The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-11-15
,oov BEAUTIFUL FRANCE

nsllam, Jr, who was at the time
rltlns at the saumer artillery
IDOL: ,
!, my last hastily written letter
you promised to write more at
IN Of my little trip a week ago
rA,oon That was as perfect
outing as one could have any
-. Al any time. had for a COM
q, one of the students here. a
=, sculptor from Chicago. The
s.,oce to Chinon is so Kilometres,
!, 70 rode there on bicycles. which
s'rs how fully recovered l am al
r,dy s ,-
IA begin with the road from here
s,,,us the course of the Loire to
|. confluence of the Vienne, and then
,,og the valley watered by that beau
,M law stream. 1t is good road,
!, mast roads are hereabouts, and
/, the greater part Of the way is
,s,aed by fine trees that form a per-
~ arbor. The road itself is pictur-
.aue enough to beckon one on in
|b6uitely. Every little way we would
atsr the narrow, crowded street Of
country village and peddle down
ktveen the old stone buildings which
,re built In solid rows up to the curb;
uen out again into the most verdant
Uuptry with glimpses of fertile fields
4 one side and wooded hills on the
absr. As we neared Chinon the vel
h videned and we passed a number
4 imposing villas set well back in the
enter Of pretentious farms, even
hrgs for the more thickly settled
nrts Of the United States.
But the feature was Chinon itself.
br several miles before we could
Iinpse that little city we could see
j gray walls, battlements and tow
n Of the once powerful fortress and
.stle that crowns a high cliff above
4 town. overlooking the valley of
L vIenne, and so abruptly above the
YER that Its striking Silhouette is
hected in the placid stream.
We approached Chinon from the
uthern side Of the valley and cross
the vienne over an old stone bridge
It once-yes, many times-doubt-
% echoed to the clanking armor of
med men In the days when knight
Cd was in flower The first view
the place presents picture beauti-
|. The peeked, sharp-roofed houses,
a-jumble, are clustered under the
ms Of range Of steep cliffs, be-
cen the base of these and the banks
the river A wide boulevard (wide
French town. runs along the
er front, and a stone wall fends
the inroads of the river. This
eet, or boulevard, stretches for a
e or more along the entire front
the town, one side bordered by the
formly quaint old stone shops and
ises and the other continuous
Of beautiful leafy trees, broken
one place only to give room for a
bronze statute Of Rabelais. To
right Of the bridge, and at dis
zee OF a quarter of a mile. Is the
x, where We saw that fine bronze
tute OF Joan of Arc on a leaping
lrger.
High above the town, completely
1t and commanding a
'eplng view Of one of the loveliest
Of country in the world is the
uemented castle, or fortress,
lcn was once the residence Of
lrles VII, the weak, unworthy
nee to whom Joan of Arc paid
mage and who let that marvellous
10 suner martyrs death as re-
lpense for her great services. I
q ! could present this picture to
! eyes so you could drink it in
! did and enjoy the sensations Of
t experience.
rollowing a crooked, cobbled
'et We soon climbed above the
se tops to a road that hung to the
7, winding upwards. Soon we came
a deep ravine that divides the
le-mounted hill from the others
forms a deep natural moat, 80
ctiVe for defense in ye olden days.
: raVlne is crossed by a stone
'se over which the road leads to a
g closed archway in an extremely
stone tower (Tour del'Horloge
u In the 14th and 18th centuries)
ouen this we were admitted, upon
lhent OF a small fee, and entered
castle grounds. A short walk
usht us to the crumbling remains
the chateau (Chateau du Milien
u IN the 18th and 18th centuries)
nrst view is that Of one end OF
'is cnamber or 'salle,' with fire
'es on ground and second floor
'ct' the other three walls, ceilinf
roof gone. This was the room il
ch Joan was presented to Charles
're she identified the king (wht
eied with the assembled courtier!
receive her, or test her prescience,
asn sne had never before seer
|, or royal gathering. The stor!
nat inspired girl warrior-saint, 81
'hoiogical in character, so full o
miraculous of the middle age
yet so full of the facts of recorded
DRY, has always impressed me a
OF the most stirring written o
cted, and here, without planning
anticipating it. / suddenly foun
'eil IN the very theater where
Any old, crumbling, moss
ered pile of stone, once reared b
hand of man, appeals to the i'm
iation, but when 1t is hallowe
such stirring events and sue
hes as this particular pile c
'ther-worn stone has witnesse
can appreciate how I felt upo
ing myself in such a spot. Thl
remaining wall was pierced by
rway that led into another roo
chamber with portions of its fou