Part 15 (1/2)

[7] _Little Susy's Little Servants_

[8] A Life bid with Christ in God, being a memoir of Susan Allibone By Alfred Lee, Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Delaware

[9] See appendix C, p 539

[10] Many years afterward, speaking to a friend of this illness, she related the following incident One day she lay, as was supposed, entirely unconscious and _in articulo mortis_ Repeated but vain attempts had been made to administer a medicine ordered by the doctor to be used in case of extreht possibly succeed She heard distinctly every word that was spoken and instantly reasoned within herself, whether she should consent or refuse to s thethe eternal city, she longed to refuse but decided it would be wrong and so consented to coain to earth

CHAPTER VI

IN RETREAT AMONG THE ALPS

1858-1860

I

Life abroad Letters about the Voyage and the Journey from Havre to Switzerland Chateau d'Oex Letters from there The Chalet Rosat The Free Church of the Canton de Vaud Pastor Panchaud

Mrs Prentiss passed more than two years abroad, mostly in Switzerland

They were years burdened with heavy cares, with ill-health and keen solicitude concerning her husband But they were also years hallowed by signal ht every now and then with floods of real sunshi+ne, and sweetened by h quite secluded froe portion of the time, her solitude was cheered by the constant arrival of letters fro these years also she was first initiated into full communion with Nature; and what exquisite pleasure she tasted in this new experience, her own pen will tell Indeed, this period affords little of interest except that which blossomed out of her domestic life, her friendshi+ps, and her love of nature She travelled scarcely at all and caught only fugitive glimpses of society or of the treasures of European art

A few simple records, therefore, of her retired home-life and of the impressions made upon her by Alpine scenery, as contained in her letters, must form the principal part of this chapter Her correspondence, while abroad, wouldfrom it what follows, the aim has been to present, as far as possible, a continuous picture of her European sojourn, drawn by herself Were a faithful picture of its quiet yet varied scenes to be drawn by another hand, it would include features wholly oht and beauty not of earth It would reflect a sweet patience, a heroic fortitude, a tender sy influence, which in sharp exigencies the Christian wife and mother knows so well how to exercise, and which are inspired only by the Lord Jesus Hi letter was addressed years ago passed away from earth But her naenerous and affectionate kindness, as also that of her children, would fill a whole chapter ”You will never knoe have loved and honored you all, _straight through_” wrote Mrs Prentiss to one of them, many years later

_To Mrs Charles W Woolsey, Havre, July 11, 1858_

How e we had occasion to think of and thank you and yours, a dozen sheets like this would fail to tell you Of all your kind arrangements for our comfort not one failed of its object

Whether the chair or ine how people ever get across the ocean without such consolations on the way As to the grapes they kept perfectly to the last day and proved delicious; the box then became a convenient receptacle for the children's toys; while the cake-box has turned into a e as is usual at this season, it being cold and rainy and foggy much of the time However, none of us suffered much from sea-sickness--Mr Prentiss not in the least; his chief discomfort was from want of sleep On the whole, we had a less dreary time than we anticipated, and perhaps the stupidity in which ere engulfed for teeks was a wholesoe from the excitement of the e of rain, and the only article in our possession that alar-machine, which was hardly vouchsafed a look, but your cake-box We were thankful to tue, and soon to find ourselves in a coo round with a phrase-book and talk out of it, so if anybody ever asks you what sort of people the Prentiss family are and what are our conversational powers, you may safely and veraciously answer, ”They talk like a book” M already asks the French nalad to know that ”we have got at Europe,” and when asked how she likes France, declares, ”Me likes _that_” We go off to Paris in theI will let Mr Prentiss tell his own story Meanwhile we send you everyone our warmest love and thanks

After a few days in Paris the family hastened to Chateau d'Oex, where New York friends awaited them Chateau d'Oex is a ht bank of the Sarine, twenty-two miles east of Lausanne, and is one of the loveliest spots in Switzerland Aside from its natural beauties, it has some historical interest It was once the home of the Counts of Gruyere, and the ruins of their ancient chateau are still seen there The Free church of the village was at this time under the care of Pastor Panchaud, a favorite pupil and friend of Vinet He was a reat simplicity and sweetness of character, an excellent preacher, and wholly devoted to his little flock Mrs

Prentiss and her husband counted his society and ministrations a smile of Heaven upon their sojourn in Chateau d'Oex

_To Mrs Henry B Smith, Chateau D'Oex July 25, 1858_

Our ride fro We had one of those luxurious cars, to us unknohich is intended to hold only eight persons, but which has room for ten; the weather was perfect, and the scenery all the way very lovely and quite novel A and I kept reed that ould gladly see only half there was to see, and go half the distance ere going, if we could only share with you our pleasures of every kind On reaching Paris and the hotel we found we could not get pleasant rooarden of the Tuileries, where birds were flying and singing, and it was hard to realise that ere in thevery little A

and I strolled about here and there, did a little shopping, stared in at the shop ished M had this and you had that, and then strolled hohts, and wrote in our journals, or rested, or made believe study French We went to the Jardin des Plantes in order to let the children see the Zoological Garden We also drove through the Bois de Boulogne, and spent part of an evening in the garden of the Palais Royal, and watched the people drinking their tea and coffee, and having all sorts of good times We found Paris far more beautiful than we expected, and certainly as to cleanliness it puts New York ages behind We were four days in co from Paris to this place We went up the lake of Geneva on one of the finest days that could be asked for, and then the real joy of our journey began; Paris and all its splendors faded away at once and forever before these e had never visited Geneva, or seen any of this scenery, ine, if you can, hoe felt when Mt Blanc appeared in sight! We reached Vevay just after sunset, and were soon established in neat rooms of quite novel fashi+on The floors were of unpainted white wood, checked off with black walnut; the stairs were all of stone, the stove was of porcelain, and every article of furniture was odd But we had not s within doors, for the lake was in full view, and thesun, and the moon soon rose and added to the whole scene all it wanted to make us half believe ourselves in a pleasant dream I often asked myself, ”Can this be I!” ”And _if_ it be I, as I hope it be”--

Early next rand style for Chateau d'Oex We hired a monstrous voiture which had seats inside for four, and on top, with squeezing, seats for three, besides the driver's seat; had five black horses, and dashed forth in all our splendor, ten precious souls and all agog I e on top, and the ”bonnes” and children were packed inside This was our great day The weather was indescribably beautiful; we felt ourselves approaching a place of rest and a welconificent, and already theto revive our exhausted souls and bodies We sat all day hand in hand, literally ”lost in wonder” With all I had heard ever since I was born about these randeur and beauty We arrived here just after sunset, and soon found ourselves aht us up to our new home, which we reached on foot (as our voiture could not ascend so high) by a little winding path, by the side of which a little brook kept running along to ular Swiss chalet, much like the little models you have seen, only of a darker brown, and on either side the ed, so that look where e are feasted to our utmost capacity

We have four small, but very neat, pretty rooms Our floors are of unpainted pine, as white and clean as possible The roo, I must fully set before you Our centre table has had a nice new red cover put on it to-day, with a vase of flowers; it holds all our books, and is the orna on which we say our prayers

Over it is a picture, and over G's table is another Out of theyou see first a pretty little flower garden, then the valley dotted with brown chalets, then the background ofpath--and can go on forever without stopping if you choose--along the sides of which flowers such as we cultivate at ho them away to snatch a new handful The brook takes its rise on this side, and runsas you ascend Yesterday we all went to church at nine and a half o'clock, and had our first experience of French preaching, and I was relieved to findwhole sentences here and there And now I need not, I suppose, wind up by saying we are in a charoes, is health and strength hich to enjoy all this beauty and all this sweet retireive us in ti I hoped for, and from her there has not been even a _tone_ of discomfort since we left But my back aches and my paper is full We all send heaps of love to you all and long to hear

_August 10th_--We breakfast at eight on bread and honey, which is the universal Swiss breakfast, dine at one, and have tea at seven I usually sew and read and study all the forenoon After dinner we take our Alpen- stocks and go up behind the house--a bit of er a young girl I get only so high, and then have to coe and Annie beat me all to pieces with their exploits I do not believe we could have found anywhere in the world a spot better adapted to our needs How _you_ would enjoy it! I perfectly yearn to show you these ive you a very good idea of it, however The smaller chalet in the print is ours In a little su-machine My best love to all three of your dear ”chicks,” and to your husband if ”he's willin'”

_To Mrs HB Washburn, Chateau d'Oex, August 21, 1858_

We slipped off without any leave-taking, which I was not sorry for