Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-10

as large as four hogsheads, placed
on a rude wagon, and a rubber
pipe about six feet long is attached
to it with a small tin sprinkler at
the end. AS the team draws the
wagon forward a man sprinkles the
streets by swinging it too and fro.
At 10 o'clock all grades Of holiday
society has begun to appear. The
old bells Of ancient stone cathe-
drals are Ginning over all the bust
ling city. The very oddly of
manners, and innumerable colors
and forms of dress would furnish
food for a philosopher. The mar
ket place full Of faces rich and poor
odd and wise. This is a real thea
ter with real games as played in
real life. The players represent all
variety of humans. Healthy coun-
tenances, all kinds of boards, faces
which are distorted into grotesque
shapes by lupus or made hideous
| by tumors or eroding cancers.
Noses as red and large as a beet
from 50 years of wine drinking.
The market place of a few acres
contains the lame, blind and de
formed of a large population try
ing to make a living by trade.
Shrewd bargains are driven, dry
drollery is heard and the passions
Of avarice and rivalry are not want
ing. To-day the coffee house
where all kinds Of people meet to
talk, to eat, drink and read, is full
to over-foWing.
The coffee houses form the real
home of many people. All leisure
hours beyond business and study
are spent there. Men and women,
friends and politicians, merchants
and citizens meet to sit around
those little tables to while away
the hours. In the larger coffee
houses are generally heard half a
dozen languages and the papers OF
almost every nation can be had to
read. In Vienna the New York
Herald represents the United
States chiefly because it is a free
trade paper. But here are the
familiar faces Of Pete and Annie
again sitting yonder in the corner.
They are eating a lunch. Annie
drinks beer and Pete adds
schnapps to his. Annie reads a
little and says eve may have war
soon Pete" but Pete's thoughts go
little beyond his daily work, the
cattle and hogs which fall beneath
his blows, yet he is an average
man and walks in the world of
thoughts in which he was trained
to 60. At one o'clock the climax
t Of the holiday is reached. The
aristocrats and SO called mobiles
promenade the fashionable streets.
The red tape of meeting and part
ing is not short. When one
Vienna person meets another the
usual greeting is 81 have the hon
or" though it may be very differ
ent for a white man to see wherein
the honor lies. On separating the
farewell often used is kiss the
hand" and often can be seen men
and women separating kissing each
others hands. The sun is drop
ping his disk towards the big
mountains and the homeward
journey is begun through parks
planted with beautiful trees and
kept green with shrubbery. 1t
continues through wide streets
and great public buildings which
are erected on the barrack gound
of the old Notifications. 1t leads
through streets only wide enough
for one wagon to pass between the
high buildings crowded with
people. Yonder ahead on the
homeward bound is Pete and
Annie. Further observation de-
detects disturbed feelings between
these companions. Disappoint-
ment is the upper factor in each
brain and it reaches such an event
as to cast fatal shadow before.
Pete is disappointed in Annie be-
cause she talks too high for him.
She is not the yielding pIaything
he supposed she was. Annie is
disappointed IN Pete because she
has found she is superior to him in
mental power and the ugIiness
from his morning "schnapps,"
hurries on his case to final dispo-
sal. She found she could control
him and she lost all interest in his
weakness. The shades of night
steal softly up to Pete and Annie
in the sadness of their final part
ing but there is left in Vienna a
wiser man and woman for the
trial.
COUNTY BOARD PROCEEDINGS.