National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-07-22
CENTENNIAL STRANGERS.
Odd Chare cters on the Street.-The American
Traveller

Prussians, and odd-looking eople from all
over the world overrun the city. All the world
is gathered at Philadelphia but detachments
are constantly being squeezed into Washing.
| ton. Every nation is represented by specimen
natives. The hotel corridors are filed with
| European gentlemen and European snobS
| Hotel clerks are bothered TO death with for.
eigners who can hardly speak one word OF
English.
An uaceasing pantomime is enacted in the
| hotel offices. All clerks have agreed that
| when an eye-glassed, whiskered European
| comes up to the desk, and after arranging an
imaginary feast before him, begins to work
| with an imaginary knife and fork, he wants to
know whether dinner is ready.
I'm furriner, and me name is Pat Swa-
| uey," is the way one crop-headed traveller in
troduced himself, and the clerk, glad to find
one who could speak English, handed the
newly arrived guest pen, which the furriner
grasped tic htly between his fingers, while his
little eyes blinksd, and he bent his nose down
TO the book and scratched the indecipherable
name OF an Irish town on the register. But
the other foreigners who seem 10 have been
brought over in bandboxes, without wrin-
kle in their coats, or one hair displaced, eye
the clerk with desperation as they try to make
themselves understood, and probably think to
themselves how stupid these Americans
ere. The only word they learned in Phil
adelphia before coming to Washington
was little monosyllable, "beel," and when
they are ready to leave the hotel they stand
before the clerk, and pointing at themselves,
calculate ''beel." When the "beel" is passed
to them their eyes open wide and their chin S
drop down, but they are in a strange count ny
and are learning the ways Of a strange people.
1t is on the street and rushing
ABOUT THE CITY
that the travellers are seen the most. Big
Fnglishmen, with stupid faces and mutton
chop whiskers, wearing voluminous pants and
very short coats, walk through the city as if
life was q pedestrian match. Dapper, little
men from France and the Mediterranean, with
regular features and irregular costumes,
saunter through the sultry streets, ogling
pretty girls, and conversing very emphatically
and with innumerable gestures and grimaces.
Burly Teutons, gotten up after the style of
Frederick Wilhelm. smoking meerschaums
and communicating in short gutturals; all of
these gather together at places of interest.
They get up at O'Clock in the morning and
besiege the doors of The Department buildings
and get mad when refused aGmittance. They
gain queer ideas Of American institutions
The paintings in the rOtunda are carefully ex-
planned, and the foreigners soon understand
that the half naked figure in the fresco is the
Father of his Country. Then they form a
vague connection with the fresco, and the
buCkskin hreechcs in the Patent Office, and
leave the country satisfied that they are we'll
versed in American history. Art critics stop
and examine wooden Indians in front of to-
bacconists' shops, and hunt on the pedestal for
the sculptor's ''fccit." One foreigner viewed
one OF these figures for q long time then his
face broke out with smile, and point
ing to the figure lie said, ''Secting
Bull" They see great many remarkable
things. Americans wipe Their mouths on a
common napkin in hotel bar-rooms. Rows
of tOots and shoes dangling over the ledge of
sitting room windows they have found cover
the feet of dozens Of sleepy individuals, who
are happy in the undisputed possession of
cane bottom seat, which can be reclined back
ward, and spittoon which stands in the CEN
tire of 4 little lake of tobacco juice. 1t is
grand holiday for the foreigners who como
to this country, bringing with them European
habits and iabber and European dislike for
water. A few months will be spent in rush.
ing over the continent making ludicrous mis-
takes and learning the names of American
drinks. They will again board the Atlantic
steamers, and their musical lingo will die out.
from the streets.
THE AMERICAN TRAVELLER.
OF the many thousands of Centennial trav-
clers none are more amusing even to Ameri-
cons than the American travellers. Stout men,
very uncomfortable in tight busters, hurry
through the streets, dragging their wives and
families with them, plentifuliy supplied with
umbrellas and shawls. Red-faced men mop
the perspration from their brows, and make
up their minds to see all that is to be seem
The visitors from the country amuse the city
folk. The farmer, whose scrubby beard spouts
up out of his stiff shirt collar-whose hat and
span new coat, tightly gathered up under the
arms, and pants scarcely concealing the tops
Of the CATERS, show that he went through the
hands of a ready made merchant for the occa-
sion-is the representative American traveller.
genuine American agriculturst will pay
more money for a worse-titting suit of clothes
than any other man living. Generally he has
his wife with him, good natured,
dumpy woman, whose broad sides were |
made for laughter. Then there will |
be three or four stout-legged boys, who have
been through the same ready-made process as |
he father, and with the same uncomfortable |
results. Perhaps there will be daughter,
too, lank female, with green parasol aud |
reticule, and disposition to object to every
proposition that Is made. The family, thus |
made up, rush through the city. The father,
with broad smile, drags his wife and daugh- |
ter, who hang on his arm, after him, and the |
boys troop, sometimes before, sometimes be- |
hind the others, and occasionally the whole |
group stop to give vent to EXPLANATIONS of as |
enlistment. These people always find their |
cold, and wonder that the cares
IF State make him 60 much more unsociable |
.hah lie was in election times.
ATTHE DEPOT.
What hearty reception the granger and his
family receive when they enter the city. How
the hack drivers fight over them and poke
heir whips in their faces and strive for their
baggage until they become quite bewildered.
Three or four eager hackies almost tear TO
pieces the little boy, who is Juggling the car
pet-bag. The poor granger goes almost dis
tracted as he is button-holed and pulled and
showed and jerked and carried about by the
liners" The battle is not over till rcd
nosed Jehu, with an antiquated stovepipe hat
and no coat, plants himself in front of the be-
party, and with a quiZzical look ex-
claims half inquiringly, half positively, "Don't
know your" Then leaning forward and 1
peering under the travellers hat, his face
lights up with assurance, and reaching out
with his hands he breaks out with "Why,
it's my old friend, Mister, Mister -"
with an eagerness that shows how big his
heart is, and how glad he is to meet
a friend in such spot. "Why, Josh,
how are ye," eXclaims Jehu, shaking Mr..
Trimble heartily by the hand and leading him,
followed by his family, towards a shabby
hack; "my names Jones'" "Any relation to
Deacon Jones, of Hedgeville," asks Mr.. Trim
VIC do NC 10 Iuc hdCh.
'Neffy," responds the driver. Portly Mrs.
Trimble is forced through the narrow hack
door, all the children are finally packed in and
the carpet-bags are slowed away. The door
Is banged shut and the driver mounts the box,
and, with parting wink to his unsuccessful
brethren, as much as to say this is my old
friend, Mr.. Trimble, he shakes an old whip
stump over his nags and the vehicle bumps
and rattles away into the heart of the city.
Mr. Trimble insists, much to Mrs. Trimble's
and Miss Trimble's disgust, in thrusting his
bare head through the window out into the
night and keeping up loud conversation with
his friend Jones on the box, during which the
latter makes up for an alarming ignorance
about Hedgeyille affairs with an unusual de-
gree of interest in the Trimble family,
by which means 1t is discovered that
The time is not distant when Mrs.
Trimble will present Mr.. Trimble with
R sixth hope. The Trimble family are dumped
with unmerciful haste on the curb in front Of
hotel. When Mr.. Trimble settled
his hack bill he could not help thinking that
an old friend might have been a little more
in his charges, seeing that four OF
them were children, and one an infant.
The Trimble family, and all abe other fami-
lies from the country are pulled and jerked,
and snubbed, broiled in the sweltering streets,
and suffocat in the public buildings till they