. Zigzag journeys in Europe : vacation rambles in historic lands. ll one day make forgottenThomas Shadwells and Mrs. Oldfields of them all. While in London I made also a pleasant excursion into Berkshire, and therea the famous White-Horse Hill. It i- said that the figure of the White a the hill was first made by Alfred tin- Great .i thousand years ago, to commemorate the defeat oi theDanes, — the White Horse being thestandard or national emblem of theDanish chief. Whatever may havebeen its origin, it is now made by annually cutting about an acre of turfaway from the chalk beneath it. Thiswork
. Zigzag journeys in Europe : vacation rambles in historic lands. ll one day make forgottenThomas Shadwells and Mrs. Oldfields of them all. While in London I made also a pleasant excursion into Berkshire, and therea the famous White-Horse Hill. It i- said that the figure of the White a the hill was first made by Alfred tin- Great .i thousand years ago, to commemorate the defeat oi theDanes, — the White Horse being thestandard or national emblem of theDanish chief. Whatever may havebeen its origin, it is now made by annually cutting about an acre of turfaway from the chalk beneath it. Thiswork is performed during a festival inits honor, and is railed Scouring theWhite I [orse. While m Berkshire I saw an oddpit tare, not of a castle, but of an oldish gentlemans residence, whichwas truly castle-like in appearance,and which furnishes a happy sugtion to people who do not like tolive long in any one plate It on wheels, and it had beenby an o i and indignant dem- it fr the purpose of having nofixed locality, and s<. to avoid LETTERS AND EXCURSIONS. 163 In London I made a study of the cheapest way of getting to Paris, and ofseeing the most on the journey. I found I could take a returning produce boatat Southampton for Lower Normandy at a trifling cost, and could go on aproduce train from Caen to Paris as inexpensively. We took a third-class ticket to Southampton. What a delightful ride itwas ! Out of the smoke of London into the blossoming country, among land-scapes of cottages and gardens, — thatched cottages, cottages covered with oldred tiles, cottages whose gardens seemed to climb up embankments to theroofs; past wheat fields so full of poppies that they seemed like poppy-fieldsin full bloom ! I saw one fieldcompletely covered with red,purple, yellow, and white pop-pies. It was an exquisitelybeautiful sight, — nothing butbright color. The steamer we took wasemployed simply for the ex-portation of Normandy butter,potatoes, and other farm prod
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