The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-09-08
THE DAILY TIMES--SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 8. 1889.

! asked her what was the best book she
had ever read she answered without Q
seconds hesitation. Lost in London. ,
| never knew book to receive such an
encomium. What a pleasure 1t is to
meet children wien one is travelling.
Wherever they are they speak the same
language and are the came. No follies
Of fashion have infected them: no devil
of form has entered the pure para
disc OF their fresh minds; they are al
ways the same, and no matter where
one Is. with q child one can in mo-
ment be transported home. | met
another little girl one afternoon up I'M
der the Three Linlensn on the heights
above Lucerne. whittier we had gone to
see the view Of the town at our feet,
with Pilatus frowniDg beyond. Chill
dren don't care for views. aud she was
romping in the newly cut. short grass,
which in Switzerland serves for hay.
and which a number Of peasant women
aud men were raking up into little piles.
Her one unhappness was the absence of
Puffy who. like her father,
had been left behind at home.
when her mother came abroad on her
annual 'summering. Puffy was white.
and had long hair. How she missed
him. and what royal time they would
have if he were but there. We both
agreed that there never was such dog
as Puffy. | wondesed il her Nomadic
mother missed her husband as much as
my little maid missed her dog. We
were lounging around the station next
morning, watt < for our train, when
my little friend of the hay field ran up
to me and placed cool little confdlng
hand into mine. with the pleasing in
formation that her mamma had Just
heard from home, and Puffy was quite
well. We had most interesting dis
cussion as to his collar, the selection of
which was then her chief care. She
was going home in three weeks. and she
could hardly contain herself. She went
With sparkling eyes through a pretty
mimicry OF the way Puffy would jump
on her. and the way she would catch
him and play with him. 1t made me
home-sick myself for the bonny Ameri-
cans honest country ways. where even
the dogs know US and love US.
HANDSOME AMERICAN WOMAN.
saw another American at Lucerne
whom, without knowing, | hold in
high regard. | met her with her hus-
band aud a serious-faced Sister of Char
ity looking at the pathetic inscriptions
IN the quaint little cemetery which sur
rounds the old HOfkirche. This
church and Stmetery are among the
things well worth seeing in LucerDe.
The church is hundreds of years old. and
in the pew in which we sat are plates
containing the coats of arms Of the
Swiss Guards, who fell defending the
French Queen. and who a hundred
years ago sat in these seats, and in the
arcade Of the cemetery are several
paintings by Dischwander. which, to
my mind are not surpassed in beauty by
any pictures in Europe. The faces of the
angels have sOftness which Is simply
angelic. The number OF children 5
graves struck me, and Of those Of young
wives. Some had the photographs set
in the tOmbstOnes. | had observed the
lady speak of as she sat with rapt at
tention IN the soft twilight of the dim
old church. listening to the grand or
gan as its music pealed among the gray
arches. Her strong. refined face, with
clear cut features. soft gray hair under
her black hat, aud plain dres. out
lined against great stone pillar. made
a striking picture as she eat beside her
husband, a straight strongly knit, sol
dierly German with gray hair aud a
stern face bronzed by exposure. They
were the Count and Countess Walden
see. lie a great general and Won
MoItke's successor as chief Of staff OF
the ambitious young German En-
peror, and she the best friend of the
young Empress.
An article IN one Of the great Eng
lish reviews spoke of her the other day
as Count Waldensee 5 best ally.
his admirable American wife, against
whom even Berlin scandal had never
dared TO utter a breath. 1t is alleged
that she has great influence with the
Empress. If 1t be so, feel sure that
the Empress could not be in safer
hands.
Now that | have left Lucerne the
memories of my visit are
these Of Puny's home-sick little mis-
tress, and OF the quiet American gen
tleman who looked at the children )
graves behind the old church.
THOMAS Ne LsON PAGE.