The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1867-10-03

We were shown through the palace il
the tree-and.easy way 10 had already
got accustomed 70, and then our friends,
tho Princes, and Generals, and Baron.
esses, conducted the gang al about The
lawns and groves Of tho park. I enioy.
ed it. I had reached my level at ia:t
II there is one thing that I an naturally
fitted for, it is to converse with Dukes.
! got along we'll. They could not IN.
derstand the subtleties Of, an American
Joke, it is true, and 20 they generally
laughed in the wrong place. However,
it wasn't any matter-they were inferior
jokes anyhow, and some of them very
| old. 49," =.
Some Of US fingered in the grounds
a good while, and when We got back
We found tho balance Of the mob
scattered about the reoeptiou-room and
the verandahs, sitting, At little tables,
and drinking tea aud vine and eating
bread and cheese and cold meats With the
Grand Duke, who ate at one table a
while and then at another, and kept the
conversation and the destruction Of pro-
visions going with . zeal which was per-
fectly astonishing in the brother Of an
Emperor. l did not suppose that the
brothers Of antocrats were 80 much
like other people. Some people have
curious ways about them. This sort
Of thing may have suited His Imperial
Highness, but if I were Grand Duke
I would't eat with those varlets. As
the circumstances stood, however, I
took hand. They give you lemon
to squeeze into your tea there, or iced
milk if you prefer it. The former is
best. The Grand Dukes tea was de-
lioious. II is brought overland from
China. Il Injuries the article to trans
port it BY sea.
Well to cut long story short, it
was . chatty, sociable tes-party, and
free from restraint. Whoever chose
got up and walked about and talked,
and in. al human probability would
have been allowed 10 whistle # he had
wanted to. And it was a pleasant pic
mic all through, from the time We left
tho ship till We got back again. We
had spent nearly half . day with the
heads Of the Russian Empire, and it
had seemed as if We were merely visit.
ing party Of ordinary friends: There
was not one Of them but had said the
kindest thugs about America, and said
them with an earnestness that proved
their siucerity-not one but had dono
everything he could to make US feel
oontented and At home. I fear for our
less liberal hospitality. IF they visit
the ships they will find sign up: "No
smoking abatt the wheeP'-but the
Grand Duke passed around his box of
cigars in his own reception.room. And
there Was another incident that shows
how little he was inclined to put on
airs. and how geauiue the seeming COR
diality Of our reception was. This
lordly brother Of an Emperor, and him
selfsub-ehief Of half an empire, came
down on his horse to Yalta, three miles,
when We first came ashore, and escort
ed our procession all the way to the
palace, keeping . sharp lookout, and
dispatching his aids hither and thither
to furnish assistance whenever it was
needed ; and haine .d-Ae.ed in An nm
pretentious uniform. nobody ever sus.
pected who he was until We recognized
him in his own palace. I doubt if he
goes about escorting = rabble Of plain
civilians every day.