The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-05-29
The ConsuPs Daughter Abroad,


American consuls abroad, but no reference
is ever made to duties Of the consul's
daughter. One naturally supposes, there
fore, that she has no duties so far as the
American government is concerned. And
perhaps this superstition is right in re-
gard to the government But In the eyes
of the public the tourist and the student
public her duties are supposed to cover
the wide field of guide, interpreter, enter
tainer, protector, money lender, confidante
and friend.
That she may be abroad for her own ed
ucation or pleasure Is never taken into
consideration by those who desire her serv-
ices. Neither is it considered that the
sights that are new to them Anay become
wearisome to her; that it is personal hui
initiation to continually haggle and beat
down merchants prices, u thing which
she will not do for herself, but which she
is unhesitatingly asked to do for Others
that TO rise at o'clock in the morning
and climb 500 steps to the top of cathe-
dral to see the sun rise is not a new or
pleasant experience for her. Yet these
services are asked daily and hourly by peo.
pie she has never seen before and in all
probability will never see again. And
they are received, not as n Kindness done,
but as a duty for which, if things are
pleasant, a cold "Thank your is all that is
due but If not pleasant, if it rains or the
sun does not shine when the top of the ca
thcdral or the high mountain is reached
if the purchased article for which the mer-
chant was beaten down proves TO be of no
more value than the price paid, if the
teacher recommended he not an angel of
goodness and an encyclopedia of learning,
then there are reproaches.
There was pretty, dark eyed girl from
| New York who took a trip across the ocean
alone and travelled partly over Europe.
| AT one of the consulatcs she discovered
consuls daughter Miss Blank who was
perfecting hesself in foreign languages in
order to teach them when a change in the
administration should make a return to
| her native land a necessity. The New
York girl took possession of her, not by
| reason of a commanding manner, but by
the very helplcssness of her position, thou
sands of miles from home, alone in a for
eign country, where she neither understood
the language nor the customs of the peo-
pie. Miss Blank regretfully let her master
come and go without the recitations, al
though not without their usual fees, while
she travelled about the city showing sights,
going from shop to shop inquiring and in
terpreting prices of trinkets suitable for
presents for the girls friends at home,
climbing stairs until she was almost lame,
wandering through miles of picture gal
leries and damp churches.
The New York girl went home and in
due time letter arrived upbraidng Miss
Blank for one picture that had not been
seen, Mamma says it is a shame, as 1t
was your duty to show me everything"
She had not much time to ponder over
the letter, however, for there were two la
dies from Virginia in the reception room
who wanted to do some SHOPPING and did
not understand the language.
Miss Blank had made arrangements to
spend some weeks at a villa on one of the
Swiss lakes She looked forward with
pleasure to a holiday free from the thank
less tasks her thoughtless countrywomen
exacted from her. But one of party of
tourists was taken sick at the hotel on the
day previous to that on which she had ar
ranged for her departure. The rest of the
| party continued on their way, requesting
her to take care Of their friend until she
recovered from her illness. Miss Blank
could not find it in her heart to leave the
girl alone in a strange hotel with only
servants who neither spoke nor under
stood a word of her language, to attend
her. Therefore she put off her own depar-
ture for week until the girl was able to
be moved, and then took her to the lake,
"hpio oio huioou hor paOh w HcdluH anu
sent her on her way to meet her friends in
Venice She carried with her several slips
OF paper on which was written: My name
Is Mary smith. am an American on my
way to Venice. am travelling second
class. Please show me which is my train,
and which carriage Is reserved for the la
dies. This Miss Blank had written in
French, Italian and German, and it was
to be shown to the guards at the different
stations when change of cars was neces-
sary. 1t was long and perilous journey
for young girl to take alone in foreign
country, and Miss Blank was exceedingly
anxious to hear of her safe arrival. Her
own holiday had been spoiled, but she
could have forgiven that if the girl she had
befriended had had the thoughtfulness to
write her line to say she had rejoined her
friends in safety. But it was not until six
months later that she received a letter
from America saying that the girl had
met her friends bright, had had charm
inc trim would newer forgot Miss RlaDk =