Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-11
A MORTIFIED AMERICAN.
HoEHEkETLoRDsALTSBUR
'"e View or the Cologne Cathedral
Spoiled Because 10 was seen from Pri-
waite PsrIcr.

am very glad to find that my old
nlend salisbury is doing so well,r said
brooklyn gentleman one morning re-
Gently, as he looked up from his paper.
70 friend who sat with him on the
PIAZZA Of his summer residence on
Staten island.
/" What Salisbury do YOU refer TO 30
asked the friend. - Surely YOU don't
Inern the Marquis of Salisbury. the
Prime Minister OF England"
hat Is exactly who / mean said
the former. WHY. have / never told
you about my meeting with Lord Sails
bury at Cologne II was an i'm
promptu affair. but il made deep i'm
preston upon myself and upon my
family, and believe that his lordship
was also impressed at the time. And
believe that her ladyship-he was
accompanied by a daughter-was also
impressed. have frequently related
the details Of our meeting, and have
no doubt that Lord Salisbury has done
the same thing. I shouldn't wonder if
he had related the matter at the dinner
table Of Queen Victoria herself-that
IS, provided his lordship's noble legs
have had the opportunity Of disporting
themselves beneath the royal mahog-
any.
" Some ten or fifteen years ago"
continued the gentleman, 4" business
took me TO Europe for few months. I
took my wife, my daughter, and one of
my sons with me. One pleasant after
noon think it was in Augustine ar
rived al Cologne. and stopped at a hotel
which was not far from the magnificent
cathedral for which that city is famous.
We left our apartments early in the eve
ming. intending to take a stroll. but as
we were descending the stairs nv wife
| spied the open door Of Al ordinarily
furnished parlor. She looked in and
said That's the public parlor. Let
US 60 in We entered the room and
found that the windows commanded a
superb view of the cathedral. | noticed
on the floor carpet-bag and one or
two umbrellas. but ] supposed that
these had been left there BY some
guests. and the idea that the room
could possibly be anything but a public
parlor did not then enter my head.
We gazed at and admired the vast
and stately work Of architecture for
some moments. Then we heard steps,
and, looking around. saw a gentleman,
apparently Of middle age, and accom-
panied by young lady. They were
evidently English. observed that the
gentleman was looking at me sternly,
and Ii flashed through my mind that be
might imagine that we were mOnOpo-
liZing the window accommodations
Of the room. We accordingly moved
aside, leaving the strangers al
liberty to select the window which
they preferred. Still the gentleman
looked stcrnly at NE. while his COM
panion looked haughtily at nay wife aud
daughter. We must be more out
spoken in our politeness.' thought !.
Approaching the gentleman. | bowed
and invited him TO step to the window
and look al the cathedral. 1t would
be impossible, said ], TO find anywhere
ii Cologne a better view of the cathe-
dral than Is 10 be had from the windows
Of this parlor. Even this failed to H.
duce the strange gentleman to part with
any portion Of his stern glance. In the
mean time my wife and daughter and
son had turned their attention to the
naughty young lady. My wife ap-
preached her IN g motberly way AMI
extended 10 her an invitation TO view
the cathedral, but received no response,
But the strange gentleman had evident
~ grown weary Of merely regarding me
sternly, and be responded to nv press
Ing invitation. he responded by an
Douncing that the room was q private
paIlOr which he himself had engaged,
and thereby indirectly invited myself
aid ny family TO leave the apartment
as soon as We could conveniently do 50.
Then it flashed across NY mind that in
European hotels Ike the one In which /
We then were there were no public par
lors. and ] cursed my own stupidity 10 |
not having remembered the fact before. (
Il apoloeized for my mistake. and /
ard sad that. finding the door open. /
] had taken the apartment for d public /
parlor. Ny wife apologized, my daugh-
ter spologized, aud the apologize fever
even seized upon ny son. But We did
not apologize as fully as we had intended
70. because neither the strange gentle
nan nor bis companion made the
slightest response 20 our explanations.
They continued TO Gaze at us-he
sternly and She hauchtilv. Apollo
ciziIg under such discouraginr cir
cumstances Is not pleasant. We could 4
do nothing. consequently. but beat
a retreat. which we did with cur coun-
tenances sufused with bushes and our
bosoms filed with modification. The
possessor Of the supposed public par
Tor watched us. still with a stern ex-
preston, until We were out Of the room.
] hen The door vas closed. We had
forgotten for the tine being all abou.
he beauty and magnifcence Of the
great Cologne cathedral.
- hunted up the landlord and asked
him 10 tell me the name Of the gentle
man into whose private parlor We had
stumbled. Why, replied h.. in al
swe-struck whisper. that gentleman
Is ny LORD the Marquis Of Salisbury.
q great IDgliEhman-a statesman
bad heard Of the Marquis. who was
then beginning TO cut c0nsijera-
bic figure IN English politics. The
fact that his lordship was a man
Of some distinction did not IN the
east tend 70 lessen the mortiGca-
-icn and anger which felt. ! spent
he remainder OF the evening with my
amily IL our apartments. In fact. We
ocked ourselves in with the determine
-lou that on that evening at least We
'hould not render It necessary for the .
eagle 10 again hang his proud
eak N shame owing 10 our ignorance
# Furopean customs. After thinking
yer the matter carefully | could
o, decide who was most al q
~ with, nv Lord Salisbury,
fr refueiro f. aren't my anOioDies |