The Argosy — page 228: what you’re looking at

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

In the Black Forest. 211 the landlord. An old-fashioned, picturesque water-wheel creaked and cracked, slowly turned by the stream, moving the machinery within that cut up the trees into planks. ‘The flying sawdust scattered abroad the perfume of the pine. As almost always in the Black Forest, the men did their best to welcome an intruder, and show him anything there might betoexamine. The somewhat rough machinery did its work well; but it was the atmosphere of the place caused one to linger, and the pleasant swish of the saw as it penetrated the wood. These mills are great institutions in the Black Forest, and are worthy a visit ; the men greet you so civilly: and neither time nor distance obliterates the remembrance of the perfume. It was almost my last impression of Griesbach. Soon after, we were once more on the road. And now occasionally we seemed to get more on a level with the tops of the mountains, looked down upon vast pine forests, a deep smiling valley with its onrushing stream ; occasional villages—like angels’ visits to the earth ; more saw- mills. Roadside houses like milestones marked the way; evidences, amidst all this extent of hill and valley and forestland, that even here the short and simple annals of many a human life were being played out. Amidst a repetition of such scenes—for in the Black Forest you must expect something of sameness, though without monotony—we journeyed through the afternoon. ‘The horses, after their long mid- day rest, travelled bravely. ‘Towards evening we reached Rippoldsau, and the end of our second day’s journey. If the extent of the hotel at Griesbach was surprising, still more so was that at Rippoldsau. It appeared endless. And here the season still seemed in full flow. The place was thronged with visitors, full of bustle and excitement. People were running to and fro. Everyone was doing something with a. will, if only idly lounging and smoking ina chair. ‘The long dining-room at night was crowded with people at supper; many others were taking it al frseco. When I first arrived, little groups and parties were seated in the open space before the hotel at small round tables. Ladies were chatting and working; gentlemen chatting and smoking; children “ disporting : themselves, and making everyone thoroughly uncomfortable and misan- thropic, except the fond and foolish parents. Having heard much of the restoring properties of the baths, it seemed the right thing to test their virtues after a long day’s journey. A man-servant acted as pilot through endless passages. At length, when I began to wonder whether these subterranean mazes would lead to an intermediate world, I was duly consigned (like a bale of goods) to the tender mercies of a bath-woman. Seizing a long bit of wood, she turned on the water, and began splashing about, the verisimilitude of another Fury; and like a witch in Macbeth, stirred up the cauldron with her stick. ‘‘ Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Rok expected to hear her mutter in haggard tones, and COMMICMOOOKS.C©