The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-04

From the French Of Guy dc Maupossdnt.
It was tea time before the appearance
Of the lamps. The villa overlook ed the
SEA, and the sun, which had disappeared, hao
left its CLASSY surface shining like a bur.
nished metal plate.
Far of to the right the jagged mount aini
lifted their black outlines against the pale
purple Of the west.
We were talking Of love. discussing the
old subject and saying again the thinge
which we had already said 80 often.
"Can one remain in love several years in
succession?" asked one Of the group.
sYes. maintained some.
sNo," said others.
All of a sudden some one who had been
listening and looking far away into the
distance cried;
ooh, see! What Is it?
Onthe horizon line, where sea and heavens
meet doomed up a confused. gray MAS.
Some one said:
1T is Corsica! Two or three times year
1t may be seen 80 when the air is perfectly
clear and there is no fog"
Then an old gentleman who had been
silent until then, said slowly:
Il know q story of love. of true love that
brought lasting happiness, which the sight
of that island recalls as il it had come in
answer to your questioning Listen:
Five years ago was travelling in Corsica.
This wild island is further away and less
known in France than America. despite
the fact that we can see it from our very
shores as we have done to-day.
Imagine a world which is still chaos;
imagine ranges of mountains separated by
narrow ravines filed with rushing torrents;
no fertile plains, but rolling hills OF granite
and pine covered earth. 1t is a desert,
lonely, uncultivated, although sometimes
you can see village. like pile Of rocks,
perched on the summit OF a mountain.
There is no culture there no industries,
no art Not scrap Of carved wood or
piece OF sculptured stone. Face to face
with Italy. where every palace Is MASTER
piece and where every metal and precious
stone bears witness to mans genius, Corsica
has remained exactly as in the first wild
days,
Each man lives in his rude house, in
different to all that does not concern
his bare existence and his family feuds.
They have retained vices and the virtues
OF savage races, they are violent, blood
thirsty. without a shadow Of remorse, but
they are likewise hospitable, generous and
simple. opening their doors to the chance
traveller and bestowing faithful friend
ship in return for the slightest sign Of
sympathy.
i had been wandering about the island
for month, feeling that had reached the
end Of the world. No roads, no taverns
no inns.
"You follow mule paths up steep mountain
sides to cottages that seem perched in mid
air You knock and ask shelter for the
night and something to live on until the
morrow. In the mo,uing you press your
hosts hand and he guides you as far as the
outskirts Of the village
One night, after ten hours walking, l
came to little cabin built quite alone in a
narrow valley league from the sea. The
steep mountain sides, covered with brush
ana Jagged piles Of stones, shut in the val
sey like two somber walls
There was q garden and a few vines
around the tiny house, and close by several
nrge chestnut trees-enough to live on.
and indeed quite a fortune for the barre
land
In answer to my knock an old woman.
exceptionally neat and clean, opened III.