Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

48
ANNALS OF OUR ANCESTORS
women with hoods or kerchiefs on their heads were sitting out
there knitting stockings and seUing their products. Altogether
this market-place, patterned after southern Europe
and the Orient, did not look attractive to us as compared to
city markets in our own "States," where under cover in a market-house
the foodstuffs are arranged in stalls; but then this
old French market had a novelty for us which we would not
have missed.
As we were driven on we were shown some of the oldest
houses. The restored wall of Quebec keeps its gate open, and
the old street within is so narrow that two carriages cannot
meet and pass each other there. Here we saw how poor but
respectable people can live and at least appear to be happy.
The httle children were well fed and smiling, and though some
greeted us in French many waved to us and said, "How do you
do?" in English. They seemed pleased to have their salute
returned. The curio shops were well stored with things from
all lands, as well as of olden times in our own. Some of the
china was quite fine and said to be of early make. One large
soup tureen had the citadel of Quebec as its figure; it was blue
and white and said to be very ancient. I saw a plate like one
Grandmother Watkins had in her cupboard, which I should
have enjoyed purchasing and presenting to our family if the
one who would have liked most to possess it had been still
upon earth. I thought of Brother William often as we passed
among the treasured things of old or looked at the curios from
China and Japan and the beautiful brass work from Benares
in India.
We left the St. Lawrence near Murray's Bay and took a
side trip up the Saguenay River to look upon its rarely beautiful
scenery, and then at last we were on our way back to New
York, to Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks, and those de-
sired scenes of our dear mother's childhood. We set out for
Ticonderoga, but on arriving there it took some stretch of
the imagination to people it as it was in that time when
the grand fortress was all astir with soldiers and richly bedecked
generals in their gaudy trappings. It is told that Lord Howe
ordered his men to cut their long hair, even as he did himself,