Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13

/ u.s. like PEaTaonS cndf1Ot III the IScu y
we came upon a rambling village, caiiea
| PARENTS. AS II to announce the arrival OF
! the first motor car ever seen In the oin
| forgotten Landes, the on front tyre Degan
to hiss II told you SOL" said Aunt MARY
| My eyes and Miss Randolphs met. and we
both burst out laughing. 1t was great
| liberty in me, and though l couldn't have
| helped 1t to save my neck, and became pre-
| ternaturally solemn afterward as PEN
| arce l don't believe that the lady shoaid
| like to have for aunt-in-law Will ever
forgive me- She ought, however, as TINS
| was our first accident with the Napier,
| while with poor little Miss Randolphs late
| esteemed Dragon, one breakfasted, iuncheu,
dined and supped on horrors. Besides the
| Dragon invariably schemed to do its worst
| far from human aid, while my long-suner-
| ing Napier had brought us to the very
| courtyard of the village Inn before Gas
Miss Randolph expressed IT. sitting down
| to rest
| Inside this convenient courtyard l set
| about doing the repairs, lacking up tns
| car, taking off the tyre, patching II. anu
getting it on again In twenty minutes;
not bad for an amateur mecanicien All
the people of the inn and many OF the VII
| layers gathered round te-see the great
sight, and Aunt Mary consoled herself by
| showing off somewhat eccentric French 10
the landlady and her family
There were three generations IN TINS
group took time to notice. bowed anu
| Wrinkled old dame; her daughter, strong
| sad-faced woman in black; and a golden
haired granddaughter. about the prettiest
| creature I ever saw-bar one. And 1t was
| charming to see my Goddess laying her
| self out to be nice to the trio. Her per
| sonality (Which is the last WORD IN Well
| groomed high-strung, vivacious american
| girlhood) contrasted strikingly with these
| countryWomen, who had perhaps never
| been outside their own forest l couldn
| hear what she was saying, but she mas the
| most extraordinary way OF always nittlns
| on the right thing to please and interest,"
| people, without departing from truth or
| descending to fattery. All three gazed at
her with delight and admiration. the little
| beauty of the Landes with deepening color
| and wstful eyes No Frenchwoman. no
Englishwoman. woman save an Ameri-
can Of the best type, could have exactly
| that manner which is indescribaoie to one
who doesn't know. Strange for vision
| like that to fash into these quiet lives,
| then flash away, never to be seen again
| only remembered
| 1t was too early for luncheon, but as we
| had had the shelter of the inn l wanted
| to order something for "the good of the
! house" l accordingly asked for Bordeaux
and biscuits, and the pretty rose of a
granddaughter brought bottle of-what
do you think? Pontet Canet! 1t was nee
| tar and cost-three francs bottle!
! When we drove away Miss Randolph was
| reflective. l would have liked to offer
penny for her thoughts, but that sort of
| Indulgence is not in the sphere of a chauf-
| feur. Presently she broke out. however
| Did you ever see anything so lovely as
that girl?" she exclaimed. She's all white
| ana SOIu ana rose. f1ST pitSeHCe III thai
sonber place reminds me of shaft of
warm. golden light breaking through the
dark canopy of pines. She's like a maiden
| in Hans Christian Andersen. And her
| names Angelo. Isn't that perfect. 1t seems
! cruel that such creature. who would make
a sensa ton in Paris or London or New
| York. must bloom and ripen and wither
at last, unknown, in that wilderness. Oh,
| how 1 should love to snatch her away?'
| What would you do with her, miss, If
you could?' 1 ventured to ask. at my
humhlest-which in Aunt Mary's eyes is my
best. Would you take her for your
maid?''
"A maid?" echoed my Goddess scornful-
| ly. why, if 1 meant such crime as
that, l should expect white bears to come
out of these woods and devour me. No;
| would give her pretty dresses, and ar
range a good marriage for her.
rs that what young. girls In America
| like, miss l meekly inquired. Ito have
marriages arranged for them?"
| mo; they hate it, and go away from
America to show that they hate it-some-
times; but this would be different. said
| she. And l wondered If she had accident
| ally betrayed anything.
| At Liposthey we struck the direct road,
with good surface, from Bordeaux to Bay
| onne Thus on through I.abouheyre to Cas-
| tets, still walled in with dark, balsamic
| forest, where we lunched. Just beyond,
| however. we found that we were bidding
| the pines farewell, and we were regretting
| them despite the beauty of the road-in-
| creasing every moment-when suddenly we
| had great surprise. At what precise point
1t came 1 don't quite know. for 1 was
snatched up out of the dull fatland' of
| facts. Miss Randolph driving, and l
was glancing interestedly about as an in
| telligent young man of the working class
may, when away to the left 1 saw up in
| the skies a long chain of blue, serrated
| mountains looking far too high to belong
| to this world. l started on my seat then
Miss Randolph saw what l saw. "Oh-h"
| she breathed. with a responsive sigh of APP
| nrpcia ton Not adiactiVe. a word
| l blessed her for that Unfortunately, Aunt
| Mary seized this moment to awake. and
she did not spare us fireworks. She never
| does. She is one of those women who in
sist upon your knowing that they have
soul for beauty. But she went to sleep
| again when she had used up all her rock
cts, and left the Goddess and me alone
with the Pyrenees. Much nearer Bayonne We
| had another surprise-a notice, in English,
by the roadside: "To the Guards Cemetery"
An odd sign to come across in France,
| nest ce pas, mon brave? And just as l was
calling up the past. Miss Randolph ex
| claimed: II wonder if your Napier is any
relation to that Napier" which shows that
she has the peninsular campaign at her
finger ends; or else Aunt Mary has been
examining her out of a guide book.
| 1t was not late in the afternoon when
we crossed the bridge over the Adour (she
says the proverb. Don't cross your bridges
| till you get to them" can't apply to
France, you're always getting to them
but already the sky was FURNISHED with
sunset, ana II thefe anything inner than
grand and ancient fortified gateway turn
| ed to copper by the sun. l don't know it. I
advised Miss Randolph to come back one
day from Biarrdtz, if stayed long
| enough to see the exquisite old glass win
dow for which the Bayonne cathedral is
| famous: but it was too late to pause for
| such details windows then, so we flew
| on along the switchback road over the re-
naming five miles to BiarritZ. Here, in this
agreeable town, We play about till 1 have
orders from headquarters to proceed Our
program is now to go straight along the
| Pyrenees to Marseilles. and to Nice. All.
| if only l get her to go on to Italyi
| You had better address me next at the
| Riviera Palace, Cimez. We are to pause
at Pau, call at Carcassonne, and honor
! other places en- route to the Riviera, so
there ought TO be ample time for this long
screed to reach you and for you to send
reproach or praise to Nice Tell me about
yourself; how you are what you read;
what girl you love
Your sincere. but somewhat selfish friend,
| JACK WINSTON.
| Go be continued Monday
The Proper Time.
From Life
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