Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-22
A BOA FOR A BEDFELLow.


and solitary villa upon the bank Of the
Marne, with its green inclosure, its
weil-kept garden, SO shady in summer,
so sunny in winter, my books OF meta
physics, my piano with its pure tone,
my lobe de chambre and slippers so
commodious, my students lamp, and all
this existence OF dreamy revery so dear
10 my soul-yes, / resolved to leave
them, to shake off their charm during
some few short weeks Of exile.
And to do this, in order to deliver
myself from the abstract meditations to
which I had too long consecrated--it
seemed to me-all my youthful energy,
] had conceived the project OF accom-
plishing some gay voyage in which the
simple contingencies Of the world, their
frlvolity even, would serve to wean me
from anxious thought upon the complex
questions which till now had occu-
pied me.
wish TO think no more, TO repose my
self mentally, to sleep with my eyes
open. One such voyage of recreation
would not--that is, supposed it would
not-immediately re-establish my bro
ken health, for truly had worn myself
out with these formidable problems.
Still, such diversion would materially
assist in restoring me TO perfect equilib-
rum Uf mind and body, and certainly
should appreciate on my return the new
strength which this intellectual truce
procured me.
Desiring to escape on the excursion
all occasion for thought, no matter how
trivial, and all encounters with think
ers, could only find upon the surface
of the globe (excepting, of course, those
entirely rudimentary(-I could only
find, | say. single country whose fan
tastlc, artistic and oriental sun had
never furnished metaphysician to
humanity. BY this description you will
recognize. without further barley, that
/ refer to the peninsular OF lberique.
This evening, then, when I arrived
at this decisive reflection, seated in the
arbor OF my garden following with my
eyes the opalescent spirals from "a fine
Havana, and testing the aroma of q cup
of pure coffee, l said to myself with
thrill OF pleasures:
Eyes, go; it is settled. Now, for
joyous march across Spanish dependen-
cies; now to be seduced in my turn by
ardent paintings of dead and gone mas
ters, by the glowing beauty of fair
women of Andalusia appeailn between
the battlements of their waving fans!
Now for life among sovereign cities,
under the stars and sunshine of an en-
chanting heaven, for life as at night
I've seen it under the rays of my lamp
and through the recitals of earlier
tourists! For me, too, shall live Cadiz;
-, IL
Grenada, Salamanque. Seville, Madrid
and Pampeloue. Come! it is settled--I
go immediately"
And at once, loving rs did only SIM
pie adventures, incidents, calm sensa-
tions, in short, events in sympathy with
my tranquil nature, l decided as pre-
liminary to purchase one of those
aids to Travellers" thanks to which
one knows in advance what he is going
to see and which preserve nervous tenn
peraments from undue emotion.
This duty duly accomplished during
the morning hours, added to the aid
to Travellers" a pocketbook modest, but
still amply garnished, strapped my va
lise, took it in hand, left my astounded
housekeeper in charge of the premises,
and in less than an hour found myself
in the capital where, without an in
slant delay | cried to a coachman to
next morning by way of Bordeaux, ar
rived at Arcachon. Here l break
tasted, took plunge into the sea. and
following that passage on the steamer
Veloce, departing at the moment for
the old and beautiful city of Santander.
Toward the end Of the afternoon the
land breeze began to bring us, in sud-
den puffs, the odor of citroE trees, and
shortly afterward we were In signt of
ha w
tander nestles, and which girdles the
harbor with its verdant heights. Even
ing empurpled the sea, golden still to-
ward the Occident, as we traversed the
port; against the rocks of the beach en-
rolled a fringe of precious stones. the
steamer forced itself a passage between
crowding vessels. the bridge thrown
from the getty hooked itself to The prov
and Like the rest OF the passengers
landed to stroll upon the quay, redden-
ed still by the declining sun.
All! that landing, l recall it yet, in
the midst of this new population, those
crates OF exotic products, cages of birds
from Australia, and heaps of shrubs and
spices, those odors, bananas, cocoa,
vanilla, those monstrous burdens
marked with colonial ticketings loaded
one upon the other and departing in
haste toward the city! AS for me, once
upon terra firma, found that the rolling
OF the vessel had decidedly fatigued me,
and leaving my valise aboard for a
while, went in search of provisional
hostelry in which to pass the night be-
fore beginning to look about me. AL
at once, among the officers of the
Marine who promenaded the quay,
smoking and breathing in the air from
the sea, it seemed to me l recognized
the face of friend, conrade of my
childhood in Brittany. / approached
and accosted him.
"Lieutenant Gerard de Villebreuse,
Is it not?" began, but did not finish.
could not; he had me by both hands
with that ELUSIVE cordiality always ex-
changed between compatriots encoun-
tering each other on strange soil, and
was pouring out questions and sur
prise.
'You!" he cried: ''you of all menl
And here in Spain! The meaning OF
IL, mon ami, the meaning OF it-ouickv
"A simple amateur excursion 1 re-
sponded. and in ten words, as we paced
back and forth, talking and gossiping
like all good comrades who have met
after long absence, put him au courant
of my innocent flight.
Sand - he said IN mo shave been