Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-11

valids droop. People look outraged, cheated. No open fires can replace the searching. flooding, all prevailing suu- shine we have come 20 far to seek.
 The blue which smiles deepest into the memory is the vivid sapphire, with the faintest tinge of green, the depth, bril- llsnoy and intensity of this blue makes slI others pallid and colorless.
 From Cape Martin, where We drove on A crisp, brscing sapphire blue dsy-su the curves hnd bays of the coast show plainly beyond yentninglis, on the border line of Italy, to the jutting heAdlAnd of dazzling white Bordighers, Msntone fringts the shore and just back of the East bay rIse the spurs of the Maritime Alps, like the grim ramparts of some huge irregular cas- tie, scanned every now and then with ra- xines, which mskelmost picturesque walks and drives. The protection of these for tress like rocks give to Msrtone Its mild yet bracIng air said to bs lsss irritating than in any part of southern France.
 Poor little sQuslid, shiftless Nentninglia furnished but the pretext for a drive of the greatest beauty. On an indescribAble June-hke afternoon, In an imposing black and yellow break, with much whip snsp- ping and horn footing, we were whirled high up over the frontier into Italy, past the terraoed gardens of villas, past superb gorges, past gnarled old olive trees; or chards of lemon t-ees, acres of roses; stern precipices with strange purple and yellow blooms bursting ont from no one knows where, and always this heavenly blue sea on our right. Presently we stop st Aorta- Ia, where are the wonderfully fine Honbu- " gardens. Here at 6 little wsyside res uaurant every one must drink the delicious Hou wine. It Is much like our sweet ci- der, with muscst flavor. The gentle ex- hilsrstion 1t produces gives later on even & slightly rose oolored aspect to dismal, bar ren yentninglis with its gray sands and dirty, poyerry-stricken hsunts-
 Quite at the opposite pole from this lit- tie town, but with far greater extremes of misery and wretchsdness, in spite of her luxury, lies. eight miles west of Aentone, Monte Carlo, that great moral blot upon this fair region. What despsrations, what blasted lives and ruined hopes are not ly- ing dead beneath Its gay, prosperous, flower decked suIfacei As you approach 1t from the carriage road the two little towers of the Casino seem like vultuTes lowering over their prey Everything that money can do, gorgeous decorations, art of high order, luxuriaut gardens, and almost the finest music in the world, is here offered free to visitors. So sure are they of their victims that the bank
 
 pounds When Englishmen have fquan- dered all. their substance the bank gene rously O pays their travelling expenses back to England. The scenes within the Casino are too we'll known to need de scription.
 The ranks of fashIousbly dressed men and women about the tsbles; the quiet of suppressed excitement; the cool pOek- sting of hRndfuls of NRpoleons by the winners; the assumed indifference As the luck turns; all these .cenes pisy them selves out day after day. season after tes- son. As is natural, suicides and countless tragedies are the outcome of 1t all.
 One is glad to escsps from the whole place where this hideous and tsr-rsaching vice masks itself under SO much bssuty, and come back to you dreaming st peaceful Mentons. Even here the gambling fever intrudss itself. You often suspsct The cause of an attitude of profound dejeci!On. or on the contrary of lAyieh ordering of a costly brand of champagne al the table.
 Of course we have had the annual Battle of Flowers and the Carnival, less brilliant this year than usual, owing to the dull season.
 At the Battle of Flowers two long lines of decorated carriages pass and rspass eAch other, the occupants all dressed in hArmo- ny with the violets, minorA or geranium on their chariois. They carry large fans for protection, and from their trays of flowers are constantly peling otbsrs of the procession or the spectators, crOEds of whom line the rosd way. There is SD h. fectious gaiety About ii all. and an air of reckless profusi0n in this fighting iu Feb ruAry with roses and all fragrant blos- soIne. The mtstrsl coming up suddenly before four o'clock, broke up the scene and sent all the purple. yellow, green and white wheels rolling swiftly homewArd.
 A week later the streets were throngsd at the Carnival with these slnlsier, myste. rious looking creatures, men and women always are in mEsks. In the procession were great chsriots filled half with frog men, half with butterfly meD; animals of every variety on horseback, walking tow CTS; gowns which were marses of ivy leaves; dominoes of every conceivable eel or; threading in and cut of the crowas green and white paper cAmhric cavaliers chased by and hiding behind pillars from flower sostnmsd eirls; meanwhile the rain of consstd peltlng in every direction. There was & spirit of fun and miTebisf Abrosd, but still not the abandon, the mad whirl, the wild osprices, enc sssooisies with the Carnival. Doubtless there was more of this st Nice. which is alwsys more brilliant than Mentone. But of Nice more anon. NJ b