The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-12-29
Two English Girls Get Look At
Bismarck.


Iwent mp to Berlin from Dresden
for two weeks with my Cousin Cissy
saws : letter to the Boston Transcript,
and We both wanted so much to SET
Bismarck. Everybody said that, be.
ing there such short time, we could
never see him in the world, because
there were hundreds of Germans who
mad never been able to do SO, and still
had lived their whole lives long in
Berlin. So / thought there was noth-
ing to do except to writo him note
and ask him if he wouldn't allow Cissy
and / to look at him, found my pen
and paper, and wrote; "Prince Bis
marck, two English girls who are only
in Berlin for short time are anxious
to see the greatest man in the world
and want to know if you could grant
them an audience"
signed it with my name, and when
directed it prince Bismarck" felt
Just as if l were directing it to Santa
Claus or some one up in heaven. Cissy
and l took it up to the palace. We
walked by the sentries and through
the big courtyard up to the front door.
The butler stood there, oh! so stern
and grim, and refused at first to take
nv note, but when said, "Why, you
must take it; don't you see it is to
Prince Bismarck" he frowned more
than ever and took it.
If you can believe it, that very night
while we were sitting at supper there
came a letter with q great seal on the
back directed to Miss Perry Jones.
The people at our pension were so
curious that wouldn't open it before
them, and we could scarcely wait for
the time to come when we could get
to our rooms.
Finally it did come. however, and /
read:
"Prince Bismarck will grant the
young ladies an interview at II o'clock
tomorrow"
We were so excited. Cissy and Land
we began to be awfully scared, too.
After we got into our nightgowns we
rehearsed court reverences for two
hours before we went to bed. and we
said our long German speeches such as
we thought it would be proper to make
to him. The next morning we put on
our best clothes and our new English
hats and started out for the palace.
The sentries didn't look nearly so fero-
cious as they did on the day before, and
the butler smiled and smiled, as if he
had never known how to do anything
but smile. We were shown into
large. dark hall, and said:
''Oh, dear me, Cissy! what if Prince
Bismarck should come and speak to
lis while we are in this dark place
There isn't one thing here that could
make conversation about"
But just then Herr Won Rottenberg,
the princes secretary, came and told |
us that the prince was in the garden
and would receive US there. l never |
shall forget how the garden looked.
There was long path in front of US,
with beautiful foliage meeting above
it; the green leaves rustled, the little |
shadows played all over the ground,
and Prince Bismarck came walking |
down the path with his dogs on either |
side of him.
/ couldn't think of a single one of
those German speeches which l had !
rehearsed on the nj ght before, and /
didn't know what l was going TO do,
when suddenly he smiled aud held out
his hand, and said in perfect English:
.'How do you doP / am very glad
to see you
He looked 80 jolly that I didn't feel
afraid of him any more. especially
when he turned to me and exclaimed:
lis that the kind of hats you wear in
England? Horrible! They are too
high"
Then we all walked down the path.
Cissv with him and l with the Herr
Won Rottenberg, until after awhile I
thought that Cissy had been with him
long enough. because wrote the note,
you know. So just stepped forward,
to pull her slyly by the dress,
and just as did it Prince Bismarck
looked at me, and then he laughed all
over. walked with him the rest of
the time, and he showed US the flow
ers, and | praised every single flower
and said how beautiful and how lovely
it was, and we petted the dogs and
praised them. Finally he took us to
the Koeniggratzer street entrance into
The garden and wished us good by, and
we managed to tell him how very, very
kind we thought he had been to us.
The great gate opened and shut; every
hing was over. We had seen Bis
marck