The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-07-19

the resemblance of the summit to a | balloon. Our path winding for several hours past the tiny Lake Serven and later a series of swift rapids and wa terfails to the great artificial lake. AL feldsee, with its huge dam. looking from way down in the valley like a great wall. At dusk (ten o'clock at nighO we reached the solitary hotel and found a cheery welcome. being reminded by the language that We were in France. and also by having to change our marks into francs. This makes a simple ex- ample in arithmetic for the boys, for franc is four-fifths of a mark, the ex- act value of a mark being s238 and of franc $.l9S. We were again reminded 1 of our change of country by the maid | asking us, when we retired and ex- pressed the wish to be called at five o'clock the next morning, Do you mean five o'clock German time or five i o'clock French time?" and then we re- i alized that French time, that of Paris, l is almost one hour earlier than German | time, and We were extremely thankful that the question was asked us, as four o'clock was a trife too early to start on oul trip.
 1 At five o'clock in the morning, Ger man time, we started again on our mountain travels to reach the top-most summit. which is marked by a statue 1 Of the Holy Virgin, with steps where a devout Catholic may kneel for prayer in the awe-inspiring stiffness of nature. From here the scenery is superb. In the distance is Hoheneck Q,361 meters) (4,465 feet), the second highest of the EOsges, and almost due east, the Crosse Belchen. the highest mountain with its dronedary-like double summit. One can also see the Black Forest Moun- tains beyond the Rhine, and even the Alps, with snow-capped Mount Blanc. The most prominent point, however, is the French Fortress, upon a high summit, even now garrisoned by French soldiers, fortress standing as a very "Gibralter'' to the Vosges.
 From the Ballon d Alsace comes the real walk along the boundary We were reminded of the little boy who was upon some boundary line and was disappointed not to find a long dotted line as in his geography, but strange to say we here did find the dotted line, for tbere were stones at short intervals, with tie letter F (France) on the one side and D ((Deutschland) on the oth- CT. The boundary stones also gave the height above sea level on the highest peaks, and on the top of each was cut the angle of the boundary at that point, and each bore it's own number: the one at the Ballon q Alsace had the number 3,427. Happily we walked along, making sport by trying always to speak French on one side and laugh ingly changing to German in @ moment on the other.
 Continuing for several hours we at length descended to the Col de Bussang. where was small custom house and tunnel just at the boundary. The fine road leads through the dark tunnel cut through the mountain, about six hum dred feet in length. and exactly half way through on either side are stone tablets marking the dividing line.
 On that fine road (for the roads of France are especially nOted), we came upon a great many automobiles, for this chariot of speed is most popular in France. We began to note the white caps with strings and with ruching in front, which are worn so much by the older women of France.
 Late in the afternoon we stopped at a little country cafe for soffee, which in GerrSany is so much in evidence at that hour, but were obliged to wait for it to be made, for instead of the coffee of Germany and the tea of England, we find the French taking wine at that hour and out-of-doors, which custom of open-air-living could well be followed with interest by us Americans. Coffee } was served to us in what we called bread-and-milk bowls, with large ta- 2 ble-spoons. Then came a circular loai of most hard bread which reminded us of the bread baked by the bride, upon which bread the tramp thought h, might make some impression if sht would please hand him the axe. Tht "cruller" shape of the bread made onr of the party think of the difference be- tween a pessimist and an optimist which Is that the optimist, considering things in life would always look at thu rim, and the pessimist at the hole.
 We were greeted at fellow-comrade when we spoke German by two Asa tians, he, proud in his Sunday best suit, loose trousers and hat three size too large, and she, wearing the quain peasant Alsatian costume. In "millin cry language, we in America are st familiar with the "Alsatian bow" bu it is when we see the Alsatian womel with tiny bonnets, having in front twt long, horizontal bows, one foot or nor in length each, that the significance 0 our milliner's term, "Alsation bow dawns upon us Upon the walls of tn 'inn"' were old, old pictures of battl scenes, for the country people do no easily forget that bloody time" As one effusion in verse Is worthy of note reminding all guests to pay prompt, and so not burden their memories: :.
 La Rose est odorante,
 L epine est tres piquante.
 Qui pave immediatement
 Ne r ouIblee pas assurement."
 Which might be rendered literally:
 Fragrant is the rose
 And sharp the thorn.
 Who pays as he goes
 Becomes not forlorn.