiled innocently, shook her
head and said, NO, Monsieur, you are
English, Americans are dark complex
! Ioned.'
''Savages you mean =
"Yes, Monsieur, suppose
"But we have been civilized"
She shrugged her shoulders.
Without exaggeration, and in few
words, described TO her our country,
its people and the high state of adj.
| vanccment 10 which they had arrived.
! She looked at me in wonder, but when
| went into detail and told her of the
cities many times greater than Geneva,
and of the thousands of miles OF rail
ways and their elegant and comfortable
| cars, that was too fabled for this child
| of a world so far behind US in improve.
ment and invention. | saw from her
| look she was growing sceptical, and
/ though | was telling the truth ! actual.
| ly toned il down. When had finished
| she doubtfully shook her head. and with
the persistency of Galileo, muttered as
she laughed, mo, no. Monsieur is Eng
! lish."
We settled our bill with the doubling
damsel and hurried down to the plat.
| form to look for the train. The late
rain had filled the hollows in the gravel
soil with clear pure water, stopped at
a more deeply sunken spot TO rinse my
/ fingers as | did so | said to one of my
/ friends standing in the doorway, Gen
eral, look at my basin - An elderly
/ lady sat upon a bench against the sta.
/ tion wall, beside her q small and tired
boy, with a very long Alpine staff |
went up to them and turning to the
\ lady said, "Can you tell me when the
/ train leaves for Lausanne ?"
Looking at me a moment she replied
| in English, ~ cannot talk French, this
young man can pointing with her
/ thumb to the youthful Humboldt at
her side, "but | know you are from
| Philadelphia ~
Il was taken for an Englshman few
minutes ago, how do you know | am
from Philadelphia p
From your general accent, and when
/ you called to that gentleman ! did not
| hear you distinctly owing to the dis
/ tance, but unders TODD you TO say, See
me basin = Had you been from any city
| in the United States excepting from
Philadelphia, you would have said see
my basin r.
"You certainly misunderstood my
enunciation, but | am originally from
Philadelphia" said.
Here the conversation was broken off
| bv the noise OF the train that rushed in.
We laughed. bid them good day, step.
ped on board, and were hurried back to
our starting point. The road runs along
high ground and commands a lovely
panoramic view. Having been over it
before | selected a place at the side
looking out upon the lake. As we were
rolled along we at times caught glimpses
of the snow covered Alps rising far of
in the distance. Gradually the opposite
hills seemed TO recede; the sheet of
water below US was growing wider; we
were approaching Ouchy. A little while
and again we were on the pier from
which we had embarked in the morn.