Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-01-22
Letter from Miss Swift In Paris.

Letter from Miss Swift In Paris.
Below is given part of q letter writ.
ten by Miss Winifred G. Swift Of Mime.
spolis to her people at homo. Miss
Swift is chemist In Red Cross hospital
in Paris, France. The letter 10 OF Inter
est especially to the friends Of the family
in South Paris and elsewhere, and 10 ol
q neral interes; for what 1t contains.
PARIS, FRANCE, Nov. 10, 1917
Sunday Evening, $50
Before my fire.
Dear People.
Once more it is Sunday night and
stake my pen in hand" to let you know
how the week has gone with me-and
my, how 1t has gone-the days travel 90
fast, l can scarcely believe I've been
more than q month from home.
To-day has been = glorious one! l
took my bath (quite an event when you
can have hot water only once week)
last evening so I could get an early start
this morning for Saint Ger main.en Lsye.
1t is an old outlying town of Paris and
so full of ancient spots and buildings
that feel as If I'd really lived back in
the 10th century since roaming around
there to-day.
took the tramway at nine O'Clock and
travelled "second class" to be with the
really interesting French people. The
first class" passengers are too much
like our own kind. In this dinky little
surface car were all sorts of odd folks
old peasants carrying the most uugainly
bundles; a young French boy, brought
up on the farm and going back With
Partisan togs, and bouquet for his
girl, feeling as nifty as he didn't look
several little boys with black smocks
and wooden shoes, all chewing on onions
with tops on a yard long. They had
lust begged them from an old lady sell.
ing vegetables at the city gates. Il love
a city with walls and gates, such as
Paris bas)
You Just can't see the pictures saw
on that car, and the car itself! We rat
tied along for a square or two and then
we stopped, the conductor-a pretty lit
tie Frenchwoman with coarse voice
got off and shouted some lingo aud then
we bumped along till that was all re-
peated. So 1t kept up until We had
passed the suburbs, and then l turned
my whole attention to the scenery,
The fields are still green, and as the
train runs on the high ground between
the Seine and much higher land, l saw
such little gems of view that you see In
Corot's or Mlllet's paintings. The
gardens are all outlined with brush
fences or stones and some green, Others
plowed ground, with now and then q
little orchard-all on the slopipg banks
of the river. The river is slow and
meandering and the banks lined with
Lombardy poplars. -.
The farm homes are low posted white
washed brick and stone, with red tile
roofs, one or two thatched. The peas.
ants have little pots of geraniums and
green things in every window, and bird
oages-the big square kind with wooden
bars-bung up outside. Some OF the
more pretentious houses have little
inches in the walls and on the corners
with old weather beaten statues In them.
It is 90 useless to describe these things,
for it's the whole atmosphere that en-.
chants me and not the actual objects.
can hardly wait for my kodak-you've
sent 1t long before this-and then won't
I have wonderful things to show for my
trip.
St. German is very high up, and on
clear day-if they ever have them-you
can see Eiffel Tower from the terrace.
And best of all, have seen real castle
with q moat! I'm enclosing several pic.
lures of things I've seen, for they tell
more than can. The chateau was built
by King Francis I in 15S0S1, and is q
marvel in Renaissance art and sculpture.
I didn't 20 In to-day for I wanted Mrs.
]. to be With me and explain the furni-
ture and relics-all the best furniture OF
that period is exhibited there. But
did walk all around the castle and peerec
into the moat-now dry and moss Gov
cred. The chapel windows are so
mysterious, I can hardly walt to see
them from the inside.
Behind the castle Is the garden, ter
race, and then the big forest OF st. Ger
main, where Fraucis I, Henry of Navarro
and Louis XVI used to hunt and ride.
The garden is q formal one, sunk In
about six feet with stone steps and grass
slopes. There are innumerable statues
and beautiful sun dial that would be
the Joy of dads heart to have at SS4l.
I went around sitting on all the stone
benches and seats, just as Goldilocks did
in the chairs of the Three Bears, aud try
ing to realize that the old kings, queens
and court ladies actually sat In the same
places and looked at the same trees and
flower beds.
Beyond the garden is the terrace, q
very modern looking road built on the
very brink of the high plateau. The old
walls that retain the road are as good as
new, and the road.bed is equal to our
best boulevards. From this terrace you
look down on the Seine, winding around
among the little farms, one OF those
check erboard views of the countryside,
and there was the most interesting old
cemetery In one place, but I didn't know
low to get down from the terrace girls
don't Jump in France or I might have
gotten there.
wandered through the forest for an
hour and found an oak tree with the
Virgin Mary enshrined in Its branches
and the trunk of the tree covered with
wreaths, holly and flags. There were
several inscriptions tackled up and q
poem beseeching the Virgin to have
mercy on the orphans of Saint Germain
whose fathers were In the war. 1t was
80 primitive and still very touching.
Mrs. ]. says that pilgrimages are still
made to that oak, but she has never been
able to find out its history.
WANDERED through the gardens OF the
little pavilion which Henry Nv had built
for summer castle, and saw the stables
With the original coat Of arms over the
door. Iswiped some ivy from the wall
to have In my room.
I found Q little restaurant where l
hardly expected to like much Of the din
ner, and what do you suppose l bad?
Besides all the salads, fsb, etc., which
attend every French meal, I had big
iuicy steak with mushrooms and olive
sauce. I learned afterward that ST. g.
is a great mushroom oenter-so many
old damp places, suppose. l got all
this for four francs. Before taking the
train back, I walked through some OF
the old narrow streets-how would
have liked to peep into the old houses
that opened right on to them With mon
strous big iron doors and brass lions for
knockers.
When / got back here, "Msssieur
Bosonnier," the young soldier that 10 n
the Grand Palais learning to be useful,
after being wounded and healed, was
here, and had tea with him and the is
He is ane looking young lad. Mrs: J