Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-28
THE OTHER AND BETTER HALF.
The True Story Told with An United
Tongue in Good, Glib English.
COIEtbpO4IuVLlVN OF wv '''7-.
PARIS, September Is, 1890.

Tongue in Good, Glib English.
Correspondence OF the Richmond Dispatch-l
PARIS, September Is, 1890.
Hoping and believing that you PAID no
attention to the rash injunction or my
husband to consign nv letter to that great
oD,ni,irn gdfle1tDa of folly-your waste-pa-
per basket write again, and as truth IS
stronger than fiction nowadays. nope IN ,his
TO counteract any evil effect my travelling
companions wonderful flight of fancy may
have had upon the Richmond public.
Truth. that pearl of great price," is
rarely owned or little valued by the Amerl-
can abroad. "mora honored in the breach
than the Observance 1t seemsby writers IN
foreign lands. | confess that do not wish
TO extenuate "nOr aught set down IN ma
lice" but when ones ailments are uncere-
moniously dangled from a pencil-point
to the gaze of scrutlnizlng world,
what mus poor woman do? Why, faith
fully record her own doings on land and
sea. Do YOU not think SO? Surely
I will gather neither SO beautifully nor
so extravagantly as my lord. As free
born citzeness of America. claim duerlght
and privilege to enjoy my own sea-slckness
in my own peculiar manner, ana aDateu
not a lot of my claims when crossing the
odious North Sea. The basin-gazing
would have been ludicrous had 1t not been
80 very decidedly unpleasant and uncom,;
Portable. and if did gaze with distracted
look into its depths, peIchance II was 10
seek for that great-priced Jewel-yciept
truth-which is claimed TO be deep-hldden
IN well. l did not spy her; NAG sne
would have been tIansfIed upon the ram
bling pen-point of Lawyer A. Well, the
angry old sea was crossed. and was cross,
being about as dilapidated pilgrim as
could be met when my feet touched
terra fyn,a-otherwise Old England.
THE LoosENED TONGUE.
Clouds are of brief duration, however,
and all the sunshine and gladness burst
out INTO glory as | rode and strolled about
London. My disgust at the raging main
was forgotten in the joyous present;
everybody spoke English and could I'M
derstand despite the bur-r-r-r: my tongue
was loosened from the enforced silence the
Hollanders had placed upon it. The Dutch
are very thrifty and penurious, and II
dared to air my little knowledge OF shelr
gutterals and grunts would have consider
ed il their bounden duty to charge me two
cents word. so peculiar are they even
the little felines have their pecullarlties,
too, and when in elegant English tried to
win Miss Kittie's approving purr she
bumped her back Indignantly and
would none of me, so disdainful was
she of one unlearned and ignorant OF her
native tongue. Every one knows what
fools the Americans are when IN the Old
World Well, we were no exception, but
were about the biggest specimens ever
transplanted into foreign soil; we ran
everywhere with lightning speed, either IN
cab, bus, or on foot; we saw everything
in the twInkling of an eye, and In lew
DAYS could tell the English more about
their own land than they had ever dream
ed OF in IL air philosophy; how much bet
ter thus and so. could be done, or 'ooud be
done in " our country" and the PROUD
BritOns smiled " horrible. CHASTITY smile"
We were simply doing in Rome as other
Romans did, who daily, at meals or on the
street. most vigorously dissected the Eng
lish before their faces and were consdera-
bly riled did they dare TO stand mp IN de-
fence of their own country ana lts Gus
toms. This is in passing. however, and
secret told to you. dear Dispatch.
IN LOVE WITH LONDON.
lam in love with London and her ancient
grandeur. her queer old saints in inches
everywhere. her parks and monuments to
her heroes and gifted men, her churches,
| gray and hoary with stately mausoieum,
containing the Wondering bones of kings,
queens, knights, saints, poets, and sages
| who lived in tins old world centuries ana
| centuries ago. Such jewelled Windows,
with streams Of glory peering through
| their stains; such long, DIM alsles, over
arched. where music fingered, loath to
| leave the house Of God, the organs notes
swelling and rolling, repeating the sweet
sounds az though revolving In Its own
melody. telling US of Heaven and ITS
nearness TO men. Love it? Enjoy 1t!
Yes. with all my heart. even to the
| soft-breasted pigeons who cooed and
| preened themselves, safe sheltered meath
| the caves and in the inches of tho sacred
| edifces that everywhere abound. what
| ouadrangles of bright flowers and grass
| close shOrn, that sprang like beauteous
| islands. when not expected, delighting the
eve and enrapturing the senses. Why,
every breath | drew was great exclama-
! ton point: | was never weary, never satls-
fed, and always charmed. Yes, we went
! everywhere, mounted never-endlng stars,
whispered softly in st. PauPs whispering
| gallery, took notes from Westminster Alb
| bey, as We stood among the dust OF Eng
| lands greatest and her vilest; queens and
monarchs whose reign was good or evil,
veal or woe to the people under their do
minion.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE PAST.
| We stood beside the monument of Sebert,
liking of the East Saxons." who died IN
6i5. and Edward the Confessor's shrine.
| Clcse around HIN lie five kings and SIX
queens, one of them his own wife; noted
| for her learning, beauty, charity, also tor
her needlework. for "she wrought with
her own hands the curious and magnificent
| robes the King wore on his collar days"
! When visited the poets corner to honor
with sigh those whom l loved,
and saw q fine bust OF oar loved
and gifted Longfellow, my beart swelled
with pride 10 have his merits thus
honored "by his British admirers" At
st. Paul's church. was delighted with the
library, containing $4,000 ancient books, of
! quaint Latin and English, illuminated;
there was also a glass case, which con-
tanned autographs OF most uncertain age,
and among them 1 saw the signature,
| George Rex ILL.,; also of Bishop Cranmer,
so cruelty put 10 death by Bloody Queen
Mary. The steps ascending 70 the library
were of easy grade, narrowed TO nothing
ness ut one end, and worn into hollows by
the tread Of countless feet passing up
them.
SAW AND YET NOT OVERWHELMED.
In Hyde Park we admired the beauty and
grandeur of the monument erected by
Queen Victoria to Prince Albert. called
the Albert Memorial. 1t is IT'S feet high,
and said TO be the grandest monument in
all the world. We also saw the palace of
royalty, but were not overwhelmed. The
Bank Of England was entered. too. 1t is
not small at all, only covering eight acres,
employs 1000 clerks, and has O capital of
over Ei4 oo0. 900.
What lover Of the ancient could ever
visit London and refrain from visiting
the Tower" so famed in history /
could not. William the Corqueror when
he created its existence little dreamed of
the crimes and bloody violence that would
be enacted within its walls. looked
fixedly at the TRAITORS Gate" imagining
could sec crowned heads ar d lords march.
| ing forth to meet their doom. On the left
was the Bloody Tower" where tradition
Jays the two Of Edward Nv. were MUIR
dered by their uncle. Richard Ill. and as
| cending the stairs we saw brass tablet in
serted IN the wall which said Is much.
OLD FIoHIIso-GEAR.
The bsnqueting-r ooms took one back to
harbaric ares. pistols sWordg. puns ram