Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-12-14
A SIBERIAN CLUB HOUSE.
Russian Hospitality and Queer Ways
s@sss$s j Of Showing it, .3

I . = So
Boston Commercially Bulletin.
Our stay at Tobolsk was short, for Ger
tain projected movements made, it i'm
perative for Gvoseikof to press on at
| once to Irkutsk, to. reach which place
was long, drearsv and dangerous jour-
ney. But before we left we were enter
tanned at dinner at the club, house by q
number Of the wealthy merchants and
the civil officers of the city. When we
reached the club room early 1.-THE even
ing we found large company assem-
bled, the members ofwhich in dress and
in general carriage would have done no
discredit to. the politest society of any
European capital. We were served with
a dinner of the choicest viands, but the
strength Of the banquet evil
IDENTITY lay in its wines and liquors. Be-
fore We got through came to the con-
cluslon that the Siberian Russians can
drink more champagne without getting
drunk~than any class of people [ ever
met. At this dinner they were drink
ing from beginning to end with scarcely
an lntermisslon, but after the substan-
| tails had been removed came their grand
opportunity. Champagne flowed like
water, toasts being proposed and relig-
iIously and heartily drank to everybody
from the car down to the humblest
guest present. After several hours of
this drinkingbout the dinner was held
to be over, and in the adjoining coffee
room tea and coffee were served, prob
ably as SOLDERING Off actions
| Then the champaign was brought in
again, and after partaking of more wine
| there occurred one Of the strangest
scenes that | ever Witnessed A party
of dozen gentlemen surrounded
Gyosdikoff and [ thought were shaking
hands with him. Suddenly I saw them
seize him and without moments warn
ing throw him upward into the air. AL
most touching the ceiling down he came.
only to be tossed back and forth again
| and again amid the shouts and the
! laughter of the company. I was as
founded, and concluded that the whole
company were SO drunk that they were
crazy and were not responsible for thus
| insulting tbeirguest. But a gentlemen at
! my side relieved my anxiety on one point,
| and increased 1t on another, by telling me
| that this was Standardization custom of
| courteous attention, and that [ would be
served in the same way presently. And
SO was quite out Of breath, and what
with the tossing and the wine, could
scarcely stand straight when our friends
were through with me. This sport is
called "dodkeedvoate, or tossing up,
and its always entered,into by the better
class Of Siberians when they desire to
show their respect for their guests in
special manner. We got away at last
and drove off, thankful that we had IN
all nights ride before US in the cold air
which might serve to revive us. Judge
Of our surprise, when, just outside the
who, taking a short cut in their sledge
through the town had thus Intercepted
| us.
Champagne was again poured out and
our mutual good health pledged in a fin
al round, and then we drove out into
the night and into the dreary Wllds.
| We were soon sound asleep from the
effects Of the champagne and the cold,
biting air. so that the noise which fell
upon our ears after we had gone a mile
or two scarcely disturbed our drowsy
senses. But Our driver was wide-awake
and reused US up. We listened, and IN
the clear night air could distinguish the
jingling of bells: the trotting Of horses,
and the loud shouts of men. 1t was
plain that whoever and whatever they
! were LHCy were Jdfot tNCi LdkIllS us. " =
were little alarmed, not knowing
whether We were the objects of
pursuit or not, whether we
might not be about to fall into the hands
of some desperate fellows. We sat up
| in our sledge aud grasped our weapons,
as the pursurers could be heard just be-
hind, fast coming down upon US, and
plainly calling upon us to stop. The
next moment. however, our weapons
dropped nervcless from our hands as
the sledges dashed up alongside us on
either hand, and We heard the CHEEKY
voice Of one Of our entertainers salutng
us, while the shouts and laughter of his
companions at our evident fright rang
out upon the air. Some half dozen
friends, it seems, thought that their lit
tie carousal had come to an end too alb
rupuy, and so had piled into their
sledges and followed us for another fare
! we'll