The Portland daily press., 1900-07-21

added responsibilities, led the procession,
the bride clinging to his left arm, and
both waving small tri-colored flags. Fol-
lowing, came bridesmaid and best man,
the parents and hosts of friends, all
carrying long sticks wound with ribbons,
which when fourished before one's face,
shot out punches of red, white and blue.
paper. "Ihere;s another and another,
we cried excitedly, counting fifteen pro-
cessions. Breathlessly, we followed to
the inn to see the dancing and merry
making, all most ''comme il fault, "
laughing heartily when the children
shook the bridal favors in our faces.
Then the different couples were photo
graphed in various stiff and unnatural
positions, the band played merrily, all
making typical French holiday. One
of the charms of our life abroad is our
complete independence Our horizon is
bounded by no dinner bell. We compre-
hended more fully our blessed condition
when we tried to plan some pleasure trips
with friend. cts coffee and rolls at
eight, dejeuner at eleven, luncheon at
two, dinner at seven. How can 1 go?'
Lifting our voices in devout thanksgiv-
ing that our days were not so hedged
about with meals, we went our way re-
joicing more than ever in our two cool,
comfortable apartments where we had
the privilege of brewing our special brand
Of tea, night and morning, dining when
and where we pleased, meeting and
knowing people and their customs, in a
way not possible to hotel soiourners.
None but thrifty housewife can under
stand the satisfaction of buying a pint
bowl full of radishes, no larger round
than the little finger and half its length,
fresh from the garden for three cents.
What feasts of strawberries and cherries
for few confines have we not enjoyed
In shady hooks 1t was in the garden OF
the Luxembourg one Sunday afternoon,
after feasting on pictures and statuary in
the gallery, that we made our first ac-
quaintance, under the tree-lined walks,
with hot, wafer-lilze waff1es, sugar pow
dered. Transparent in texture, their
delicious crispness outlasts all recollec-
lions of tempting viands eaten at the
most expensive table d 'hote. Invigorated
by our al fresco meal we spent an hour
in Saint Sulpice, listening to the grand
organ and the three hundred voices in the
choir, it being the high feast of Whitsun-
tide.
The motley crowds at the Exposition
furnish endless picturesque scenes, as
we'll as amusing Incidents. We longed
for camera and bright sun as we stood,
late in the afternoon, in the Rue de
Paris, watching long line of peasants,
men and women, passing arm in arm,
singing their native chansons. The
women, from five to fifty and over, all
wearing huge mob caps with tapping
friIls. Swarthy Arabs chatted in groups,
their towering height making more
noticeable the extremely short stature of
Frenchmen as a race. Dancing girls
from Turkey, jewellers in Mesopotamia
wherever that may -be) all sorts and con-
di5ions Of men and women from every
cline and country, are to be found here.
1t behooYes one to carefully consider be-
fore even listening to the voice of the
charmer, who, in abbreviated skirts and
waist stands in front of theaters, singing
and dancing palaces, entieing the I'M
wary. One who knew whereof he spoke
claimed that nearly a hundred dollars
was required to visit the innumerable at
fractions of the Exposition. Following
the advicle of the wise man, we avoided
the 'Upside-down hail." with its clum-
silly arranged mirrors, we ignored piano.
ramas, but the 'Palais de Danse" made
good all and more than it promised. Six
ETHEREAL beings in rainbow-hued cloud
like draperies, foated at will in mid air.
at times posing on the stage, their gauzy
scarfs twining and floating about them,
forming ravishing pictures of color and
motion. France, personifed by a beau
tiful woman as the goddess of the Exposi
ton, received all the nations of the
world, being especially affectionate in her
greeting Of Russia, regal woman in
ermine- bordered robes. With arms en-
tWined the two led the procession of
nations. Then followed the national
dances of all countries, concluding with
a wild medley representing a masked
ball Never before that day did we
comprehend the absolute necessity of
Possessing even the smallest Of French
vOcabularies. 'What shall we do?''
There was such hopeless concentrated
misery in the voice which at intervals re-
iterated its appealing inquiry, that
Christian charity made us glance at the
table next to ours as we sat down in
Duval Restaurant. Two men, unmis-
takably from the far western part of
America, were YEARLY hopping their
brows looking from menu to maid in
dazed, helpless fashion, inconc1evably lu-
dicrous. Its hard luck, broke in the
companion of the voice, after running
round every tree in the forest of Vim
SHINES trying to lind something on ex-
hibition from America and seeing moth
Ing but trees, trees, trees, to bring up
dead beat and hungry, where no one
lrT, q 0rH Of 15~~ Il