Evening star., 1900-10-06
Types of People Who Go to Europe
on Fools Errands.
THE REAL AND THE MAKE BELIEVE
As a Rule the Husband Gets the
Worst of 1t.
SOME UNUS AL CAS- E S
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
PARIS. September -, 1900.
Certainly the American girl and her moth
er make a pleasing picture as they career
through the European pilgrimage of art
and culture; but what about the father or
the husband who so patiently RENTS the
wherewithal? Sometimes they come over on
a flying trip to bask in the effulgence of the
newly acquired art and culture, and then
the favored females not altogether kind
to them. The exposition year has been so
fertile in these exhibitions of feminine self
ishness that 1 have been kept in a continual
wonder and admiration of the patience and
charity of the American man. The Ameri-
Is a good thing" where his wo-
men folks are concerned.
Not long ago in Geneva l met an obvious
ly overworked American gentleman in the
first flush of his first tourist trip through
Switzerland. Gloating over gaily colored
railway guide books, he enthusiastically
combined excursion after excursion HIS
wan lined face was lighted up with cheer
fulness. Il tell you sir. this Swiss trip is
something I've been dreaming Of for years,
he said. Il intend to revel in the grand
railway scenery, the diligence rides, lake
excursions. mountain ascensions, the
changes from one good hotel to another, the
constant variety of i'll need 1t! m book
Ing myself at last for historical Geneva,
romantic Lucerne, the Bernese Overland
and the falls OF the Rhine! Ny wife, or
course. has seen it all before in her prevl-
European trips, but L never had the
time.
End of All His Hopes.
The poor mans case was simple. Con-
nected with the exposition. he had worked
himself almost ILL., and this two weeks
Swiss trip was to set him up. How was 1t,
then, that five days later l found him still
In Geneva listessly loungng from one
hnr IN
viously depressed he had been exalted?
''How is il you linger here?" we could not
help asking. why are you not on your
travels?"
my wife brought her sealskn along to
have IT made over" was his explanation.
''You know Geneva Is the cheapest place In
Europe for furs. The making over of that
coat is delaying US"
Five days lost already!
But you've got your tickets all right
NO" he answered. I'm not sure that we
shall have the time TO get around It after
all. You see. my wife, who has great
talent for art. has discovered an excep-
tionally picturesque village just OUTSIDE lhe
town here and she wants TO go there Tor
four or five days to make some pictures
after have finished with the sealskln. III
will be a great opportunity for her.
The ira gedy marked IN the man
face yet he uttered no complaint 1t dlo
not occur to him, you may be sure. that
the. outra geous selfshness of that woman
was something hewas not necessarily bound
to put up with. His trip was smashed.
The first week must be spent lounslhg
about sun-baked Geneva, waiting on that
wretched sealskin, the second sacrificed to
crafty the ladys "sketching" vanity yet
all was well. l recalled his words: My
wife. of course, has done the round before.
OF course. she had.
The sake of Art.
Now I saw just such another case in
Paris at the opening of the exposition A
struggling newspaper correspondent had
been overpersuaded by his young wife to
bring her along to Paris. the two to live on
the resources Of one in an exceptionally
expensive city, at an exceptionally expen-
sive period. You would suppose that, con-
scious Of the sacrifices he was making. the
girl would have been on the alert not TO
hamper the poor fellow in his work, at
least No such thing This correspondent,
who ought TO have been able to live in the
bright, moving center OF Paris, amid the
exposition razzle and hurrah in order TO
catch up-tO-date matter, was forced by the
lovely parasite TO take up residence In
lost corner Of the Latin quarter, to be near
Julian Academy in which she purposed to
pose a Paris art student for three
months! II seems that she had done some
photograph colorng in the days before her
marriage. on the strength of this she was
''artistic.'
Il owe it to my wife" the good innocent
fellow explained 10 everybody, Ito give her
every artistic advantage of this Paris trip.
took her away from her art, you see. and
so L feel a certain obligation" Her art,
forsOoth! We asked her: Have you been
Keeping up your art during your three years
of mIrriage2' No, ii seems she had not
kept it up at all. Perhaps she had been
too busy? No, she had been boring herself
II death in (say) Chicago boarding house,
while her husband went business trips.
Yet there fine art school in that very
city. How was ii her love of art did not
draw her 10 il, during those three years of
boardn ng house ennui? Well. 1t di,. not.
The truth IS the girl had no more art voca-
ton than you or l. but she had ideal to
satisfy, she must be art student in the
Paris Latin quarter; and 10 get there she
was willing TO risk running her husbands
Paris work.
How the Plan worked.
The Parisians have word for such char
Rcters. They are ''caboains,'' the refer
ence being primarily to actors and ac-
tgesses, who, from posing the stage in
their parts, descend to posing all through
life. The little Cabotine! She let her pa
tient husband walk his shoes out, between
the opera quarter, the exposition and the
little three rooms IN the Eaugirard suburb
they called home. A dozen times he
missed important events, because he lacked
the courage TO foot IL to them, because he
arrived too late, or simply because, being
cut Of the world. he did not get to hear of
them And the ludicrOus part of it was
that the lady herself had not the steadfaSt-
ness to persevere with the ideal. She found
the Paris art students pretentious. They
criticised her drawing. why. that's just
"i'ti' 'eiilc ~ lGdiL, SIe "Oulu eSCIalHt,
In self Justification There are plenty Of
things about art they do not know them
Selves. For example, not one of them has
even seen an air pencil,' Helas, Hers was
"air pencil art.
A Remarkable Case.
Sometimes one runs across almost in
credibly funny cases. Two years ago,
crossing the Atlantic a Red Star boat |
had the honor 10 make the acquaintance of
a pretty young woman whose fiirtations-
Transatlantic liner firtatiuns-were par
ticularly mild and discreet. Later on her
"slowness was explained The lady was
married.
The lady married and like the sad
man in Chaunccy Depew's after-dinner
story, she was taking her bridal trip with
out her dear companion. Only this one was
not sad. She discreet. mild. but not
SAD Hers was gentle, kindly gayety that
rose. ON moonlight nights, to CHEEKY seuti-