I don't know how much he gets a head for this job; but
whatever it is, he earns it ninety-and-nine times over. This lady
tourist is much given to missing trains and getting lost and having
disputes with natives and wearing rubber overshoes and asking
strange questions--but let me illustrate with a story I heard.
The man from Cook's had convoyed his party through the Vatican,
until he brought them to the Apollo Belvidere. As they ranged
themselves wearily about the statue, he rattled off his regular
patter without pause or punctuation:
"Here we have the far-famed Apollo Belvidere found about the middle
of the fifteenth century at Frascati purchased by Pope Julius the
Second restored by the great Michelangelo taken away by the French
in 1797 but returned in 1815 made of Carara marble holding in
his hand a portion of the bow with which he slew the Python observe
please the beauty of the pose the realistic attitude of the limbs
the noble and exalted expression of the face of Apollo Belvidere
he being known also as Phoebus the god of oracles the god of
music and medicine the son of Leto and Jupiter--"
Here he ran out of breath and stopped. Fora moment no one spoke.
Then from a flat-chested little spinster came this query in tired
yet interested tones:
"Was he--was he married?"
He who is intent upon studying the effect of foreign climes upon
the American temperament should by no means overlook the colonies
of resident Americans in the larger European cities, particularly
the colonies in such cities as Paris and Rome and Florence.
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