Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-02-09
y HEN Georgina and l planned
our European trip we agreed
to give up some Of the sight
seeing which other tourists

WW to give up some Of the sight
Wv seeing which other tourists
consider essential to proper
culture and instead. stay a month in
Paris. Besides. Georgina said she
thought we could do II on a dollar a
day. Georgina was always optimistic.
but some days we almost came within
her limit
We had letter of introduction to
the American Girls club and when
we landed in Paris we gave the cabby
directions to take us to No. s Rue de
Chevreuse. over in the Latin Quar-
ter. near the Care de Montparnasse.
There we found friendly welcome
and list of inexpensive but clean
rooming-houses where American stu
dents usually find lodgings.
We had bought a map Of Paris at
one Of the agencies. and with that
and the list OF addresses we started
out to battle with colloQuial French
in the heart of Paris. We were over
joyed to find that the Partisan women
who wish to rent rooms understand
the American attempts at the lam
guage better than do the policemen
on the street corners.
We found two sunny rooms facing
east. up three flights Of stairs. for
seventy francs (s14) a month. includ-
ing the service of femme de inenage.
We were near the American Girls
club, where the dining room is open
to any American woman. The break
fasts of coffee. rolls and butter we're
only so centimes (10c); the luncheons
were rs cents and the dinner OF FIVE
courses only 30 cents, making only So
cents for three good meals much bet
ter cooked and served than those at
some of our American high-priced ho-
tells So our board and room came to
about S8 cents day and the other II
cents was easily spent for car fare.
But on looking over my account book
find there are many extras such as
laundry. tips. stamps. post cards.
books. excursion tickets. etc How
ever. these can be regulated and kept
down II one is careful
In the beginning we bought an alco-
hol stove. teapot and saucepan. The
concierge supplied Us with some
dishes and table silver This we found
a very interesting experiment We
went to the patisseTie near by and
ordered hot rolls every morning at
our door for 10 centimes. and a bot
tie Of milk from the cremerie Our
greatest fun was in buying at the
grocery store. elbowing the French
bourgeoisie while we bargained for a
small cents worth of butter or half
loaf OF bread II was continual
amazement to see the small amounts
the women bought of staple groceries
We heard they sometimes buy the
yolk OF an egg separated from the
white
With our alcohol stove we led an
independent life IF we were out in
the evening and inclined to sleep the
next morning. we staid In our rooms
and made hot cup of tea boiled an
egg and with fresh fruit and hot rolls
were quite satisfied. Or when we
came in tired from days tramp and
did not wish to dress for dinner. some
cold meat. fruit and tea made good
evening meal. while we sat around the
table in our kimonos and relaxed
On Sundays we we're always glad to
get as far away from the Americans
as possible and mingle with the
French crowd in their holidsy-making.
One day we went up to St Cloud on
a river SCAT The Seine was a lively
stream with its boats passing and re-
passing crowded to the edge with hap
py laughing people The river
sparkled, the sun shone and farther
from the city the boat slipped by
green banks shaded with chestnut
trees and beautiful villas whose lawns
sloped down to the waters edge.
Paris has many parks and inexpensive
pleasure resorts where the working
man and bis family can go for a days
picnic. The round-trip ticket to st.
Cloud costs 80 centimes or about Is
cents. The fare to Versailles and
back Il think we went second-ciass)
was 36 cents The account book
shows that Fontainebleu was the most
expensive trip and came to IS cents.
We took our lunch to Fontainebleau
and ate under the trees OF the far
famed forest Our disappointment
was very great. for the trees could
not compare with the dense. cathedral
groves Of Japan or our own gigantic
redwoods
Wandering back to the place we
stood looking over the balustrads at
the lake. when noticed two oriental
looking men and small boy. the lat
ter very uncomfortable in his Euro
pean clothes.
! said TO Georgina Il wonder II
those men are Japanese! The lower
part of their faces are different, but
their eyes are similar am going
to listen to their conversation"
They stood facing me and for an
excuse to draw nearer I got out my
camera and moved along pretending
to hunt for good view When they
saw my camera the men gave me
most whitening. contemptuous look
and turned their backs.
Georgina laughed well. Of all the
conceit," said. do they think I
would waste a film on two such ugly
faces?'