The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-07-25
SCENES on A RHINE STEAMER.
The Germans on n Pleasure Trip.

| The Germans Pleasure Trip.
Up the Rhine from Cologne to Cob
lentz with party of noble German fel
low passengers, all bound for Ems
The saloon steamer glides up the foam
ing stream under a warm June sun, rip
ening the cornfeIds on the river banks
and making the grapes, rs yet small as
peas, swell and color in the vineyards.
A pink and white awning has been SET
up on deck, a band is playing one of
| Strauss waltZes, kellner rushes up
the cabin stairs with glass schoppes OF
cool beer, into which those ladies gath
cred near the wheel will dip their pink
lips as bravely as the gentlemen who
escort them. One would rather see
them suck sherry cobblers through a
straw, or try that luscious French drink
of Strawberries, sugar and champagne,
or at least trifie with vanilla ices, but
these things are unknown on board
and, after all, if the ladies choose to
drink the beer, which renders feminine
features plump as pretty pudding APP
pies, they have the right, for do they
not all belong to k,oJahig society
The gentlemen are counts and barons
to man, and dressed in gray with felt
hats of wondrous shape They
stalk about with the easy sup
pleness of ramrods, like men lit
tie used to civilian gear: and the
ladies are Frau Grain Won Rosen-
baum, Frau Grafin Won Reiselied,
Fraulien Won Lachenspiel, who lead
fashion and everything else worth lead
silks mauve, blue and cherry, these la
dles-thlngs most appropriate for travel
and, Judging by the attention which
the young Captain Won Reiselied, the
Countess brother law, pays to Frau
lein Irma Won Lachenspiel, the Coun-
tess sister, it is evident that he is smit-
ten III that quarter. The elder Herr
Won Relselled, the Countess brother. is
one of your old-stock Germans. who
smiles only at marked intervals but
his brother, the Captain, is a true la
dies man, who can click his heels to-
gether for bow as no other Prussian
can who waltzes half an hour bv the
clock, leads cotillons, trolls out his
part III duet, and has fund of anec-
dote, banter and conundrums most
choice. Hank to him describing how,
during the war, he was billeted in q
French chateau where there was ven
cradle foOtman III spectacles who had
served the family forty years, and who
one night mysteriOusly brought him his
mistress poodle, and confded the ami
nal to his honor. He was persuaded,
good man, that nothing but this could
save Toto from being requisitioned
and eaten, and, as he explained. with
all a Frenchman's grave chivalry,
1.-THE death of this dog, monsieur, would
bring disgrace on my white hairs.
German ears are well attuned by this
time to anecdotes of this sort, but they
never fail to make fair listeners laugh
gleefully-and not, mind, with that
lip-laughter of polite French
women, but with gay tinkies audible
altar, and buoyant as healthy weather.
For all which, conversation does not
hinge only on camp stories, for Eng
Ish novels (much read in GERMANY
native metaphysics, the Catholic ques-
ton and the health of Bismarck are all
prattled over III turns by these we'll
informed and not frivolous ladies. On
and on shoots the steamer, plough
ing up long burrows of white, and
glanclng by repeated elumps of wooden
gabled towns and new river
side hotels. The band exhausts Strauss,
and takes to O1enbach, Godfrey and
Metra; dlnner-bell rings and draws
down half the passengers to a prolong-
ed sitting over hot meats, new potatoes
fried, and lank bottles of Rhine wine
then the afternoon melts into evening,
and just as the setting sun is casting
broad sheets of purple light over the
noble river the boat darts by the Giant
Hotelat Coblentz, andreaches the land
ing stage. Groups of Prussian soldiers,
IN blue and white hang about brown
kirtled factory girls and faxen headed
school.boys to see the passengers dis
and above, the two forts, Con
stantine and Alexander, which the
French "shall never have" gaze proud
ly and securely down at the tract of
landscape whore the Rhine
and the Moselle blend their waters.-
Pal jfuU gazette.