Pictures and the Picturegoer (Jan-Dec 1925)

MARCH 1925 Pictures and P/cfv/re$ver up to a certain point — invariably my conscience will pride me into action m order to overcome as quickly as possible whatever faults have been caused by the delay. As a general rule. 1 have schooled myself to be punctual. And, .is a general rule, I am. But when one is vacationing, good resolutions are apt to slumber while we drift along with the current of everyday pleasures. 1 really waited in Campo Basso longer than I should have, because I found the spring in my car broken and 1 had to wait until a new spring was put in. As I have before remarked, things are not done in my country with the expedition one finds in America. This includes cars as well as service and telegrams. 1 spent pleasant days with my brother, my sister-in-law and my little nephew, for whom I predict a earn r either in the cinema or in cars. He seems to lean slightly toward the cars right now, but may change with age. His agility should land him somewhere, certainly. He can get over more ground in a shorter space of time and with less apparent effort, than any other human being I have ever noticed, unless it might be Douglas Fairbanks at his best. To-night I shall say good-bye again to my brother and his family and proceed southward. Had a wire and a letter from Natacha saying that she is feeling rested and is enjoying the sunshine and late flowers. She also gave me detailed accounts of the various dogs. Tarcnto, September \9th. \Y/e left Campo Basso in the morning The last sight I had was an animated one of my small nephew executing gymnastics of farewell as we vanished down the road. The sun struck him full on. and he seemed a veritable sliver of quicksilver prancing there in the centre of the road. I don't know whether he felt sorrier at seeing me go, or sorrier at seeing the car vanish. His affections seemed to be pretty equally divided. A nice kid. . . . On the way to Campo Basso, I had only one flat tyre. But going from Campo Basso to Tarento I had three. Fortunately, I was able to change the first two This was DO light task whilst sprawling in the dust of the sunny road in niv overalls. The third one occurred just as I arrived in from of the hotel in Tarento. The rest of the family waited at the hotel while I drove about OH a fl.it tyre trying tO locate help. When help tailed, We QUI Up here ior the night to await the arrival of the salvaging tyre. I had a good night's rest, wrote tO Natacha and some letters to people at home, and a couple of books 1 hadn't had time to get to before, and talked a long while with Auntie and my sister, going over what we had done on our trip and what was in store for US. As 1 realised how near I was to the last pivotal point of my journey — my home town — I felt a sense of welling excitement, such as I had felt when we left New York, when we reached London, when we reached Paris, Nice, Milan and Rome. I felt as though I had been making progressive journeys back and back into my youth. Tomorrow I should get straight back to my babyhood. The house where I was born. The streets and garden where I had made the proverbial mudpies — and where I had pitched my first ball. As we came on further South, we came through a country where an automobile is rarely seen. To the children, no doubt, my whirring machine seemed much like a smokeemitting dragon skidding miraculously along a commonplace road. They greeted me invariably with shrieks and squeals of wonderment and delight, and some among them, the Right : Rudy and the car in which he toured Europe. most \ illt HI i soim , took ad\ alit.i. • Rle win n 1 had tO slow down, by way of attaching themselves to the fender or any other precarious place they could lay feel and hands to, to steal a rii I was afraid they would ^'el hurt and I was more than certain that if tiny did I would be held responsible for them, \ we got further South, about 4.30 that afternoon, the children had splendid opportunities with me, every one of winch they availed themselves of. I had to <;o very slowly indeed, bCC of the Country people coming back from the fields, driving their donkey Carts or walking. Most of the people hereabouts have mules, and most of them have never so much as seen an automobile, save in a stray, accidental picture. Both the ])eople and the mules got nervous and frightened. All the way that day I had to drive slowly because of the scared and frightened animals and the terrible condition of the road. It got worse as we went along. But as night approached, there was a gorgeous sunset, and a huge orange moon arose, as huge as a house, so that we felt somewhat repaid and calmed for the pains we were taking. However, irritating and aggravating as a dusty, fretful day maybe, I defy any Monte Forte, an ancient castle at Campo Basso. It was built in 1100 and both castle and fortress haze figured in many sieges and battles during the feudal man or woman with so much as the germ of beauty within, to remain chafed and fretted when a moon like saffron silk rises above a land as purple as deep iris. There is something, too, in the air of night, rising out of the ground, that holds a nectar of soothing and sleep. Little things fade away and are lost in the silver shot immensities. . . I am very tired. More of our arrival to-morrow.