Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-22

HOTEL DU LOUVRE, MarSellleS.
December 10.
My Dear Monte:
We have Just been passing through some
of the most interesting parts of France,
therefore in the world. and I have derived
a certain rarefied enjoyment from 1t all. as
1 should have been only half man not to
do. But Brown stock has gone down
little since Carcassonne, why, know not,
though 1 suspect and there is depression.
IL not panic In the market. Jimmy, having
made his peace and promised caution. has
again been promoted to the post OF driver,
and from the Jehu point of view l must
confess that during large part of the
tourney he has covered himself with as
much credit as dust This is saying good
deal, for. owing to the slight rainfalls IN
these southern departments. the roads are
often buried inches deep under coating OF
gray, pungent dust, enveloplng al passing
vehicles in a nosome cloud. They have
also set in their surface at Irregular In
teryaIs large pans or dishes with perpen-
dicular walls from an inch to three 1nches
In depth. These dishes being concealed by
the all-pervading dust. 1t Is Impossible -
at least for Jimmy Payne-to know Where
they are until the wheels bump INTO them
Sometimes one of our wheels would drop
in, sometimes all four. You may imagine
the strain of this sort of work upon the
DAYS run of hundred and thirty miles
we punctured only one tire. which l mend
ed in fifteen minutes -,
Beziers, seen from a distance, set strik-
inely upon a hill, looked an imposing town.
but turned out to be an ordinary ana olrty
place when we came to ascend us lohs'
winding streets Beyond, we ran TOT
while along the edge of great lagoon.
and knew, though we could not see IT, .nat
the Mediterranean lay close at our right
hand.
At Montpelier we did not stop. and l
delivered no lecture on the subject OF the
gorgeous all-conquering duchess, as
might have been tempted to do If we'd had
no addition to our party. It's iai &C.
bright and stately town very iiea .,r
ing but nothing was said about hngerns'
though there are some things worth see
ing. We had an impressive entrance INTO
the ancient city of Mines, running IN by
early moonlight. across great, open pa. si.,,
under a spacious. purpling dome OF SKY,
the sun dying in carmine behind US. the
evening star big. flashing diamond IN the
moon-naled east The old Roman amphi-
tbeater stood up darkly and nobly IN the
silver twilight; but we passed IN 10 , our
hotel. the program evidently being TO saus1y
the senses at the expense OF tne SUI.
they do one very well at the no
tel in Mines, but I looked forward ware,
hopefuly to ans rs siEbts Of the dsar
old town next morning. 1t did not come,
however. The two ladies went forth WIN
Jimmy, and as l saw them go coulo pue
acknowledge my rival to be persot1aoie
fellow Sherlock Holmes ana LIVE hoi ~
Fauntieroy were both personable fellows III
their uyay and it is useless to deny Jimmy
posses sion of the picked attributes OF each.
For some reason the word seems to nave
gone forth that We are to hurry on "
Cannes. In the circumstances l an af ,,;sh;ne
to change my mind, and instead OF Wishlis
NV dear mother to have departed peioie
our arrival I'm not sure 1t Wouioh De
wiser to hope that she'll still be there MISS
Randolnh .'hasn't decided what she'll do al
.ar raachinp the Riviera" I can't help
feeling that Jimmy Sherlock has succeeded
in getting in some deadly work OF Hys-
FERROUS nature. It's on the cards ina. l may
find at Cannes or Nice that the Trip Is MI
ished. and Brown is rnlsheu, .'o anddass
can't and won't part from my goooess
without a Titanic struggle. l might ma IL
convenient to tell my mother all thfo"
myself on her mercy and get her 10 inter
cede with Miss Randolph Tor me. ao .
ma argue that her views regarding the Ialr
barrow are likely to initiate against CO
operation In this new direction, out can
he eloquent on occasion. and even a mother
must see that Barrow Is nothing peSioe
goddess. wit, .. ,o,,,
wobbly and 1t Is not pleasant sensation
to feel that one is being secretly undermined.
Jimmy had better look out though. me nrst
shadow Of proof l get that he's preakins
even a chauffeur will turn And look upon
Cannes, somehow as the turning point IN
more senses Of the word than one.
But to our muttons. No pleasant oaiiy
ing for me In beautiful old Mines or ares:
either one of which would repay weeks or
lingering. What dallying there was Jimmy
got-confound him!-and my only JOY was IN
his hatred of early rising. They hao MN
up at an unearthly hour for ghm.'e OF
the amphitheater and the Maison Carree
at Mines. and by 0 we were on the road 10
Aries. Payne driving with credltapie eau
ton We crossed the Rhone anu COIN
Melted the eighteen fiat miles In little more
than thirty minutes: Mhen we a. 1ittie
town of Aries, hating in a dlmlnutiVe
square with two great pillars of granite ana
A rmperb Corinthian pediment (oatlng irolls
Roman occupation) built into the walls OF
modern houses Miss Randolph announced
that they would walk about for nall an
hour and look at the antiquities Hail an
hour,'' | couldn't help echoing. my,
Aries Is one of the most interesting places
in France. 1t is an open-alr museum. I'LL
Il know" said she, looking up at me with
an odd expression which would have gwen
many a bright sovereign for the skill 10
read But maybe l shall have a cnance
to see it some other time. ana the others
don't care much for antiquities or archl-
tecture We really must hurry as fast as
possible to Cannes.
Now. why-why2 What Is to happen at
TanneJsp Is JimmyS lOatnly MANU- III tiiIS
Or-blessed thoughts all sightseeing TOT
her. as we'll as for me, poisoned by
his society? Is she regretting her rash
generosity in promising to carry him 10
the Riviera Ito say nothing of Lord Laneg
and is she painting to rid herself Of him?
daren't hope 1t. But write me your
deduction. Perhaps In your enforced IN
a ction at Davos it may amuse you to piece
together a theory and account Tor the
actions of certain persons IN france,
whom possibly you know better than II you
had ever met them.
While the three went off to bolt In one
bite such delicate morsels as the sculptured
oorch of the Cathedral of St. Trophinus
and the Roman Theater 1 gloomily played
Casabianca by the car. Ixion at the wheel,
or what you will. l waited their return be-
fore the hotel, and no sooner did they come
back. at the end of their stingy half hour.
than we started, taking the road across the
great plain of La Crau toward Salon.
A most extraordinary region that plain
of La Crau. 1t Is as fiat as a pancake.
only far away to the north one sees a
range of brown stony mountains. For
merly 1t was a forbidding, stony desert. the
dumping place for every pebble and boulder
brought down by the Rhone and the Du-
rance But all over the vast wilderness
there has been carried out a wonderful sys-
tenn of irrigation. and now 1t yields sweet
heritage for sheep. while figs. mulberries
and expresses are dotted in green GASES.
The surface of the land is thickly veined