The Press., 1899-09-21

ing good work, and will be heard from
some day. Hitchcock lives in palatial
house, In fine style. His paintings sell
quickly for fabulous prices.
After a pleasant visit with Compton,
with whom we dine the evening of our
arrival, we run to Amsterdam, Compton
accompanying US on his wheel We spent
the afternoon about the city, two hours
OF 1t In Rijks museum, where we find
mere of Halls works, but find the Rem
brandt room Of most interest. Here are
gathered six masterpieces of that prince
OF Dutch painters, one of which, ''The
Night Watch" is worth crossing the
ocean to see. Having visited six of the
most interesting cities of Holland-Rot-
terdam and Amsterdam being the largest
we now turn our faces toward Cologne,
running up through Utrecht, Aenham,
Goch, Grefelt, past Dusseldorf, where we
cross the Rhine on fine new iron bridge
into Cologne, on Saturday afternoon,
Aug. 26th, just ten days after landing at
Rotterdam. We have ridden 291 miles,
through the most fertile and picturesque
parts of the country and have seen many
strange objects and scenes, some of which
1t will be next to impossible to describe
to you.
The Hollanders are large and sturdy,
fine, healthy looking people. The only
consumption seen here, apparently, is
consumption Of beef, bread and beer, and
this in unlimited quantities. This Is espec-
tally evident in the cities, where tempting
displays of food of all sorts meet the eye.
The people on the streets walk with
vigorous. elastic step, as If they had
something to do, and were bound to do it
at once; nothing loaferish in either car
riage or movement. City and village
streets are paved with stones, which Is
all right for heavy traffic, but these rough
pavements give the cycler shaking up.
Country roads in all the lower parts of
Holland are paved with brick, and are
fairly good for wheeling. II rough and
worn in parts, smooth place may be
found at the edge of the pavement, or a
well-trodden footpath. In upper, south
east Holland the roads are smooth and
hard-macadamized-a we'll shaded,
generally a row of fine looking beech
trees on either side of the street-a COM
fort to cyclers on hot, sunny day.
In the country almost every one wears
wooden shoes in the cities and towns,
working men and women and their chill
dren. Clumsy looking things they are !;
the Dutch call them clampers, an appro-
pirate, descriptive name, surely, for the
click-clack they make on the stones OF
the street is new and surprising sound
to American ears The traffic of the city
streets interests us-the big, fat, broad
backed draft horses, the many hand carts,
clumsy, heavs carts. drawn by men, wo.
men and dogs, the latter harnessed one,
two and sometimes three beneath or In
front of single cart, and on the larger
OF these carts are carried big. bulky
heavy loads that we in America should
think too much for single horse. How
the dogs bend to their load, as II they
were draft horses. Most Of them, big
and little, are bow-legged, and many o.
them have their forefeet tied up in rags
for the rough stone pavements are hare
on their feet. Poor fellows They are
the only animals that seem to have {
hard time In Holland. There is one com
forting thought in Holland haven
the time and liberty to snap and snarl q
the heels of passing wheelmen.
We landed In Holland with only TIVE
Dutch words on our tongue-hoe wee
(ho fail-how much ?)-and these, will
Dutch silver, have opened all doors to us
We have found no difficulty in making
our wants known, and all service ha
been cheerful and courteous. We hav
met with courtesy and kindness every
where. People on the highways greet u
and each other in kindly, cheerful tones
as If life was good and bright, and the,
loved their kind, even foreigners. fee
ashamed and humiliated when remem
ber how some foreigners are treated Il
In our country, and that professedl
Christian country. The domestic animal
in Holland seem more familiar with tn
English language than do the people. A
we pass the farm houses the hen sing
her morning lay and her mate crows |
English; dogs bark their welcome an
geese hiss their defiance-in English.
No wonder, then, that we have fel
quite at home riding through this strange
new country, and that we leave it wit
reluctance, with the hope that we ma
return at some future day and stay longe
We spent yesterday in this quaint, ole
historic city of Cologne, not far from II
famous cathedral, which was more tina
. 900 years in building and cost untold mi
. lions, and is to-day counted the flnes
Gothic temple In the world. 1t Is inc,
pressibly grand. To-day we begin OF
;, ride up the far-famed Rhine, of whic
you will hear in due time.
A. u. THREsHER.