Evening star., 1916-09-24
peeial Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
BLOIS, France, September II, 1916.
00 NE have come to see the Cha
NLAX teaux of the Loire
WW 1t is the ideal trip of all
" Americans to automobile in
the fairyland of old French royalty.
among the sleeping palaces beside old
rivers, in old forests and quaint old
world towns, where romantic kings held
country court and chased the deer.
You radiate from BIois and Tours, re-
turning each night to your hotel.
1t is an American trip, particularly,
at this moment, to repose little from
war stress in Paris. Americans are
doing excellent work in Paris, We
meet each other on the roads. almost
ashamed of SO much enjoyment. Why
are country folks SO friendly? Who has
told them about our hospitals. ambu-
lances and relief? Why. convalescent
wounded soldiers. crowds OF common
poilus, who are living in the old kings
castles.
The land is so sweetly peaceful that
you would not dream OF war, except
for the queer fact that the historic
palaces are Uttered up with wounded
soldiers. Spra1ling luxuriously where
court beauties of Brantome once blush
ed behind their fans.
At Blois, of course our first visit was
to the chateau where the Duke of Guise
was assassinated in the kings bedroom,
where Catherine de Medicis kept her
poisons in little secret closets. which
they show you. The custodian opens
a little hole In the floor with his foot.
touches a spring and the hidden closet
doors fly open, far away and high up
to the left, in the marquetry of the
wall
The custodian took us through about
half the historic apartments-gloriou
old rooms hung with the tapestried
coIors of the epochs-perhaps third
of the customary visit before the war.
and then he brought us to the court
yard. saying 1t was over. But the
apartments OF Louis XII and Anne OF
Brittany we objected. Don't we see
the tower where Catherine did astrol-
ogy with Rugeieri? What about the
entire wing of CASTOR of Orleans?"
The custodian smiled tenderly.
They're occupied" he said. by con-
valescent soldiers"
They Ioll in what remains Of the
hanging gardens where Francis mads
love to Diane de Poitiers. Common sol
and princesses Laughing and hurrah-
ing. they build up on chicken stew and
vouvray (Which tastes like champagne)
in the reception halls of kings and am
bassadors
We saw a crowd Of new ones arrive,
sweating. dusty, limping. loaded with
little packages. not too much bandaged
but bedraggled. surely. Into the cool
shade beside the chapel where Henri OF
Navarro was betrothed to the Refine
Margot they fell on the grass and
lighted cigarettes. Wait here" the
sergeant said. until find your apart
ments. / think it's the Mazarin suite
Nothing is too good for the wounded
that no tourists were admitted inside
Amboise Castle. occupied by wounded
soldiers
what is the Loire without Amboise:
There Marguerite. the Pearl Of the
Talois." wrote The Heptameron." while
her brother. the great Francis. began
his Well filled career with rhymes tc
Agnes Sorers eyebrows. At Amboise
later. he kept Leonardo da vinci on a
golden pension. and the grand ole
painter of Mona Lisa is buried in tbs
ST Hubert chapel. At Amboise Francis
received Emperor Charles ". You will
follow me to Amboise with the queen
he wrote to Duchesse d'Etampes. Here
the French renaissance was born. under
Charles VIII Here Francis II became
king at sixteen. brought winsome MARY
Stuart. his bride and queen. The bril-
liant cavaicade crossed the old stons
bridge and mounted the spiral carriag,
road inside the great fat tower up t.
the heights of Amboise Palace terrace
Here we are safe from the Turk. tn,
Guise and the Huguenot, my love-" h,
said. And they proceeded TO hang tn,
conspirators from the iron balcony.
Climbing In ehe hot sun. up the steel
palace entrance, We met b soldier OF
crutches at the drawbridee. "Are 20,
sentry" we asked. Joking. mo, Tn