Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-02-09
SHE VISITED

SHE
4 LONDON GIRL LEARNS SOMETHING
OF HISTORY AND OUR WAYS.
The Boston Tea Party Was News to Her
Slept on q Piano and Had Queer Dreams
The Shops and the Signs Interested Her
as Did the Baby Checking Annex.
When I engaged my tstateroom', in tn,
comfortab BILE steamship Catalonia, for Bos
ton, l had never heard of the famous brew
OF tea in Boston harbor in seventeen hun
dred and something, but I have otter
thought since that it was perhaps a pun
lshment for that shameful waste thai
America has never succeeded in brewing
good tea, nor had I heard of Crispus AT
tucks, the martyred "colored gentleman
whose elegant statue, stands in Boston
park. Nor indeed did I know that in thai
tree country "colored gentleman is the
american for African niger. In fact, ]
dld not, as the Yankees say, ssknow enough
to come in when it rains"
On that memorable voyage T learned
three things: 1. That you must not call
the southerner a. Yankee. Q. That Won
must not call the Canadian an American.
8. That the sooner I found out how T liked
America the better.
It was night when I got to mytthall
room," as the small room in a boarding
house over the front door is called IN
America. I was dreadfully sleepy, and I
supposed Mrs. G. noticed this, for she said
kindly In her New England soprano::
"Why, my child, you look real tired.
Won't you go right to bed?" Yes, indeed,
1 would, but l looked in vain for the bed.
The entire furniture of the hall room was
a beautiful birdseye maple piano-at least
what I thought was a piano-a pretty
writing bureau and a rocking chair.
Let me fix your bed for you." And
from the ledge of the supposed writing
table she produced the magic wand, and
in a trice "unwound my bed,' spring
mattress and all, but the piano had disap-
Heared, likewise my writing table had re-
volved into a charming washstand, with a
clear flow of water from the deep tank be-
hind, which formed the solid looking up
right Of the bureau. The Irish "help',
presently brought me in a large jug of ssice
water' n some "crackers'' and asked
me if I would like some lunch. I thought
she was a trif1e previous, still I reflected
that in this rapid land they might have
adopted Alice in Wonderland's system Of
"breakfasting at afternoon tea and dining
on the following day." but I afterward
learned that any meal served after 10 D.
m. is termed lunch. When I was left
alone, I took off my walking boots and de-
posted them at the back of the door and
proceeded to do my hair. Presently Mrs.
G. came along and knocked at the door.
Excuse me, but would you mind taking
in your boots. I can't be responsible for
them out there" I explained that I want
ed them brushed. e
"Oh, my, but I'm afraid you'd wait
awhile. My help wouldn't brush a pair of
boots, not for the president himself. If
you'll Jake my advice, you'll put these
black leather boots away and wear a dress
kid pair of half shoes with patent leather
tips"
soon fell asleep on the comfortable
piano and dreamed that I was surrounded
all over the bedclothes by little dishes of
Boston beans, succotash and cream toast,
and that l must not move or the piano
would play sHome, Sweet Home. When
l awoke, the first thing I did was to pull
up the blinds and have a look out. The
street was not a long n and quite
straight. Their, was an ice cream and
drug store" right opposite, and in large
black Letters on a white ground over the
entire length of the building ran "Blaok
eyes mended here" At the corner sat a
colored gentleman, and his sign read thus:
Professor Monday. Shine, &C.; varnish,
10c." He wore a tall pearl derby hat and
a frock coat and was reading Town Top
les, SO he must have been a man of Gull
ture. I said that after lunch I would like
to go out shopping. My companion at Ia
bic d'hote offered to come with me and
Show me around" AS she had some COM
missions to do for stmumma,'' and as she
could not come out till chat p'st 81" she
lent me the local paper to study, as she
said there were wonderful t'mark downs''
going on. .g r.
When my friend had finished all her
commissions for ''mumma," and I had.
done my shopping, we went to the "drug
department., !" and there, perched on high
stools, we, along with hundreds of others,
drank ''ice cream soda' through a straw.
She declared that she had just the right
change in her t'pocketbook'' and insisted
that I should not pay for my first Amer
lean drink. was most amused when we
took the ''ele sator'' up to the boot and
shoe department. to buy ''rubbers'' to see
the American men take off their hats in
the elevator when ladies were present. It
seemed almost absurd, as they retain them
in the stores and ''surface cars" The
goods are displayed much more attractive
ly in America than with us. Their enor
nous plate glass windows, which dwarf
our largest, show of the rich brocades
and illuminated Silks to advantage. In.
q large store in New York they had as an
advertisement at Christmas time the whole
history of Columbus in life size tableaux
in the windows. Inside the stores the
goods" are displayed on long low tables,
with the prices distinctly marked. You
can meet your friends and look tFtaround''
without being molested as to what you
want by the s'aisle manager''-shop walk.
er. It is an excellent plan, for If you are
left alone as you pass the motion coun-
teri you are sure to purchase some trife.
The American bric-a-brac is irresistible.
There is another capital institution in a
large ssdry goods store up town." Moth,
ers taking their babies there can have
them checked on entering, along with their
umbrellas and rubbers, andileave them in
good hands in a large room arranged for
the purpose. When the mothers have fin
ished, on showing the number of the check
the hahv ia nrnducod THE nav. u,o11 90