The Opelousas courier., 1893-07-15

h%M%~ NTTEETE SA1~S Ia OF1
~ .,>a IDENTIFY went will
the building
"Yes, the gentlemen have thought o
such a thing"
She regretted that the hotel n,
longer put up travellers. One could
drink there, but not sleep. doubt
less the gentlemen can read?"
Her tone was not so hopeful as hel
words, SO Bopper fastened to assure
her that we were not so bad as all that.
He was a little touchy on the point.
he knew that our appearance did not
improve as we went on. But this was
only our fifth night on the tramp, and
1t was really too soon to begin remarks
Of this kind.
"Then, if the gentlemen will have
the goodness to leave by this door, and
take the first turning to the left, they
will see before them a very suitable
hotel, and not too dear"
The Open Air Hotel was evidently
one Of those delightfully."- confusing
places that you enter by one street and
leave by another-doubtless a most
convenient arrangement in the good
old days when the hotel was in its
prime.
The first turning to the left brought
us to the Three Travellers, agood third
rate hotel. We know from the size of
CHEN that there was bound to be q Ho-
tel de France somewhere, but too tired
TO o a step further, wedropped our
~knapsack-it was Bopper's turn to
carry it that day-and clamored for
food.
Dinner-our tramp supplied the!
sauce-put new life into us. We
strolled out to see the town.
Sure enough, there was the usual
comfortable Hotel de France. Pass
ing by it without comment-eur hearts
too full for words-we came to- the!
Marie, in front of which was a warlike'
statue. ,
Being new to that part Of the coun-i
try, we had actually to ask the name of
the figure. We were just on the bor-.'
weeks after we never had to ask the,
name of o statue. Whenever we saw
o figure with a weapon in it's hand of
any kind from a horsewhip to a patent
combination of lace and battle-axe we
know it was Vercingetorix. In that
district they parse Vercingetorix: as q
common noun
At any rate, Bopper told a school,
master 80 with q point of interrogation,
and the schoolmaster did not deny it.
After admiring our first vercinget-,
orlx we wandered on to the bridget
The setting sun was turning the Loire
into blood. Even "copper", the Philis.,
zine, said it was Ene.
We sat down in one of the embra9
gures of the bridge to admire the town.t
Up on the hill behind the houses was
O very fine old chateau-a sort of conf
pound of the Norman castle and the old
Scotch baronial. :
Stopping q passer-by I asked whose
the castle was. The man seemed as
tonished OF our ignorance.
"But, to Mr.. the Commandment, y;
was the reply. |
Bopper never liked to be outdone In.
hunting for information. He stopped,
a gendarme, and asked if we could get
in to see the chateau. !
"But yes, perfectly, if the Conn
mandant orders" From his grim
smile we inferred that the order was
not likely to be given. But ~gendarmes'
jokes are hard to comprehend. |
When We got to our hotel we tried
TO find out more about the chateau,
only to be met by gruf and eyasiye
answers.
The browning insult came. Never
before in France, and never since
have we been asked to pay our bill in,
advance. Bopper stormed my milderl
c~ounsels prevailed. We paid. Then
We saw our bedroom. It contained
fifty square feet and two beds. There
@as q f~ourteen-inch lane between the
two beds. I thought of the last scene
IN the Sentimental Journey opper
thought of going to the Hotel de
France. Bopper was right.
Once we passed O worse night. But
Jul night with the Three Travellers was
bad enough to encourage early rising.
We shook the dust of Glen from our
feet at $3.50 o. M. Oh, the delight of
that fresh morning walk along the Loire
DO Rriarel The ten kilometres scon
past without our noticing them. Our
morning cofeet But I hava-promised
Bopper to use no exclamation points Ia
anything that he u concerned m, and
h0 had coffee.
After o delightful mornings walk Of
nearly fourteen miles. we came to the
dainty little village of Bonny. at about
10 o'clock. II you happen to be pass
ing that way, don't forget to have
breakfast at the Green Oak. # youl
Jury, You NAV even have the Gaed
.forsuneto be served by the same dainty
maiden that "copper" himself had to
praise. He exercises very freely ms
married mans right to run down ell
w~o.naakind but his own. This morn
ing he wss graciously pleased 70 ap-
pgoye.