The sun., 1903-10-18


They are the kind Of sweet, half meaty
yellow grapes you buy in Paris by the pound
for 10 cents when labelled "Fontainebcau,
and down to six cents when not labelled
In autumn the great industry OF Sceallx IL
labelling Sceaux grapes AFontainebleHnx.
In springtime Sceaux is occupied, in the
same way, n,scalling Sceaux Strawberries
Belgian.
In springtime the landscape is all pink
and perfumed with strawberries, growing
In great fields without a sign OF fences
Come in autumn. and the greens and blues
and yellows Of the vineyards will stirin you
. now poetic yearning.
Iyearned the first time; and as there was
no fence stepped from the road to choose
my bunch. At the same moment there
popped up from somewhere a hefty old
soldier fourishing glitterlng sword
ave told you not to- said lady OF the
party. "Now you are in for a proces-
rerbdH'
"Who is the sword bearer2" asked, "and
why does he swing that dangerous weapon?'
He is a oordc champetre.' she said
briefly; and for sure they are curious In
stitution.
For the most part they are veteran SOL
diers retired from the active service and
employed by thousands in all parts OF rural
France in this strange kind Of police duty.
They wear military caps and trousers, long
blue blouses and broad sword belts that
fall from shoulder to hip dis ,onally.
Your family name. Christian name, age,
domicile, profession, nationality, sex and
yearly income, if you please" were the first
words of this specimen.
"Give them" my friends insisted, "and
you will be fined 81 at the worst. Refuse,
show fight or run, and he will blow his
whistle. Then the nearest of his brethren
would blow his and come running; also
country lads with clubs also their mothers
ana fathers The whole countryside could
be stirred up in twenty minutes"
what do these old soldiers do besides
watching vineyards?' asked.
"They watch tho rural districts as police
men watch the town. My boy Harry
wanted to go shooting rabbits ! bought
him hunting permit, The first day he
had to show it to five or six Of these gdrdes
chdmpetres.
I'VE made a picnic party one day last
month. When we had spread our cloth
by the side Of a nice creek, one of them
took our names and addresses because we
we're trespassing on private property
They look after tramps, make notes
from their papers and report them"
What papers?"
Every tramp, like every other citizen
and foreigner who is not mere tourist.
has his papers have my passport and
my strangers declaration. stamped and
countersigned by the Prefecture Of Police
in Paris M. Dupont, my French teacher
here. carries his birth certificate, certifi-
cate Of military service election card last
rent receipt, and certified copy Of his
divorce decree"
"The latter by coquetry only, monsieur, v
said the French teacher. MY electors
card would be sufficient, it supposng the
others
DO tramps have such papers?"
They seldom have election cards. because
they have lost the privilege by undergoing
condemnations. Regularly they travel on
their military booklet, showing they have
done their service or been discharged as
physically unfit
When the old soldier had finished writing
down the story of my life, there came up
. stout and perspiring lady.
"The proprietress of these vineyards, y
introduced the gdrde champetre.
Madame" said. Il want to buy grapes,
was examining your stock when this mon
sieur came up
go to one of the fruit shops or grocers
La cfr of
answered.
They charge Paris prices: and their
grapes have lost their virgin bloom In
deed, they look jolted,'
"Why not, seeing they have come from
Paris:" said the lady.
THAT is it. want grapes fresh from your
vines. am here to take the grape cure"
Il am under contract to deliver every
bunch in Paris" she said
1t was final; and in the wiloe country
side there is n like fnality. The wife OF
my friend Brown says it was the same this
summer with the strawberries-"th though
my poor George came to take the straw
berry cure for rheumatism; he could not
get a berry that had not come first from
Paris
The Browns solved the difficulty by going
to board in hotel in the Valley Of the Wolf,
whose proprietor had some fine strawberry
patches and no obligation to the middle
men of Paris. And as there are but two
ways to live in Sceaux, this makes third
and perhaps the best.
One way is to find furnished room and
eat meals in the cake shop Of the Main
street This is aristocratic, because even
the great ones of the neighboring chateaux
stop at the cake shop for refreshments
when out driving.
OF hotels there is none: willie to eat in
the wine shops Of the town marks one Off
at once as an offender against bourgeois
social order. The other way is to take a
week of in following false clues to find a
private family. 1t is MS easy to break int o
banks as into French families.
Even the old ladies who rent rooms with
out board want a special excuse 10 lake
you in.
we will say that you have beer recon-
mended TO me by your Paris doctor and
that you are here 10 take the douohes Of
the Etablisscment Hydrotherapique!" said
the first one We tried
She would let her vast room, "overlookirg Z,
as 1t does. the Valley of tho Wolf by day
and far below by night the lights Of Paris
IA l.. t.. Al, L