St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-08-22

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autographs testimonial to be given
me at end of our days sightseeing,
if had shown myself able to deliver
the goods agreed upon. This was
fame enough and compensation
enough to satisfy even Cook for l
have an autograph fever (old stamps
are not in my line) and now | said
my collection is sure of a valuable
addition. The sequel of my story
shows how near | came to a bitter
disappointment.
We started out from the Continen-
tai and soon saw from the north side
of the Seine the tomb-like exterior OF
the United States building in the
Avenue of Nations. The entrance
door was soon reached. 1t was
closed, but my impulsive knock was
at once responded to by a genial
faced young man, United States
Government official, who very
courteously informed me that the
building was closed that day as the
Commissioner General, Mr.. Peck,
was to give a small dinner party
that evening. "What" l said IAN
other dinner party? This is the
fifth which | have come in contact
with" Eyes" he said another this
evening and very select" This last
was said to make all unlimited more
reconciled to their fate. l said that
| was from New York and had with
me a party of foreign friends who
wanted very much TO spend one day
in examining various United States
exhibits, and we naturally came first
to the United States pavilion only to
find it closed, and this for the fifth
time, so far as my personal visits
were concerned. The exterior of the
building, | said, seems open to public
view, and this has so little to COM
mend it as compared with buildings
of other nations that | had hoped to
see the interior and find there suf-
hcient beauty and taste to redeem
the unfortunate impressions made
by the outside. My eloquence was
in vain. The young man was of fall
blooded Cassabianca- breed, left on
deck to perform certain duties and
he did them. Through a crack in
the door l then said to him II re-
present paper in the United States
which was old and respected when
you were born and can l have two
minutes of your time in which to
propose few conundrums, that l
may assure the editor of my endeav-
or in Paris to get at the truth
Of some of the American gossip float
ing about hotel corridors" He as
sented, and | first asked him if it
was true that the United States
building was the personal property
of Mr.. Peck and that ultimately it
would find a permanent home in
America and be used as a mausole.
UNI. Upon this subject he could give
no positive information. | then
asked him if it was true that the
architect of the building as reward
for his genius, had been treated like
that famous Russian architect, who
erected the most beautiful of all the
buildings within the Kremlin-walls,
and whose eyes were put out to pre-
vent his genius from planning some
thing finer. On this subject too, he
was silent. | asked him if it was
true that some English people were
negotiating for the building with the
plan of locating it near the Obelisk
on the Thames embankment. To
this he replied that it might be so, as
he had overheard some Englishman
say that the building was in many
respects quite like the Mahdi's tomb
which once stood at Khartoum, but
had floated down the Nile on the
arrival of Lord Kitchener, to make
way for western civiliza ton. | then
asked him when he left the West and
how he liked Paris. He said II am
from the West, but how did you
know it ?" For two reasons"
said, first, | have not seen an East
ern man officially connected with the
Exposition, and seond, the flavor
of your tongue betrays you. AS to
your state home | bet 16 to
that you are from Nebraska, for
know Buffalo Bill, and have seen the
photograph Of Bryan and you pos.
sess in a remarkable degree the
sturdy, heroic look of the former