The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-15

Anybody who has half an eye on the
London illustrated weeklies would
think they had surely cleaned up all
that is possible in the way Of pictures
Of Dickens and his homes. said h trav.
eled Pittsburger to reporter recently.
trations Of all the places he lived in
and around London from the cradle to
the grave, but they missed n Of the
most interesting of his transient abid-
ing places"
well, it is a little story with a
rather amusing beginning. A few
years ago I spent several days In
Genoa the Superb that grand old
city Of the Mediterranean, whose rher-
chant princes and owners OF argosies
once almost ruled the commerce of
the seas. I had arranged to stop at
the Hotel Smith, the name seemed 80
good, and SO funny a name for a
hotel in Genoa.
Smith was an Englishnian who had
kept the hotel for thirty years. and az
fine an Englishman. hospitable ana
unassuming, az n would find in all
sequious manner Of most Of the chiefs
Of obstetrics Of that European land.
! The hotel was a vast marble house
which had been the palace Of one OF
the ancient merchant princes. MY
room was big enough for 4 dancing
hail, filled with antique furniture
which would have been worth almost
the wealthy who affect such things.
A Marvel From Home.
when I came to the hotel office
after a dip Mine Host Smith was there
and could not hear enough about
America. Chatting with him. / noted
in a niche an antique brorzs clock. a
work Of art. whose cathedral chimes
We're the sweetest OF music. I re.
marked on the loneliness Of its archi-
lecture and wondered why Dur Artert-
can designers we're incapable Of such
take for the time piece. Oh. he would
not sell It for sum. It was d very
| old piece: ne had had It for many.
many years: 1t was one Of the most
charming ornaments Of tins house.
Opening d little door in the front Of
the a re showed me the legend
telling Of the age. nativity ana MAX
ers. The tablet was inscribed:
Waterbury. Connecticut, 1876.
II was at your centennial celebfA-
tion at Philadelphia In that year." said
Smith, ana brought that clock home
with me a. / rs1emento Of my v1ait.
II wat very careful after that not
to praise old world antiques until after
/ had discovered In what part Of
America they were made.
But that ID another story, and
merely a precursor to L meeting with
q Dickens crank with whom I trafhpad
the I~aountain tides to find the Genoan
home of Dickens..
Il was shown to the vast dining
room and 1t the long table Of the
table d.hots dinner was eiven the only
tourists were conversing In every Ian
guase except English. MY right hand
neighbor was clearly IN EnGlishman,
but he was struggling htroically With
French spoken elegantly BY hfS right
handed nsighbor, who soon 3 % ne
had to hurry to the train for Paris.
His chair wat taken by Q strapping
s~1x-footer. q typical son Of the Ameri-
can west. Ny English nsighbor and
I attempted to chatter French 70 each
other, but no word Of English had
yet been spoken. Suddenly the new.
conner blurted out:
Its thsrs any fellsr here who kin
speak United 0tates?'
"All the table hoard the remarkable
acoos1e with amusement and looked on
the giant - though they thought he
might be . son Of Anak OF. Of Mar,
but he endured the scrutiny without
blinking. Ny English neighbor chuck.
led. and then said to the westernsr.
Jerking his thumb in my direction:
Here 10 Q gentleman who prob.
ably speaks your language
A Nearly Welcome.
by the hully sec! You from the
states: Gosh. but I'm sllA Z sss