Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-03
BAY GOSSIP.
DECORATION DAY-ABoUr LUNCHEoHs
AND EMPLOYERS.
Story About Ralston-High School Girls
What Became of Some
Of Them

SAY FRANCISCO. MAY 81. 1852.


SAN Francisco, May 81, 1882.
The day after holiday always seems
like the still stream below the waterfall
1t is contrast that makes the light and
shade OF lie. Therefore, after yesterday,
to-day is quiet and sleepy enough. Ii Is
impossible not to have a sentiment for
Decoration Day; it is so proper and so
patriotic to remember the country dead,
and the fingers must thrill as flowers drop
from them upon the graves. Every grave
seems then like soldiers breast. But to
have the war come home to you, 1t needs
something more. Il needs the story Of the
man, yet alive, and alive in spite OF the
horrors of Andersonville it needs an inti-
mate acquaintance with the woman whose
LAST LETTER FROM A LOVER
Told of the battle at Shiloh, and con-
tanned little cluster OF blue and pink
grass flowers plucked from the field and
pressed. The writer did not live for an.
other letter, and the woman has faded
away into old maidenhood, with her past
locked away like n tear in her heart. 1t
needs the story of another woman who
guards sacredly, as others keep graves
green and headstones white, portion OF a
flag, soiled, blood. stained, frayed, which
was carried into the fight at Antletam by
the son, who was killed at Antietam.
Knowing people such as these, you cannot
fail to realize that there was a war 1t
seemed to me l never saw such wealth OF
flowers as was furnished yesterday but 1t
seemed greater, probably, because our
spring this year has been so late, and we
have not had such quantities of flowers till
just now. Bat they blossomed for Decora-
tion Day, and as they came in by the bas-
ketful and were turned out upon the
tables, the room was filed with their
fragrance What should be the ambition
of a rose 20 lose its petals, one by one,
with the face of beautiful woman shining
above it, or to wither on valor's grave with
the dead soldiers face beneath it Many
poems have been written about the rose
that was destined to be plucked and worn
by beauty Artificial roses come so near
to natural ones now, it is hard at short
distance to tell
ONE FROM THE OTHER,
And some are perfumed, but no parfumeur
ever yet caught the strange sweet scent of
the real flower. In the window of one Of
our large dry goods establishments was
placed the other day huge bouquet of
artificial roses in vase, and to make it
seem more real, few natural green leaves
were scattered below as if fallen from the
cluster. Hundreds of passers by stopped
at the window and admired it, and many
passed on evidently failing to suspect the
roses of being other than they seemed
A pretty custom prevails in some of our
schools. The children bring from day to
day to the teachers such flowers as they
can, and these are collected regularly and
sent to the Flower Mission. It is one way
of making the children know of and help
toward charity The G. A. K. sent out
request for flowers for yesterday, and also
for assistance in their arrangement, fur
nishing lunch to the ladies who respond
ed. Everyone knows how socisble cup
of tea is on ordinary occasions, but to real
ize how positively friendly the bite and
cup together can make people, hitherto
unacqusinted, you must attend some such
occasion and contrast the
frozen politeness of the beginning with the
thaw of the close. The we'll known hard
ware business of Baker & Hamilton has
been transferred to one of the new build
ings Oh Market street, paying, by the way,
a rentage of 81, 500 per month, and all
hands have kept at work till near midnight
for the past week.
THE LUNCH
That came in to cut the evening in two,
albeit but crackers and cheese, served with
ga beer" became an enlivening moment,
and was the pivot upon which good-fellow-
ship turned. During the reign of Ralston
peace to his ashes-suppers to his en-
ployes in the Bank of California were not
an infrequent occurrence, and the presence
Of the chief himself was an insurance of
iollity. The wonderful hold Ralston had
upon the friendship of men fastened to him
the devotion of even his clerks, and on
these occasions not one but looked up to
him as to prince with admiration and
affection. Yet when he chose he could
stamp out man as effectually as he could
blow out a candle. Toward the close OF
one day at the bank it was discovered that
the accounts would not Balances. 900
could not be found-and each man bent
himself to his books to hunt the deficiency.
The work was smilingly glanced over again
at first, and then impatiently, and finally,
as the order came sternly from headquar-
ters that no man was to leave until the
figures were found, there was CONSERVATION
and a stir as the small army of book
keepers began the search in earnest. The
arithmetic OF columns went on till dark,
and again and yet again each man an
nounced balance s, 9, 10, the hands of
the clock went round and still they were at
the books, hungry, tired and perplexed.
At L a message came in that sent ripple
Of rejoicing through the room. Tell the
boys they've worked long enough, it said,
- we'll all have supper" Tie books
SHUT WITH A BANG
Then, Office coats were changed and the
" boys" laughing and talking, went out to
a champagne supper with Ralston. Lee
Kan, the Chinese accountant in spectacles,
failed to rise to the occasion. There was
l. P. Allen and o. P. Allen, Charlie Gum
mer and Charlie Stincen, Henry Pitcher,
Lewis, Daniels, Fox, Kingstrom, little
Melville, Hutchinson, Rourke, Clark, Nor
rison, Brown, Gottschalk and the rest,
and the supper was a Jolly one indeed.
One of the book. keepers had been recently
and hence, woe. He had been a
bachelor for so many years that he didn't
know how women in suspense worry and
fret, and it never once crossed his mind
that anyone should cry because they didn't
know where he was. But the bride at
home spread the pper-table, and made