The New York herald., 1922-08-06

! holy women rested on their journey.
This central portion OF our house
was one OF these old shrines. diverted
by the reverses of history into a
mere secular dwelling.
A local guide book described our
villa as once having been a Saracen
stronghold. This fact was well at
tested by the foundation stones
themselves, suggestive of the pass
ing of the Turkish hordes this way,
with later interpretations OF Greek
traders as before them perhaps the
Phoenecians.
One day, whep On the water in our
little green boat. with its bright
orange sail, in viewing the rear CT
our house from the sea ] pointed
out the outward slant OF the walls
OF our labyrinth Of a basement. the
unfailing hallmark of the Egyptian
builder. who could never get away
from the lines of the cone. Yes. in
the time of the Pharaohs his cooler
coast of the Mediterranean was dot
ted with the summer homes OF the
elite of Alexandria and Cairo. We
were living in their shadow.
The garden that rambled down
among the brilliant tinted rocks Of
mauves and yeilows gave testimony
Of the passing of the Italians of the
Renaissance. for its terraced paths,
bordered with giant aioes. lemons
and oranges, hedges of roses and
golden Dame showers of mimosa,
we're laid out in seometric patterns
of small pebbles of many chromatic
colors in a most ingenious fashion.
Half cbliterated were many Of
these embryo mosaics, and we
amused ourselves by replacing the
missing pebbles from the Italian
motif Our own little private beach
teemed with these brilliantly hued
small stones. but by a curious appii-
cation of French law not one of these
might We lift" al least not publicly
TO view. so We smUggled them in
few at a time.
our picturesque gardener. in
brown velveteens, with a red sash
around his waist. who planted flow
ers by the curves OF the moon and
slept most Of the time during the day
on the sunny side Of a wall. related
uysteriously that smugglers used
The cellars of our house as a hiding
place and that the scent Of good con-
traband tohacco hung around them
still. Ii was proved later that as
smuggling authority he knew where
of he spoke.
Celestine. our cook. and the kitchen
occupied the Roman wing. Accord
ing TO French tradition, whether
chateau or cottage, the kitchen must
always be on the left front of the
house and command the entrance
gate. j have always believed that it
was the holding of this point OF van
taee that makes the French servant
so content and continually on her
job.
Celestine could not only keep track
on all our callers, but was in a posi-
ton to hail our daily market supply
or food as il was brought in from
the warm valleys enfolded in the
great, gray wall Of the Maritime
Alps. on the backs OF small paniered
donkeys. or on pushcarts. TO the iron
grille, fianked by monumental col
umns and two tall Expresses. which
guarded US from the outside world.
Celestine cooked us delicious Pro-
vencal dishes in brown casseToles or
on the old clock work SPIT in the big
hooded chimney.
But l often listened as Celestine
detailed the romances Of her conn
try. As Ill good cooks. she was
sentimental. One day she was pre-
pairing a boaiildbdsse and told US Of
the lovers. pirates and villains Of her
Imagination. Appropriately these