The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-27
THE LOST GRANDMOTHER
E. Mac BRAYNE
 by Harper & Bros3
1911 by Harper & HrOs.1

anchor here in I4o3 on his return from | his first voyage of discovery, and Ponta Delgada was basEzing indolentlY In the sunshine even then.
 I When the fleet of rowboats put off from the shore in the morning to land | the steamships passengers, was actua- ted by some motive of charity, or other
 prompting to offer my services to the | Landscams for the few hours they might have ashore. have not mentioned the 1 fact that Mrs. Landscam was modest, self-possessed little wonans who ap- peared to have discounted her husband 1 long ago and gone her own way more or less without him. They both appeared to be grateful for my proffer of assist ance. and we went ashore together, 1and- ing at a weedy flight of very old granite steps just below the customs house. As had a small matter of business to transact at our consulate, I took them to the Church of Saint Sebastian, close by, knowing well that they could profit ably spend a ha1f-hour whereabouts. It is by no means the most wonderful basil lea in the world, but it is the finest religious edifice on the island, having offering to God after a plague had ravaged the city, and it is always alive with country people on a market day. and well worth visit.
 The Landscams were stiIi enjoying the inspection of the building when 1 re turned for them with an open carriage. The driver had been recommended to me at the consulate as one who had picked up quite knowledge of English from returning Americanos-Is1ande who had lived in the United States for few years and come back with their savings and who was qualified to act as guide, counsellor or friend :s but had also been 1=d ff71f f1s Ia # a +O eA6l< out American tourists because he had lost track of his n1other-in-law in the United States and lived in the persistent hope of getting news of her. The con- su1ate had done what 1t could for him through official channels, but so far with out success.
 Manuel proved to be fully up to his recommendation, and the Landscams were delighted with him. We had visited the old Franciscan monastery Chow. turned into hospitaD, the theatre, and the college, and doubt not that the morning would have passed without special adventure had we not driven next to the Graea, as they call the public market.
 You must fill in the picture for your selves as 1 describe it; booths and stalls upon three sides of a rectangle, against a trees, mules browsing contentedly amid a litter of empty baskets and merchandise already purchased to be taken back to the country; within the market-p1ace tempting piles of fruits and vegetables that bore testimony to the lavish prodsac- tiveness of the serni-tropical land. Here were pyramids of violet maracuja; bas- kets of gold nespera; quantities of fresh- picked strawberries; purple-green capu- cho which one recognized for the goose berry of the islands; great clusters of luscious grapes; pineapples so.r ripe that 4 444S. golden oranges that may have come down from the fabled fruit of the Hesperides; the red pimento, which Is much esteemed for stews the lupin bean, almost staple article of food on the islands; open sacks of the bright yellow tramoca cortido; artichokes and great sweet-potatoes apricots brought over from Pico in open boats, that very morn. ing {; and yarns gathered in Furnas.
 Man is a very material creature at best, and MT. Lardscam was not above the average. There was something about that market-p1ace which appealed to him with compelling fascination, nor was he satisfied with a repeated promenade about the premises.
 "It's no 11se,'' he said at length, paying 1 some heed to our polite intinations that there were other points to be visited up any more buildings after seeing this, and unless you want to drive out in the country where these things grow I'll stay right here until the boat sails. =
 l As this was by no means a bad sug- gestion it was agreed that we should drive into the countrya plan that caused Manuel to beam upon us with approval. Indeed, he knew beautif fuI 1 drives, he explained, and if we desired to see some of the estates, like that of | the Viscount das Karanjeiras and per haps that of some very small farmer, he could obtain the permission to enter. So we visited the estate of the viscourt which had an endless variety of bamboos and among other things some shTubby mallows from Syria, and then drove on by villas and farms 10 visit the little farmer" The islander delights to sur- small with a wall; and each wall in turn is alive with cacti and fuchsias and delicate, creepers ablaze with blossoms barrier that fascinates by it's very suggestion of hidden gardens and vine yards.
 Manuel disrnounted at length before the wooden gate Of such wall, opened it humbly, and with hat in hand bade us enter. Iy heriae, if you please" he said. Please oblige me to be welcome"
 We entered into a garden in which was set white-washed stone cottage of two or three rooms, and beyond it the sheds | that served as stables for the cattle. It
 was possible to see at glance that the
 dwelling, built from the basa1tic rock of
 the island. was primitive in its con
 struction and minus all those necessities
 that are classed as modern conveniences; :; yet every foot of the small estate not occupied by the buildings or the narrow paths was teeming with abundant yese+e- ton, such as compelled one to marvel at
 the thrift of the tenants. The vegetable gardens were beyond the sheds; about
 the cottage there b1oomed in abundance striped Lancaster roses, the fragrant rosa
 de Alexandria, yellow bonina, sweet lscented basil, a heath shrub covered with