The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-09-06

plished In silence and oonstraint.
Happily they had now reached Rouen.
should here mention that Lucien,
on leaving Paris, had bought q guide
book. The young couple aliahted at
an hotel which was highly recommends
ed in the book, and at once fell an easy
prey to the walters. At the table
d'hote they scarcely dared exchange q
word on account Of the crowd of peo-
pie staring at them. So they retired
early to rest; but the partition walls
were so thin that the neighbors to the
right and left could not bulge without
their being aware of it. They no long
or dared to turn or even coug h in their
beds. ~. 49,.
Lets 90 and see the town." said
Lucien on rising tho next morning,
and then start of quickly for Havre.n
They were on their feet all day, Wis
tied the cathedral, where they were
shown the Butter tower, built with
the proceeds of taxes imposed by the
clergy on the butter of the country;
they went to the old palace of the
dukes of Normandy, entered the an
Gent churches now used as corn lofts.
saw the Joan of Arc square, tho mu-
scum, and even the Monumental GEM
etery.
To cursory observers they seemed
ardent in the accomplishment of O. du.
ty; nor did they fail to look at every
historic house i'll the town. The truth
is Hortense felt especially bored to
death, and so tired that the follow
ing day she went to sleep in tho train.
On reaching Harve fresh cause for
annoyance arose. At the hotel at
which they stayed the beds were so
narrow they had to take d room with
double bedsteads. Ho-tense felt a.
most as if she had been insulted and
burst into tears. Lucien consoled her
as best he could saying they would
stay at Havre no longer than was
strictly necessary to see the town.
And their rambling walks began
again. .-...
Then they left Havre and stayed for
a few days at each of the important
places set down in their guide book.
They visited Honfleur, Pont-r Eveque,
Caen, Bayou and Cherbourg; their
heads in fact, got crammed with such
lot OF streets, monuments, and
churches, that they soon jumbled the
whole together and grew heartily sick
and tired Of sights and objects alto.
gether devoid of interest for them
They no longer looked at anything
but kept on the even tenor OF theil
way as though it were a task they did
not know how to escape. They seem
ed to think that since they had
set out on a circular trip, they must
somehow find their way back home
One evening at Cherbourg, Lucien let
fall an ominous expression OF his
views.
II think like your mothers shor
BETTER"
The next day they started for Gran.
vile.
Lucien remained absorbed, and at
times cast wild and fitful glance at
the country where the fields on each
side OF the car expanded before them
like fan.
Suddenly, as the train came to q
small station, the name of which did
not reach their ear, but where a love
ly nook OF verdure was visible among
the trees, Lucien cried out:
"Get down, my dear, get down,
quickp'
"But this is no station marked in
the guide book" expostulated Hor
tense.
The guide book. say you? Wait a
bit. I'll show you what we'll do with
the guide book! Come, quick, get
down."
'What about the baggage?"
"Oh, = FLIP for the baggage!" an
swered Lucien.
And 50 Hortense got down, the train
started, and left both of them in that
lovely nook of verdure.
On leaving the station they were n
the open country. Not q sound dis
turbed the stiffness. Birds were chirp
ing in the trees; clear stream flowed
at the bottom of the valley.
Lucien's first care was to fling the
guide book into the middle of g. poo
OF water as they went by.
At last it was all over; they were
free!
A few hundred steps of stood a Sc
Guided country inn, where the wife o.
the host gave them q large room as
cheerful to look upon as sunshine ir
spring. Tho whitcwashed walls were
fully a yard thick. Moreover, there
was not traveller in the house, and
alone the hens looked at them with ar
inquisitive air.
"Our tickets are good for eight days
yet," said Lucien. "We'll spend the
time here"
And what delightful week it prov
ed to be. They went of in the morn
ing by untrodden paths; they sought
the depths OF a wood on the slope O
a hill, and they spent the live lon!
day, lost among the tall grasses thai
hid their youthful loves. Anon the,
followed the stream; Hortense ran lik'
an escaped school girl, or pulled of
her shoes and took foot bath, Will,
! Lucien, who provoklngly came W
from behind, made her scream out by
suddenly snatching a kiss from tn
back Of her bare neck.
Their lack of linen, and of everythin,
generally, was highly amusing. They
were, III fact e'ated beyond measure
at the thought that they were thu.
left to themselves in desert where nj
one would dream of seeking them
Hortense had been obliged to borrow
some country underclothing from tn,
wife OF the innkeeper. The coarse stuff
scratched her skin and made her wrig
gle.
Their room, too, was so gayl The,
locked themselves iii at O CLOCK, whe1
the dark, silent landscape tempted
them out no longer. They gave stric1
orders not to be woke up too early
At times Lucien came down in hi.
slippers and took up the breakfast, al
lowing no one to enter the room. Anc
the meal thus eaten on the bedsid,
was exquisite and interminable, from
the kisses given and received, whi>t
outnumbered the mouthfuls OF bread
The seventh day they were surprised
and heavy at heart to find that they
had got through the week so rapidly
without seeking to ascertain, or even
wishing to know the name of the
place where thew had loved.