Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-21

a single breath that her family didn't want
her to go 70 Europe. but she thought It
made a person seem so refined to have
travelled. Then she asked them IL they
wore black because thcy were in mourn
ing OF because it was cheap, and what they
thought OF Europe, and ended by assuring
them that she was sure they were a diff
ferent age from the looks.
The refining effect Of European travel
became further apparent when shortly after
10 o'clock a large German family com
planning to one another that they had
had no food since an s O'Clock breakfast,
opened a huge hamper and began to eat
all over one end Of the boat and also
over such excursionists as happened to be
in their vicinity. SO occupied were this
family that they were unable to tear them
selves away from the. hamper to walk
through the village whore the boat stopped
to permit its passengers to visit a cheese
factory.
The arrival at Marker was enlivened
by the efforts Of a middle aged French
man and his callow son to introduce the
mother and the daughter of the party to
leave the boat and walk about there. The
women wore long trailing velve dresses,
enormously high heeled shoes, plumed
hats and exactly three wells apiece. They
had read novels steadily from the moment
they got on the boat, and the discussion
as to their leaving it involved many
details.
a High HeeIed French Girl.
The girl finally permitted herself to be
taken ashore on the condition that she
be allowed to finish her novel without
interruption upon her return. The mother
removed all her wells, powdered her face,
rap1anaI her vraf1g ougttPa1 hnr 2 arnfIu that
no one but fools would be in such a place
when they might have been at Trouville,
and refused to bulge from the chair she
had taken earlier in the day,
And SO the American girls reached
Marker. The wind swept the little island
enclosed with dykes, the low crowded up
houses, the huddle of dark sailed fishing
boats around the wet, slippery landing
were genuine enough and different enough
to convince the most doubtful.
A crowd of children awaited the trav-
elers and flocked I'm front and behind
them as they started on their walk around
the island. Those who hadn't something
to sell extended a ready palm. A shake
Of the head from the travellers brought
forth a wide grin and the good American
idiom Nothing doing" It was the sum
total of Markers knowledge Of the Eng
lish language and every child in Marker
knew it.
''They certainly are used to Americans
said the elder sister thoughtfully.
why shouldn't they be? I admit that
bout 100000 or so Americans come here
every summer" replied the other girl,
turning a suspicious glance on her sister,
but you must remember that these people
are singularly impervious to outside in
fluences. Because a lot Of people wearing
hats and carrying Baedekers walk past
their door every day is no reason to them
why they should give up their caps and
open a book store on the main street"
81 seem to nave heard that before
interpolated the older one, which brought
forth only the reply:
please remember that we are not to
decide this thing until the evidence is all
in"
They made their way slowly up the little
street peering into doors that stood cordi-
ally open, delighting in the shining brasses,
the polished dishes and the general spick
and spanness OF everything in sight.
Funny that everything is in such per-
feet order" unused the older sister. "You
would think it would be cleaning day for
at least one of them"
They are probably willing to get up be-
fore 8 o'clock in the morning" was the
crushing reply that silenced her.
TIL costumes of the women, with their
thick cloth skirtH worn over huge stuffed
rolls around the hips; the straight tight
brightly lowered bodicos and the tight
caps with the long blond curl escaping
on either side, aroused the admiration of
the younger sister, while the older one
grew enthusiastic over the men with their
full loose trousers held at the waist with
two huge silver buttons, their tight jackets
and tiny caps.
And yet" she said, qualifying her en-
thusiastic admiration, cit is queer that
none of them is working. We haven't seen
anyone at work in this place except the
people selling postcards"