. First impressions of Europe. ntier there lies a charm-ing country, with ever-varying semi-mountainous viewsand deep ravines, quite Canadian-like in their darkmantles of spruce and fir. Beyond Pontparlier the flatvalley of the Saone, embracing the old Province ofBurgundy, is less interesting. Indeed from the frontierto Paris we found the usual scarceness of detachedcottages between the villages, and little to reflect uponsave Dijons venerable towers. At the Pontparlier customhouse trouble awaited ourmost corpulent and merry co-traveler, a teacher fromBaltimore. He was feeling particularly joy
. First impressions of Europe. ntier there lies a charm-ing country, with ever-varying semi-mountainous viewsand deep ravines, quite Canadian-like in their darkmantles of spruce and fir. Beyond Pontparlier the flatvalley of the Saone, embracing the old Province ofBurgundy, is less interesting. Indeed from the frontierto Paris we found the usual scarceness of detachedcottages between the villages, and little to reflect uponsave Dijons venerable towers. At the Pontparlier customhouse trouble awaited ourmost corpulent and merry co-traveler, a teacher fromBaltimore. He was feeling particularly joyous, whenthe French officials, noting no ostensible cause formerriment, concluded that he must be laughing atFrance, arrested him, and dragged him off to abuilding nearby for examination and search. Theparty became greatly excited. Several Irish membersrolled up their coat sleeves, demanding immediate trialby combat. Gendarmes boarded the train. Mean-while the prisoner and his guards held lively debate, The Journey to Paris 69. 70 First Impressions of Europe neither side at all comprehending the other. Zerelliappeared, pale in his wholesome dread of the consti-tuted authorities, and stated that the prisoner desiredto apologize, a statement the prisoner vehementlydenied. Zerelli, however, won his point by lifting themerry mans hat from his head and humbly bowinghimself, all of which he declared to be done by commissionnaire finally dismissed our friend, nowmuch fatigued by the ordeal, with the peculiar partinginjunction Do not laugh again in France! Later we changed to a much overcrowded train, andwaited for dinner, anxiously if not ravenously, untilafter nine oclock. Informed at last that all the delec-table French messes were prepared, we traversed fouror five carriages only to find the diner closed, andto stand another half hour in the adjoining first impressions of France found expression inmalediction ill-suppressed. PARIS The worlds gay metropolis o
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