Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-04
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By
chr A.M'WlllIAMSON

Frenchman sauntered NV fhe side Of the
ladies' as If to go with them to the Chateau.
Perhaps my young mistress was touched
by the look of gloom that doubtless cloud
ed my insignificant features. for she
promptly and cordially rendered me an in
vitation to go with them. you know,
Brown" she said, I'VE look on you our
guide as we'll as our chauffeur ("and
must be your watch dog, too, though 1t
isn't in the contract" grumbled to my
self. If you are going to allow every auto
mobllist who claims the right of fellowship
to thrust himself upon your.
Even Aunt Mary was impressed we
passed into the inner court Of Chambord,
and Miss Randolph (whose sympathy and
imagination throws her at once into har
mony with her surroundings drew a quick
breath of half-awed establishment at sight
Of this enormous structure, more like a city
than a single house, with its prodigious
towers, its extraordinary assemblage of pin
nacles, gables turrets. cones, chimneys and
| gargoyles. The Frenchman minced along
at her side, twirling his mustache and max
| ing great play with those long-lashed eyes
| of his I OWNED his intention to outdis-
lance us and get Miss Randolph to himself
| In the labyrinth Of vast empty rooms
through which our party was paraded by
| languid guide but thwarted him by hasten
| ing Aunt Mary's steps and keeping upon
| their heels in my new character Of watch
dog I was more annoyed than l care to
| tell you when l saw that she seemed to
| like his idiotic compliments. but when |
heard him tell her airly that Chambord
was built by Louis XIV and Miss Randolph
turned uuestioningly to me with a puzzled
little wrinkle on her forehead I felt that
my time had come
I began something reprehensively like
lecture on Chambord, putting myself by
Miss Randolph's side. and determined that
| the Frenchman should get no further
chance / pointed out the constant recur-
renee of the salamander, the emblem OF
Francis I, the builder of the house. and l
| told how he had selected this sandy waste
ha
Thoury had once lived near by. she
having been one of the earliest loves OF
| that oft-loving king. l enlarged upon the
characteristics of French renaissance ar
chitecture pointed out the unity in va
riety of the design of Pierre Nepveu. the
obscure but splendid genius who planned
the house as something between a forti-
fed castle and an Italian palace; showed
tba,n the IT entwined with a crescent on
tboSa Dorts of the house that were built
by Henry II; and sketched the history
81 tho Mace talking about Marshal SAKE,
Stanislas of Poland the revolution of 1902,
. ~ snhsanrant tanancy Of Rerthier
e , ~ ~ te1, ,,o,, +hat whom once 7 was start
"a 10 ahs;n+ha driver was bowled over
u' 49,; tmu snraa,ad oil over Chamhord
Sl,dpt for proa as VOL, a. knew how
$3.50. IL al Nv ramorLs To Miss ran
doJnb who-"tbough say it as
epap.,I5,.. .onaS 5azz,ad Nv INV Are
1919 Engiisb GIRL rnust bava been
49,, NJ ,..ith ne iH ioenar'itw nf b,red
mechanic spoutfng French history like
cba lp r,,t
Inn,r 70 sor,a d;f,arance in tho stand.
80 10y ~ E ~ IHo oS,,ootinn A,Hho, ~
Era, 81 ,.,a. 49, 90 .nd Hiss pan
do,nb and w" ninneeS into an ,ntersstine
a. -, 49, .o ; .s.o .
nf ~ ~, ~ " q. 49,, 81 Eh
nd Nv .a ~ Es,iat ~, go. 80 -
q aIno o nS r t 80 v;ta" anar;anna
JACK eAperiehce;
thronah ~ pLoia roo 49,. ~ chaMhnrd
ou,bsd the Ivnudnsf,I anbi. .tainoosc
oma ,.'a,, .ns I,'. ~ .u s'a.l
an wa $500 aoo Ia NE pn, fooi.
o, 10 81 'a t 1 Dro~n me nlieu
nan,iaa ~, ooha WIN, ans'on On. private
80 ta,,ai ' Th man d. iat VIII WIZ ISIS
when had 70 reme,ss,er that had nbnser,
to make mvseIf one Of tho nnciassed "na
~ tha othsrs oT M "a me uncisu; one
was fa,1inp. We baa 70 sat az P,o;s 8 II.
c.r that 5s,h. na au ~ &c, 70 H.ods On
anv instant Vet s1ranea ~ aav - "a "a
and ran smootb1v The son,s ,eh s,,S
dued Frenchman started inst hafora Nc
on his little Pieper and soor ontnaceS
our solid chariot. We went back To 81
Die took the road NV tbe Loire apd q,
dusk was falling crosssd tbo ca1ai
backed bridge over the great river and
went I'D the Rue Denis Penjn into Tho
ancient city of Blois The Chateau does
not show its best face To tho rivarsida
being hemmed in by other buiIdines so
drove past orr hotel and On to tho nratty
green place where the great manywin
downed Chateau snrinps eIoft ~, lie
huge foundation. ..The famons Cha+aan
of Blois." 1 remarked, waving a hand
toward it. THE old home of the kings Of
France" We all sat and looked m at
the huge, silent building. the glowing
colors of its recessed windows catcbinS
the last beams of departing dav
Il suppose its only tenants now are
ghosts" said Miss Randolph. II can i'm
agine that 1 see wicked Catherine de-
Medicis glazing at us from that high
window near the tower" II was an i'm
pressfve introduction to one of the great
est monuments of France. and after we
had gazed a little longer I turned the
car and drove back into the court
yard of the Grand Hotel de Rlois
where tame cartridges pecked at
grain upon the ground, many dogs gamboI-
ed and foreign birds bickered and chat
tered in huge cages At the entrance was
the Frenchman all eyes and eva1asbes
darling forward to helm Miss Randninh
from her car
1 grew weary to nausea of this shallow
pretentious ass with no knowledge of his
own land 1t began to shane ITSELF in NV
mind that though a gentleman in exterior.
he was the common or garden fortune.
hunter or perhaps worse. Finding a beau-
tiful American girl TRAVELLING ON .ntomoh;lo
chaperoned only by rather foolish and
pIiable aunt he fancied her an ea.v Ne,