Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10
A Dayin Vienna.
by Dr.. F. B. Robinson.]

VIENNA. April 18th. Il is seven
o'clock in the morning with break
fast Just over. 1t was a Vienna
breakfast leaving the stomach
about the same at the end as in the
beginning. Imagine a full-groWn
American making a breakfast from
cup Of coffee, two small biscuits
and a piece Of butter fully as large
as two solid silver dollars. It is a
holiday but only effects the middle
and upper classes, because the
poor must work and eat every
day. Our house and the butchers
at the next door, belong to the
middle class, especially the hired
girl Annie and Pete the young
fellow who slaughters the cattle
and hogs and sells the meat over
the counter. Annie has bought
meat Of Pete often. She has been
noticed to linger a little longer in
paying him than was absolutely
necessary, Her cheeks were gen
orally a brighter color when she
came out of the shop. It was
found beyond the possibility Of a
doubt that Annie did not come
away happy because she got more
or better meat than others but
because she thought she saw
something beyond the meat. Now
Annie is a Bohemian woman Of
p cold winters. These women
are favored with the finest looks
and best bodies, and Annie has
added to this a good brain and
well balanced senses. An other
observation was made that Pete
was noticing Annie for reasons
best known to himself He even
went SO far as to pay Annie few
short visits. Pete himself is a
whole-soul fellow, not particularly
brilliant or spoiled with education.
He is fairly fat, sometimes gets
mad and swears a little but with
generally an even tenor, has
struggled through p hot summers
and makes a good living. For
some mystic reason the hired girl
Annie and the butcher Pete pre-
pared their holiday dress about
the same hour and acCidentlv met
near the butcher shop. Annie
was dressed in a style that would
create a sensation in Grand
Rapids. 1t may be stated to the
knowing that Annie sometimes
acts as nurse for the children.
Her dress reaches to the knees
and she wears high top boots that
meet the dress-yes the heels are
fully as long as the first finger on
the right hand. A pair lit may be
more no man can telD Of hoops
are added to this expanded picture
and long tailed cap that will not
bear description. She is as neat
as wax, her cheeks bloom without
powder and her splendid form
needs no pads to deceive the IN
wary. Physical womanhood has
no better representative in all the
world than Annie. Pete's dress is
quite quaint. He wears a waist
band around his coat and smokes
the inevitable long, porcelain, holi-
day pipe. He is more awkward
than Annie and scarcely knows
what to do with his hands when
not handling meat. 1t should be
understood, by innocent readers,
that III Germany and especially
Austria that a young woman is
not allowed, in the terribly refined
families, to walk alone with a
young man without being engaged
to him. All early counting is sup
posed to be done under the eye of
the mother or a third party. Civil
lization has really got SO high
among the aristocrats in this gift
ed country that no noble family
would dare to leave their tender
daughter Of s. alone with a young
man unless they were engaged for
fear--But Pete and Annie be-
long to a so called lower class Of
better sense and less suspicion.
Civilization with them has not
cultivated distrust. They are not
engaged and yet have started off
alone for a day in the city and
parks. They have left their OBJ.
server and he starts to wander
among the daily sights Of Vienna.
Life has more phases in an old
monarchy than new republic.
The extremes Of oppulent luxury
and wretched poverty are more.
apparent. The first object in early
morning to greet the eyes is a big
dog and woman hitched to a milk
wagon. The womanis on one side
Of the tongue and the dog on the
other. She is a course rough
looking creature, possessing no
more dress than the law allows for
the entrance into street society