Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13
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By
C.N.& A.M'WILLlAMSON

their winter house In the forest This place.
looking over the sea, was for summer; the
other was now more agreeably sheltered
The house in the forest sounded we'll in
the ears of the Goddess, so We drove on
to find it. according to the directions of
Madame Feras. The Napier spun us up a
den surrounding an Alhambra sort of
place. which Aunt Mary thought real
gay" being bitterly disappointed to find
it was not our hotel. but Arcachon's
practically the beginning of the Vile
oliver. a quaint and delightful collection
of villas which look as II they had been
scattered like ornate seeds among the
crowding pine of the Landes. OF these
seeds the "Continentar is the most I'M
posing, and. by the way, this climate would
suit you. l should think; it's an extraordi-
nary combination of pine and sea air.
which would make a doctors fortune as
tonic. If he could cork it up in bottles.
AS both hotels are run by the same man
agement. feared gossip if went down to
the Grand and did the Doctor Jekyll
act; so l cautiously remained MIR. Hyde,
alias Brown. and was serf among other
serfs. After dinner in the society of maids
and Wallets (whose manners and converSa-
ton would have given me ripping copy
if were a journalisD stole out to cleanse
my mind with a draught of pure air and a
look at the sky. A cat may look at king,
and a chauffeur may walk on a terrace
built for his betters, especially If the bet
drawing rooms, with every window aDx
iously closed. 1 awaited myself of this
privilege. for the hotel has a fine terrace.
AS 1t was apparently empty, l sauntered
along with my nose In the air and my eyes
on the stars. letting my footsteps take care
of themselves. Suddenly there was star
tied OH in familiar voice. and l be-
came aware that l had collided with the
Goddess. who had also been thinking of
the stars and not of her feet-whch. by
the by, I very often think of, as they are
| the prettiest / ever saw.
instantly clapped my pipe in my pocket.
where 1t revenged itself on me for neglect
| ing to put it out by burning hole through
| to my skin. l apologized, and would have
| taken my humble chauffeury self away but
my mistress detained me. What is that
wonderful, faraway sound, Brown" she
asked in the delicious way she has Of ex-
pecting me to know everything, as il L
were an encyclopaedia and she'd only to
turn over my leaves to como to new
fact.
l stopped breathing to listen; Id do II
permanently to please her. And there was
sound-a wonderful sound. If [ hadn't
been thinking about her and .ha stars
should have been conscious of it before
Out of the night-slence the sound seemed
To grow. and yet be a part OF the silence
or rather, to intensity the nea. silence by
IT'S distant booming, deep and onnouss like
pacified. At first 1 thought it must he
rush OF wind surging through the mighty
pine forest; but not a dark branch moved
against the spangled embroidery OF stars
though the air seemed family to yibrate
with the continuous. solemn note SUD.
denly the meaning of the sound came to
me- 1t was the majestic music of the At
ldhtlc SURF beating on the bar ten miles
away. But 1t was too divine standing Their,
III the night with Her in silence For a
moment had not the heart to speak and
tell her of my discovery A faint 1sbt
came 10 us from the stars and from the
could just see her face and her
lovely great eyes looking I'D ,ues;ion-
ingiy in absolute confidence nj mo
t 20 That wouldn't 1 have given just then
had been that girl wouldn't have got hack
INTO the house without being PROMISED TO
anu. anu having another scalp to count, as
they say American beauties do Not tbat
l think she'd be thcl kind ! don't L,n
how long j shouldn't have tried to maIa
me magic of the moment last if Aunt Mary
ne fa uli bounced out Of the hotel done up
IN shawl like large parceD to cali
molly! Molly, It's time you came inr,
Molly didn't move. but Aunt Mary de-
scenoed the steps, relentless as fate: so T
ns the most OF my information. and add
cd short disquisition of Arcachon oysters
ana oyster fishing, for the sake of retain
ing the Goddess society Unfortunately
however, happened to remark that the
oyster women wore trousers. exactly like
the men, and this so disguised Miss Kedi
son that she incontinently dragged her
niece from the contamination of the chauf
feur presence.
Next day was Sunday Miss RandoInb
went to the English church. which 10 tba
prettleSt I've ever seen in France and
a1terward, escorted by the chaplain with
whom she q made friends, went forth to see
the sights. while | inquired as to how VIC
might best proceed upon our way While
Miss Randolph and Miss Kedlson read their
prayer books l studied that useful volume
Les Routes de rance and was ~
m OF
the Landes. The one thing to do accord
ing 10 the oracle, to return to Ror
aea1X and make a long detour to Bayonne
by Mont de Marsan | knew Miss Ran
doiph would dislike this plan, for she hates
gong back, and so do I. If l had been
alone, or with you. | would have CHANGED
II without moments hesitation, making
straight for Bayonne by way of the forbid
den Landes, with all its pitfalls But /
funked the idea of perhaps getting her into
mess-and hearing Aunt Mary say. Il
there's any trouble.
10 my Joy however. plucky Parson Rad
cliff had actually advanced the idea of the
l!andes during their excursion, and the
CIodueSS sent for me on Sunday evening
tull OF enthusiasm. Far be 1t from me f0
dampen the ardor of youth; and early on
Monday morning we started to follow the
| route La Teste, Sanguinet PARENTS Va
hOuN, LlpOsthey, which names reminded
MISS Randolph of "GulliVer's Travels
ohe ana were in fine spirits, expecting
| Tue unexpected, ana brdcfng ourselves 10
| encounter difficulties There was rystarv
| In the very thought of the I.andes-that
! strange waste of forest and sand so little
| known outside it's own people | felt il and
| 50 did Miss Randolph. / knew. How I
, knew couldn't explain to you: bur some
| electric current usually communicates her
| mood to me. and L should almost believe
| from various signs that it was so with her
| IN regard to me if | weren't a mere chauf-
| feur in the ladys paw
fof some distance the going was good.
put we were only reading the preface to the
| true Landes as yet; and when we reached
! the boundary post between the department
or the Cironde and the real Landes there
| was one of those sudden complete changes
| We mentioned in the quality of the road
| 10 drive into this dim, pineclad region was
| IKE driving back into the years a century
| or TWO motor car was an anachronism
| and II we came to grief our blood was upon
| our own heads The way became grass
| grown and rutty. and was Obliged to drive
| slowly. Deeper and deeper we penetrated
| into the forest, and deeper and deeper also
! we sank into the soft earth. Aunt Mary
gIoaned and prophesied disaster as we
| crawled along In ruts up to our axles; but
think Miss Randolph and | would have
perlshed sooner than retreat. / trusted in
| the Napier and she trusted in me- In one
! pace tie road had been mended with q
| covering of loose rocks rather than stones
| we painted and crunched our way owe,
| them, enormously to the establishment O,
the road members and one or two dark.