Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-11
.;;,,a<zdz!elightning
|'{<||''sSsS~C6nductor
+ \ n
by
chr AMWuLlAMSON

AFTER Langeais. When we came out from
viewing the interior" as the guide-books
say. walked all round the chateau again,
looking up at the carved chimneys and the
scuiptured windows. the charming turrets.
and the slipping roof Of blue gray slate: all
SO ngnt and elegant. seeming to say. Come
ana live here. You will be happy" Oh,
they have some lovely things in Europe.
tnat we can never have In our new coun-
try! We've good excuse for wanting to
come over here. But it's so good to feel
that the things are for us. and for every
body-not just for England, or France or
Italy. as the case may be-
tomorrow we are going to try and see
three chateaux-Usse. and Luynes. and Chi
non. Wen come back to Tours and our
dear Hotel de rUnivers; but the day after
goodbye to both: and how-do-you-do.
postscript. I haven't given you a real. char
acteristic postscript for a long time.
Evening: and Loches
Here I am again." as Jack-in-the- Box
says. And we've done all the things I said
we were going to. But I'm too full of
LOches and too excited about Loches to tell
you anything Of yesterdays three castles.
except to fling them an adjective or two.
and pass on. Let me see. what adjective,
since I've confined myself to one. shall
give Usse? Splendid" :! think. Interest
1t deserves lot more. II only for it's his
tory. And ell-"magnifcent" must do for
Chinon. Perhaps 1t has the most beautiful
H.
forgotten its existence till 1 dug 1t up for
myself in Quentin Durward. and the guide
books. to which Aunt Mary Is SO faithfui.
don't do it any sort of Justice They don't
tell you to go to see 1t. whatever else you
must make up your mind to miss. Why.
Aunt MS particular pet devoted almost as
much space to the queer little rock village
of Rochecorbon. whose lighted windows
gIared at us like cats eyes away up high
above the road. one dark evening twhen
we'd been belated after an excursion) get
ting back to Tours.
Luckily the Lightning Conductor appre-
ciated Loches at its true value. and told me
1t was well worth making short detour.
as we must-tO see. We had TO go out OF
our way as far as place called Cormery'
but that was nothing and yesterday morn
ing early we started. 1t was the f1rst spark
ling blue-and-gold day We have had Tor
while; it seemed as II 1t must have come
to show what We might expect II We hur-
ried on there. The air was like champagne
or vouvray-and we spun along at our
very best on the smooth. wide Route ma
fionaIe our faces turned toward Provence
as a graceful compliment for the gift OF
We have a neat little trick of getting
to places Just In time for lunch vg aHd
hardly driven into the town oefore L
fell in love with its auaintness; put l
didn't fall In love with the hotei IN
til I'd been surprised with perfectly de-
iicious dejeuner. Then 1 let myself go;
and when I'd seen how pretty the old
IA shioned bed rooms were 1 begged to stay
all night instead Of going on Browh
seems to regard my requests as II they
we're those Of royalty-commands. and he
rearranged our program accordingly; II,
writing In a green -and-pfnk damask oei
room now but when I shut my eyes can
see the castle and the dungeons ana.Ma VA.
dame Cesar Yes, I think 1 can find my
wav back for your benefit, and return on
our own tracks. FOO, 70 tb.
First, like a promising preface. TO the
ruined stronghold of the terrible Louis we
vent through a massive gateway, hanked
with towers, and climbed up Winning
street Of ancient, but not decreplt housss'
to come out at last upon plateau WIN
the gigantic walls of the castle on on,
left When / remembered who causeu
those outworks and walls to be put up. so
high and grim and strong, and why, Ieit
a little creep" run up my SPINE at . S1sne
of the enormous mass of stonework VINO
enters here leaves hope behind might
have been written over the gateway IN tile
dreadful days when Loches was IN lts
wicked prime Those walls are colossal,
like perpendicular cliffs. At door In one
Of them we tlnkled bell. and presently
with loud unlocking of double doors quite
a pretty young girl appeared ana lnVlleo
nc In She was the daughter or the gar
dien she told us. It was almost a shock
TO see something so fresh and young Nv,
ing in such forbidding. torture haunted
den as Louis Chateau OF Loches. Sne was
blossoms springing out from Granny OF
the gray wallis. When she had lighted
rather a smelly lantern we prepared 10
follow into the Businesses OF the cas.le;
r. ever that good old double-dyed word
could be appropriate. 1t is to Loches. l
never thoroughly realized before the awfui
might Of kings in feudal ana meoieval
DAYS To think that LOUIS NJ mao ti,e
mower to build such place. and to hustle
his enemies away forever out OF the sun,
shine behind those tremendous walls ana
hurry them in the yard-square Gems mol
lowed in the thickness or t Inc s' stiTr;nr
times, but changed my mind tooay-teih-
porarily ,s-, -s.4
In the middle Of the fortress is an enor,
nous SQUARE white keep so heavy: SOHO
and imposing that it seer: seems 81 more nan iT Down
steep. winding steps in tower we 1oI-
lowed our guide into the dungeons VIZ
that unspeakable Louis shut up the peopie
ha vas afraid to leave in the world. WaV-
TO her1a11tern in the dusk. the girl snow,
ad us where the wretched prisoners mao
tried to keep themselves from MADNESS ny
painting on the roof and Walls; III uiio
ncaJI q hfsbBp had cut into the solid wall a
little altar Just where slantlng ray oi
sunshine stole through grazing ana DC
casionally laid small patch OF nght LOT d
few minutes. only to snatch IL away a go.
ca.aral nf the cells were just black hoies
scooned out of the rock, and there IL seem
ed to have been Louis delight to put some
of the most important prisoners-men VINO
had lived like princes. and had power over
life and death in their own countries.
Oh. do YOU remember willy Cardinal ba-
1ue? I'VE been refreshing my memory
ne him in Quentin Durward, hating MIN
SraadfuIly: but 1 did have spasm OF
nitv when 1 saw the big. well-like place
Where he was suspended for SO many years.
,i,1e an imprisoned canary. In a wooden
naSe because he betrayed Louis secrets
to the Duke of Burgundy. Henry James
saws in a fascinating Tauchnftz volume 1
boncht in Tours GA Little Tour In France).
that CARDINAL Balue survived much longer
than might have been expected this ex-
traordinary mixture of seclusion and ex-
nosure.'' Isn't that just the cunningest
way of expressing 1t!
{ Last of all we went up to the top of
high tower in the midst Of the chateau,
and there, DIS If we'd been on the mast
head of a ship. we had bird's-eye view
Of the pretty white town. with the Indre
murmuring by in sedgy meadows outside.
There were some wonderful old cuttings
in the stone made by the soldiers who
acted as sentinels and prisoners guards;
and Aunt Mary kodaked me as sat
studying them. We could spy. across the
plateau of the castle. the tomb of Agnes
Sorel and decided to go to 1t: but we left
the poor girl till SO late, finally. that We
could only see her glfmmering white in
af7~y ~ marble with SWeetiy reE.gned