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"THE BOY"
12.7
interpretation of the last-named title. At a
shooting party, a stout urchin of some fifteen
summers was specially told off to carry the liquid
refreshment for the shooters, which took the
form of Perrier Jouet in magnums.
And so
frequent were the calls of " Boy ! " that morning,
that the youth threw up his situation before
noon.
D'you believe it ? Not a word of it? Same
here.
At least I never attended a "shoot" at
which the gunners steadied their nerves by the
aid of choice vintages—before luncheon, at all
events ; and I don't mean to begin now. Cham
pagne was probably called " the Boy " because of
its free, happy,joyous,loose-and-careless character
istics. The sparkle represents youth, and the froth
irresponsibility ; whilst the whole
but never
mind about the whole, just now.
The Champagne district, as some people know,
lies on the chalk hills which surround the valley
of the Marne. The townlets of Epernay, Ay,
and Chateau Thierry owe their prosperity to
these seductive wines, and Rheims has attained
world-wide celebrity, as much from being the
centre of the champagne industry as from being
the seat of the premier ecclesiastic of France,
the Archbishop of Paris. So far, guide-book.
The champagne-vines are short and stunted,
the grapes being small, but most prolific of juice.
A third, and even a fourth, crushing will yield a
very delicious wine, to an unedncated palate ; and
this is the inferior liquor which is sold to tourists
in Rheims at the equivalent of one shilling and
fivepence per large bottle. It is a sweet—what