The semi-weekly messenger., 1905-08-25

cars that they have over here.
In short while we reached New
haven, sailed thence 10 Dieppe and
once more made for the train. again
capturing, as We thought a whole
compartment for ourselves but pretty
soon Erenchman and his wife came
i'm and took seats with us. They Were
the handsomest couple | have seen in
France and they tried in every way 60
help rs along but they could not speak
a single word In English. Mr. Che
shire, however, who, by the way.
speaks French like native lAmerican)
proved TO be the star Of our party and
was the medium Of translation OF all of
our thoughts to them and return.
Wen now that | am on the point OF
leaving Paris, I rejoice In the fact that
| believe | have seen just about all OF
the principal places of interest in Ii.
al din addition / have visited Yer
sailles and Fountainbleau. There is no
use i'll my trying to describe this beau
tiful city. 1t is the grandest aggrega-
ton OF architectural beauty and splen-
dor artlstlcally arranged that | have
ever seen and its pleasure-loving peo~
pie seem to me TO ever moving along
with light hearts to and fro in its
streets, looking for amusement and en-
tertalnment at all hours Of the day and
until late at night.
The women are I believe about the
neatest, prettiest women | have ever
seen over here They know how to
dress Well and they do dress well,
beauty of fit and harmony Of color be-
ing always prominent And yet they
EnDW tn nd do -Hr.l-
They push carts about the streets SELL
ing vegetables. they black shoes if nee
essary, they sell papers about the
streets like our newsboys, they work
in stores and butcher shops, in fact, it
seems to me, that they do everything
except drive an omnibus The men,
too, know how to work and they keep
at it industriously But you ought to
see Paris at night when the thousands
upon thousands of electric lights are
shining so steadily as to prevent you
ever knowing that the sun has gone
down. You may ride for miles through
the streets and see the sidewalks lined
with tables at which sit men and wo-
men, married and single, brothers, sis
ters, fathers, mothers, friends, all of
them eating and happy, Or drinking
happy but never drunk. They do not
load up with mean liquor as some
folks sometimes do in other parts of
tbe world, but they sip away at one
glass of beer Or wine for an hour or
SO it seems to me.
| went into several stores and wish
| had time to tell you my experience
trying TO buy from people not one of
whom happened to be able to Under
stand a single word l spoke. | do not
know that | went into the largest
stores but those that did go into were
not conducted it seemed to me, in the
same business-like manner as Ameri
can stores of the same size. For in
stance, | went into one that was quite
an establishment having | suppose
twenty or thirty clerks. Some sort of
a receiver Or usher stood just inside of
the main entrance, evidently to direct
would be purchasers. Well, Of course,
this was all right and proper AS |
entered he spoke to me in French and
l replied in the negative by asking if
he could speak English. He did not
return my lead and so the conversation
stopped at once. Then I pointed to my
cravat and said "Cravat" He called
clerk who answered, pointed towards
him and said something to me. / went
to the clerk, again pointed to my era
vat and said in my sweetest American
interrogative tone of voice "Cravat?'
He looked at me, said "Wee-wee' and
then although he was standing behind
the very counter on which there were
hundreds of cravats, called up another
clerk with whom | went through the
process of inquiry that I have already
mentioned, selected the ones [ wanted
and rendered the money. He declined
it, made record in his book, took the
clavats and carried them to a man on
the other side of the store. This last
fellow made a record, gave me the
crayats and q check, and by motions
directed me to another fellow sitting
near him. [ handed cravats, check,
and money to this fellow who took the
cravats and wrapped them up but de-
cl1ned the check and money and sent
me to another fellow who took the
check and money from me saying as
he did so something that sounded like
''mersee'' I said 'mercy" to him, took
the crayats from the bundle wrapper
and went out.
But by the way, l begun this letter
writing about ones hrSt impressions In
great city and now l am on the point
Of closing without saying single
word about my first impressions are.
Well when we stopped at the sd Ion it
was the first time in my life that I felt
absolutely helpless as to my ability to
speak to any one. French men, and
French women, French trainmen, and
French cabmen were making things
lively with French words of all sorts
and sizes every one of which was
meaningless to me. Out from the train
| walked, was soon spotted by hotel
drrnmer who spoke English, was res
{ d by him ands ssent to good hotel,
AID so I now know what it is to land
among strangers, feel lost, and then be
found. NJ c. s. n.
DIR. MOORE EXONERATED