The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-12-17

reach by disreputable and Anticipated
coach certain one of twenty little ham
let's within a radius of ten miles, and
from which, after a change of horses, or
vehicle, one goes on to an ultimate des-
tination sone~ here. I've Just done this
very thing BY devious route reached
mountain hamlet, the home of a soldier
attached to my staff when worked in
Rome. He had come to the large town
TO get me.
Near nine at night We reached the hut
of his mountaineer parents 1t WAS of
two rooms, stone built with hard earth
floor. The first room had a door and
window. 4 fire burned on the ground
in one corner. Cooking utensils and
dried herbs hung about and hens were
roosting where they could Out of this
opened the other room with no light and
no window. It had three enormous beds
and large chest of drawers. The fam.
lily, old father and mother and three
grown sons, so disposed themselves as TO
leave one of the beds free for me. 1t
was mass of mattresses or interlaced
ropes and rose five and half feet from
the ground.
We were given goats milk. cheese, eggs
stewed in fresh oil, and bread unleasened
and rolled out in large sheets. 1t was
all quite good,
The following morning they killed and
roasted a kid less than week old and
made feast for me. was taken TO call
on many people, some few of whom bad
really nice stone and plaster houses OF
| five or six rooms, whitewashed and dec
Grated They all gave me sweet cakes
and Moscatelle wine TO refresh me.
One was a priest, eighty three years
old When we came to leave no one knew
about train, so we got up early and
drove very far through two towns to the
railways and waited till train came. vs.
thought we would get one in the after
noon, but we got one in the morning in
stead, because it was al hour and hall
/ late
| Trains leave each end of the island
early in the morning and again about
noon. They burn wood, run very slowly
and carry merchandise, hence there car
be no really fixed hour for arrival at any
station.
Caglieri, where I shall arrive tonight
and mail this letter, Is large seaport
and near q mining district that IS devel
oping. | shall find life civilized there
Two other such centers exist in the is
land Outside of them everything i,
of the most primitive description. Tbs
national costume Is everywhere worn
head dresses and elaborate bodices for th'
women; long knitted caps, homespur
/ coats, and feeces for the men. The peas
ants are all barefooted.
My soldier tells me that his famil,
goes for months at time without ever
having any meat, their main food bein.
breadcakes made from wheat they them
selves grow and grind, and beans o
salad which they raise. Milk of cours'
and cheese are in abundance, flocks o
sheep and goats Astounding. Many Sard
have in late years gone to America ant
are now returning to buy land for them
selves and build better houses.
The wine here is soft and sweet
"malmsey" We call it. It seems as i
the juice of the grape were hardly fer
mented ] was forced to drink man,
glasses the afternoon | went on visits
and perceived that it had not the slight
est alcoholic effect, being more like
diluted but delicious strip than win
ns we understand it.
Sardinia was for so long time unde
Spanish dominion that the influence
seen both in speech and architecture.
am constantly reminded of Spain i'll tn
churches, where much elaborate decora
ton abounds and curious choirs, extend
ing down past the transepts into tn
nave.
Vegetation is tropical and in fact th
country much resembles what we sa'
near Sorrento and on our drive to Annals
The air is mild, even quite warm, and III
sky such as we know it in southern Ital.
| am going back to Rome the end {
this week and from there will send car
The prospects are good for useful vii
| tier. | discover none of the antiAmer
| can feeling 50 much talked %, though {
| course no one is pro-Wilson. Do ser
me some home news. My kindest II
| membranes to all.
| Yours truly,
4 d y nv