The National tribune., 1910-01-20

across a Memling occtsionallyi in the
other galleries. but they are rttre. and
one must visit Bruges If thcyiw wish to
see them in their perfection. Ills color
ing is wonderful so soft and clear. just
as clear as It was the .day helrleancd
his brushes and put them away after
finishing one. so many hundred years
ago The faces of his women are lovely,
oval in shape. with a honey-s~eet eX-
preston (they all look very much alike
and are very distinctive), while his de-
tail work is simply marvellous. 1t takes
Crlfte a long time to take his pictures
in on account of this detail; they are
crowded with it, and he must have used
very fine brushes to have made so per-
ject every tiny object in them. The
more YOU see of these old pictures the
better you like them, and l have been
quite surprised to find how much they
have opened my eyes to something j
only half suspected before, that 1 really
have a very sincere love for this Won
derful art. OF course, like everyone
else, l have always enjoyed looking at
n beautiful or interesting picture, but
not until ! saw the marvellous canvases
of the galleries over here which it has
been my good fortune to visit was |
ever really thrilled by one. ] didn't
think | had it in me, and it only goes
to prove the power of these old masters
which the centuries have increased
rather than diminished. The Memlings
are exhibited in the Hospital of st.
John, in a former chapter room which
is rather small, and / do not believe
there are more than a dozen Of these
priceless canvases in all. Your aunt
and / spent some time looking at them,
and when we left the building took a
carriage and drove all over the place.
The little bridges and canals mot any
thing like those at Amsterdam, they are
so smalD, the picturesque bits here
and there which our modern artists
love to paint, the queer little houses
and the old black buildings, make
Bruges a very interesting city, rich now
principally in the memories of its bril-
liant past. They say a large portion of
its present population aI'a beggars, but
we saw nothing of this or almost moth
ing. After dis missing the carriage we
wandered about to kill time before our
train left and, feeling tired, sat down
on some stone curbing in queer, lane
like street which was entirely deserted.
Presently some children came along,
and, tho they were very We:! dressed
began begging for money, and thesC
pestered us so that We fEally had to
get up and move on, directing our steps
toward the station. We had the same
good fortune on our return trip as we
had in going to BruSes, riding all the
way in q second-clasS carriage, your
aunt on this occasion not even gong
thru the formality of finding out wheth-
er or not the third-class compartments
were filled.
Elizabeth invited us both yesterday
to ride out to the Bois, as they call II.
for afternoon tea and to see as many
! of the fashionables as are in town at
present This is not the season of the
year when the great world is in evil
Idence in these European cities; they
are off at the mountains and spas, traV-
cling in foreign lands, etc, as are our
IsweIls during the Summer season, but
! Elizabeth and ] did not come over mere
| for the purpose of gazing upon Kings
and Queens, Princes, Princesses and
their ilk, delighted as we would have
been to get a good squint at them had
they appeared on our horizon. Still,
while we did not cross the water to
stand on street corners. hoping to see
one of these great ones pass, nor 10
squeeze ourselves into uncomfortable
quarters for the same reason, yet we
have done all that became US as self
respecting Americans during our traV-
els to acquaint ourselves in "a com
Portable manner with the different
classes of society. The Bois is beau
tiful park, once part of the Forest OF
Soignes covering an area of about 3O6
acres. and filed with magnificent old
trees little lakes and islands, On one OF
which is restaurant. The ride out is
thru a fine part of the city, along the
Avenue Louise most of the way, passing
many of the residences of the fashion
able class. now closed and with curtains
drawn There are several restaurants
in the park beside this one on the little
island, and to one of these the driver
took us. There was very good Or
chestra doing its best to add life ana
gaiety to the scene, and all around us
at the different tables sat young men
and women, handsome and plain, the
latter in costumes very Frenchy and
attractive, with good deal Of flirting
going on between the sexes. We lin
gered over our cakes and tea as long
as this entertained us, then drove back
home to our own social circle at Pen
sion Neef to spend the remaining hour
before dinner in the garden listening
to the usual tale of woe from one of
| our countrywomen, Of disappointed
hopes based upon a too trusting conil-
dence in the promises of that willy class
who hold our destinieS in their clever
| hands ! have never admired Elizabeth
more than l have during these tragic
recitals. She says little or nothing,
but has a calm, superior, almost con-
| temptuous expression on her face, as If
| tempt to play that trick on me-"
Your Aunt T.. has been the avowcd
| envy of Elizabeth and me ever since
| her arrival on account of various little
| Frenchy touches appearing here and
there in her tout ensemble, so to speak.
What has disturbed us most in the even
tenor of our way is, / think, her hair,
marcelled to a turn, covering her shape
| " head with its soft undulatiOnS. Il
must have my hair marcelled to-day"
iShc said this morning. 1T hasn't been
done for nearly week now, and | may
not have an opportunity to have 1t done
| in Antwerp. / have noticed very nice
| Hooking place on the corner of the
street. Let's all go over and see what
they can do "All right" said Eliza
beth. II have always wanted to have
mine done by a real artist such as you
only find over here (you know what
magnificent hair Elizabeth has), and II
needs shampooing, anyway" OF course
] was in for anything, and so we three
at once took ourselves over to the per-
tuners shop nearby, which was also a
ihair-dressing and manicuring establish
ment.
Well, my dear, I should hardly think
the incident worthy of mention If II
were not for the frightful way those
Ipcople gouged US. We asked soon afer
for a shampoo and a wave, and they
told us five francs, dollar in our
money, which did not seem excessive
tho | think you can get the same thing
done at the best places home Tor that
amount. We said we would like to
have them do us (Which they cer-
ltainly did, and thereupOn a French