The Argosy — page 399: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Life at Gastein. 379 thought a trifling matter, but scarcely so when it is remembered that it was of daily and oft-repeated occurrence. Easy enough to do, perhaps but easier still to leave undone. To any Englishman, accustomed to meet with very little of this reverence in his own country it could not pass over unobserved. Shut up within themselves ; seldom demonstra- tive except perhaps where demonstration might as well not be; many lessons might be taken to heart and mind from these simple, far-off, out of-the-world mountain folk. But the procession is passing out of sight: it is winding back to the church through the path overlooking that wonderful valley: the voices are dying in the air, faint and fainter yet, with a stage-like effect that appeals to the senses: a few more guns and the last is fired. The church has swallowed up the show and ceremonial. I happened to be close to Straubinger’s when two of the maidens returned in their smart clothes. Out rushed some of the women on the watch for them, spread carpets and aprons over the wooden bridge leading to the lower regions, where the artistic cook held reign, and erected an impromptu triumphal arch of brooms and mops and other domestic weapons. ‘The girls were hoisted in amidst blushes and shrieks of laughter: planning, doubtless, in their own minds, for this mockery of state, speedy and ample revenge. When all was over the visitors dispersed, not sorry to take refuge from the blazing sunshine. It had been a splendid morning, but no sooner had the procession disappeared than a dark bank of clouds came up from the East and rain began to fall. The shower sent the people like snails into their houses, and in a short time the scene had changed to the table-d’héte. The dinner was neither worse nor better than usual. The chief topic of conversation was the event of the morning: how fortunate it was there had been no rain ; how strange it should have come so soon after ; inquiries as to whether any onehad felt any ill-effect from the unwonted exposure to the sunbeams, and a unanimous agree- ment that no one had given the matter a thought. The conversation being so general and interesting, war with the toothpicks was waged less fiercely than usual; but it was delayed, not dismissed ; for when the company dispersed, the offending quills were carned off in triumph. “Well,” said the doctor, coming up that afternoon into the arbour, where I was sitting over an old volume of “Bleak House,” “ what think you of the procession P ” “Very good,” I answered, closing the book and leaving the unlucky little Jellaby with his head one side the area-railings and his body the other. “ Better than we might expect from Gastein.” “We have our resources on occasion,” replied the doctor, humour- ously. ‘Then you enjoyed it almost as much as those of your fine large towns?” ‘* More so.” COMIC OOOKS. EO in —_)