The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-09-15
owosso. FRIDAY, SEPT. Is, 1898.
PARIS, August, %, '9'

NapOleOn'S adventures ana liie theie, III"
always had longing to see the place, walk
through its halls and rooms, look out from
its windows upon the beautiful gardens aud
the distant city of Paris, and in a day dream
live over the time from 1890 to 1915. We'll,
today determined to try the experiment.
went to st. Dennis in the morning ana
fingered around the tombs of French kings,
ancient and modern. for couple OF hours
and then with thai experience as founda-
ton for the reveries of the later day started
for st. Cloud. Now it would seem easy
to find large and famous palace STANDING
very much by itself in beautiful park. 1t
really seems as though any man not an ass
or a natural born idiot could lind such
building. / went toward the park, "Bae-
deker' in hand with allsthe confidence in
the world. l found the park entrance and
went in but could see noi.palace. l looked
over the guide book again and concluded
must be at the wrong entrance for Baedeker
is never mistaken. / tackled boy and
asked for the chateau. He waved his hand
and went on, crossed newly made ter
race and looked up several avenues-no
palace. Then asked workman. Chateau?
lie simply swore. suppose that Is what
he did, twas i'm French. / asked again,
chateau? He waved his hand to the left
went to the left and climbeda hill, walked
a mile or so, looked up all the paths and
avenues, still no chateau. Chateau be hanged
thought l. I'll go out in the woods and
rest and get cool. l strolled at random
through the forest, wandering here and
there aimlessly. Marie Antoinette and her
gay court had romped here in the gilded
DAYS of the monarchy. Perhaps some bands
of that awful mob of the French Revolution
had been here with bloody hands and coarse
jests when Marie Antoinette was in prison.
Josephine and Napoleon may have walked
through the same paths l wandered along,
nearly hundred years ago. All this was
pleasant to think about but it only made me
more anxious to find the chateau de-
termined to take fresh start and returned
to the entrance. Sure Of my ground this
time located by the map the precise spot
where the palace should be, but no palace
again, only the newly made terrace had
walked over half dozen times. Then 1t
slowly dawned on me that the palace
burned in the siege of '71-had been re-
Gently taken down and the site converted
into beautiful terrace. So St. Cloud is
only dream and memory to all mankind
now. Even its ruins are gone, utterly gone;
its site marked only by line of stone set IN
the earth. hunted till l found piece of
marble from the old building and with this
relic of the beautiful and historic building
in my pocket took steamer back 10 Paris.
Baedeker will have a new edition of his
Paris next year telling all aboutthe removal
of the chateau. So when you come to Paris
you need not use up half day looking for
a palace that is literally lost to all the world.
1t is strange and yet entirely natural how
scenes here will suggest things in home
life in Owosso. When was riding through
Alsace-Lorraine looked out of the window
and saw in the distance blue line like
cloud cutting the horizon irregularly. Twas
range of mountains of course and before
long found myself humming
"By the Blue Alsatian mountains
Dwelt maiden free and fair,
a song now antiquated enough that Nettie
Yates and Elite Hill used to sing when
duff" was giving concerts. And then i'm
far away Germany that hot afternoon with
the "Blue Alsatian mountains" before me
lived that concert-of more years than
dare mention-Over again. There was
Duff, the Maestro, equal to the occasion, and
Miss Helen, then the prodigy on the cornet
playing a duet with her father. l could
hear the choruses and solos and was myself
once more a youngster taking it all in in
wide eyed wonder.
At Geneva everybody goes to the Castle
of Chillon. went of course, mainly to see
the spot made famous by Byron's imaginary
poem. found an old, old castle, the best
specimen of old feudal times 1 have ever
seen. 1t looks as though some old robber
duke had but just moved out and left it for
moderns to wonder at. In the old dining
hall with its huge fire place 10 feet wide,
its bare walls and old oak ceiling, noticed
large chest, black with age. The maid
said it was 400 years old and it looked it.
stepped up to 1t and raised the cover and
as looked within instantly there came into
my mind the ''Owosso Thespians" and their
banner play, ''The Mistletoe Bough." Here
was chest, large enough and strong enough
to hold the bride for the years to pass till
her form had crumbled into dust could sec
T. j. Horsman as the gallant Sir Reginald
de Coursey and hear him say In bitter &C
cents, Ere this have seen the beggar eat
his crust and SMILE" 1 could ever recall
Albert Frieseke's humorous burlesque of
the speech. See Will Sharpstene as he
rushed In torch in hand. a demonac smile
on his face, asking, master, shall fire the
fields ?" and recall the thrill of horror ex-
perienced when Matte Decker shut herself
within the box and we heard the abnormally
loud clicking of the lock as it closed upon
her, while Charlie Gould, Charlie Towne