The Portland daily press., 1893-04-01
THE CLIFF JEWELLERS.
Mr.. e. III. EIwell, Jr., Tells the Cosmo-
politan Club of Some Peculiar Citizens
of Modern France.

politan Club of Some Peculiar Citizens
of Modern France.
Yesterday afternoon the Cosmopolitan
Club met at the home of Mrs. Antoine
Dorticos. at 103 Cl'rk street, and listened
to very entertaining address by MI. Z.
FL. Elwell, Jr. Mr.. Elwell described the
modern cliff jewellers OF France, whom
he met during his bicycle tour on the
Continent last year. Mr.. Elwell said
| that the gateway of Crepy-en- Valois,
little old fashioned town nearly 100 miles
northeast of Paris. is deep narrow val
ley. Under the high white limestone cliff,
close to the road spring gushed forth,
the first we had seen in France after
eight days of touring through the coun-
try. The water was warm, fiat and limy
but nevertheless the spring was a de-
light. So also were the houses in the
cliffs. Itwas difficult to realize, at first,
that the pretty vegetable gardens that
lay at the base of the rock, were really
the front yards of a colony of families.
1t is queer sensation if one is not ex-
pecting it to see door open in the side
of the cliff as man steps out, and to
perceive, all at once, that there are other
doors and windows and chimneys, from
one of which, farther along, smoke is is
suing, and that in fact the people are ac-
tually living in the earth like SO many
prairie dogs or rabbits. One almost
thinks as one approaches, and the cliff
suddenly becomes apparently alive, that
the fairy tales of childhood were not fic-
ton after all.
These modern cliff jewellers were, to
all appearance, the poorest of peasants
and that was the cause of an embarrass-
ing situation in which two of the party
found themselves soon after the arrival
at Crepy-en-V alois. They were fasci-
mated with the cliff house and resolve d
to investigate. Many of them were dug
out of the perpendicular face of the soft
limestone. hut just beyond, where the
steep hillside was covered with thick
growth of small trees, winding path
led upward from the roadside. The two
explorers secured strange abode far up
amidst the foliage. They opened the
little gate and climbed upward, trusting
to the courtesy of the simple peasants to
forgive the intrusion and answer 1ueS-
lions.
Finally the path terminated at small
platform of ground and in the cliff at the
rear large room had been excavated.
There was no door in this cave. The en-
tire front was the entrance, arched above
1t was like the Outdoor ROOM of cot
tage. The walls were evenly cut, and as
smooth as if sandpapered. There was
an iron sto that might have come from
an American store, and tables and chairs.
1t was a cosy place. Instead of the ex-
pected peasant with his blue frock, was
charming young girl with refining and
| pretty features and tastefully dressed.
| She arose in manifest alarm
as the knickerbockered foreigners ap-
peared before her, hat in hand. Before
| they could even stammer Pardon, Mad
emoiselle," she had darted farther up
| the hill, calling MADAME, Madame"
and Madame appeared. She wore well
fitting black dress, with lace at the throat
| With a gracious smile she requested to
| be informed as to how she might serve
| the guests who had honored her by their
presence. At least that was what the
| two adventurers interpreted from her
smile and gestures and occasional words,
| for they were not remarkable French
scholars. By dint of combined mighty
cogitation, they had worked out and
rehearsed few sentences to be launched
at the supposed peasants. But how could
| they ask this most respectable and cour-
| teous matron to allow them to inspect
her abode, to tell them how she lived
there in winter, and why she lived there
at all? They were dumbfounded.
| Atslast one of them summoned enough
of her wits to respond with something
| besides embarrassed bushes, and to
| calculate the equivalent of 'Give me a
drink of water, if you please" The re-
ply, still courteous, was that water was
to be found below, referring probably
to the boiling spring above mentioned.
| 1t did not lessen the youths discomfort
to perceive just then that on his light
| coat were still visible the damp stains of
drops of water that fell while he was
| drinking at the spring. The lady, for
| such she was, disappeared in one of the
| passages that led around from the out
| door room, and soon brought forth an
| old grandmother, who began to humble
| a long address to the young men, of
which they could understand not one
word. They beat hasty and shame
| faced retreat, and mounting their bicy-
Giles rode out of sight as fast as their
| legs could pedal them. 1t would seem
| that there are aristocratic and plebeian