Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-02-01

and, when / asked the breakfast hour,
Was told not to permit myself TO be dis
turbed in the morning, but to brea kfast
when liked, my host ad ID ag::ss'ttI think
il very bad manners, y know, to disturb
q guest in the mornings !, however,
| was in time TO Join the gentleman and
his eldest daughter at breakfast about
$50. S. 4. .@ss% S.zz=s 5# =$..s
During my visit there was q formal,
and some times rather large, dining par
| ty each evening, and the dinner itself
was always Of g thoroughly good but
routine sort. All English dinners are
much alike, always OF q thoroughly good,
bat always bit heavy. Give the four
knows what one is going to have when
| invited out to dinner. T have been to
| four dinner parties in the week, and
! had pretty nearly the same dinner each
| time. Were it not good dinner, and
always perfectly served, one would get
very tired Of it. Speaking of dinner COM
panies. was immensely amused one
! evening when, coming in from drive,
said tos,the butler: "Head, who is to
be at dinner this EVENING"" when, with
exceeding pomposity, Head replied:
| 'tNobody of Importance, sir" Howev-
er there were two officers of the army
at dinner, and they thought no doubt,
| they were of considerable importance.
However, buffers in great families in
England are themselves most impor-
| tant personages, and disdain to consider
| untitled people of any consequence, ex.
| cept they be foreigners, which happened
to be my claim to consideration.
Each day was planned and arranged
for. The saddle horses were at the SER
vice of the guests till or after luncheon,
and the carriages for such as chose to
drive. One was left to ones self for the
entire day, unless one chose to join a
house-dining room, library and private
| room--was st ones use for the day, the
drawing room and billiard room for the
! evening.
Customs differ in different families as
| to the precise way and order Of keeping
Christmas eve and Christmas day. In
| this family On Christmas eve there was
| the Christmas tree-rather "a German
| than an English custom. Some one or
| two members of the family-perhaps the
| two eldest daughters--decorate the tree
and hang it With the various presents
for the different members Of the family,
| servants and the guests. 1t is not con-
sidered good ''form'' for the guests to
! give presents, to the hosts and family at
| this time, but perhaps to send a remem.
brance in some simple way afterward.
There was the oyster supper after the
dinner, and about 10 o'clock We were all
| taken into large sitting
| or living room, where the servants were
| already gathered-just 10 in number
and where the tree, about Is feet high,
was all a blaze of light and color. The
presents were mostly of g very simple
and rather inexpensive kind, consisting
| Of pretty editions Of books, albums for
family and guests, and articles Of wear
| ing apparel and fneries for the SER
wants. Each article was marked with
the name of the person for whom in
tended and by whom given.
On Christmas morning the family as
sembled for prayere, and the guests on
| this occasion joined the family, and af-
| terward all drove or walked to the par
ish church for service at II o'clock. It
| is expected on such festivals that the
| lord OF the manor and his family will be
| present at divine worship. So the days
and the weeks passed all too quickly. l
! have often since been in country houses,
and have teen the guest of great town
| houses, but I have told you the story Of
q Christmas time in d family now broken
up and scattered, My host has joined
| the great majority. [ have one less
! friend on this side, and one more
| precious one that side.