The Washington times., 1902-09-21
BOOK n-wandering-continued.

BOOK Observation-Disclosures.
IEPPE, high and glaring white
above the water. will Away:
IL symbolic to me the gate oi
France. The nobility of thai
view remained in my thoughts when hal
the distance to Paris was traversed.
I could shut my eyes and see 1t as
lay on the straw in a post-house stable
A square hole in the front of the gren:ei
gave upon the landscape. Even respect
able houses in that part of the colntry
were then built with few or no windows;
but delicious masses of grayness they
were. rooted with thick and overhangine
thatch.
The stables Of France are nothing but
covered dunghills." Doctor Chantry
grumbled: SO when 1 crept with the In
dian to LODGINGS over the cattle, one Of
the beds in the house was hired for the
equity master. Even at inns there were
two OF three beds in room where they
set US to dine.
AN English innkeeper would throw
their furniture into the fret" he cried In
language fortuntely not understood.
But we have two good rooms on the
ground floor. and another for Skene-
donk." 1 sometimes demonstrated with
him. "at three thillings and sixpence a
day. in your money
''You would not see any man. let his
rank be what it may" Doctor Chantry
retorted, dining in his bedroom. in Eng
land. And look at these walls!-papered
with two or three kinds of paper, the
bare spots hung with tapestry moth
eaten and filled with spiders! And what
have we for table?-a board laid on
crossbars! And the oaken chairs are
rush-bottomed. and so straight the backs
are q persecution! The door hinges
creak in these inns, the wind blows
through"
So his complaints went on, for there
never was man who got so much out
OF small miseries. Skenedonk and /
must have failed to see all in our travels
that he PUT before US. For we were full
of enjoyment and wonder: at the country
people. wooden shod, the women's caps
and long cloaks: at the quiet fair roads
which multiplied themselves until we
often paused enchanted in a fairy world
OF sameness; at market towns, where
fountains in the squares were often
older than America. the country out of
which we arrived.
Skenedonk heard withou. shifting a
muscle all Doctor Chantry's grievances;
and told him we ought to cherish them.
for they were views of life We could not
take ourselves. Few people are made So
delicately that they lose color and rail
at the sight Of raw tribe brought in by
a proud hostess to show her resources
for dinner; or at a chicken coming upon
the table with its head tucked beneath
it's wing.
We are fed with poulet. poulet, moth
ing but poulet,' said Doctor Chantry,
until the poulets themselves are
ashamed to look Us in the facet"
We Jared we'll, inSeec, and the wine
was good. and my master said he must
sustain himself on it though it proved
his death. He could not march as
Skenedonk and regularly marched. We
hired a cart TO lift him and our knap-
sacks from village to village. with a
driver who knew the road to Paris.
When the distances were long we some
times mounted beside him. notIced
that the soil of this country had not
the chalk look OF other lands which |
afterwards saw to the east and north:
but Napoleon was already making good
the ancient thoroughfares.
When my master was on shipboard
he enjoyed the sea even less than the
free air Of these broad stretches; for
while he could cast an eye about and
approve Of something under the sky
perhaps a church steeple, or the color
of thatch which filled me with ioy-
he could not approve of anything aboard
a ship. Indeed, it was pity to have no
delight in cleaying the water, and in the
far-off spouting of whales. to say moth
ing of living world that rides in m
dulations For my part, / loved even
the creaking of a ship, and the uncer
tainty of ever coming to port. and The
anxiety lest black flag should show
above every sail We passed. The slow
progress of man from point TO point in
his experience, while it sometimes en-
RACES, on tie whole interests me; and
the monotony Of a voyage has a sweet
ness like the monotony of daily bread.
/ looked out of the grenier window
upon the high road. and upon the June
sun in the act Of setting; for we had
supped and gone early to rest after
hard day. Post horses we're stamping
all ready for some noble
count who intended to make another
stage of his journey before nightfau
Small obtrusiye cares. such as the
desire that my shoes should last we'll
into Paris. mingled with soy In the
smell OF the earth at sunset. and the
looking forward 10 seeing Madame de
Ferrier again. l wrapped myself every
Eight in the conviction that l should
see her, and more freely than | had
ever seen her in America.
There was a noise of horses gallon
ing, and the expected noble count ar
rived; being no other than De Chau-
mont with his post coaches. He stepped |
put OF the first, and Ernestine stepped |
put of the second. carrying Paul. She |
took him to his mother The door few