The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-02-27
HUNGRY ON AN OCEAN LINER.
Didn't Know What "Breakfast'' Mean
and So Got Nothing to Eat.

When a man who is on board big
ocean-going steamship with his fare
paid for all the service of a first cabin
goes without eating for twenty-four
hours it is usually because he is seasick.
But that was not the case with Weber.
Weber, after serving his full time in
the German army, decided to do as
thousands of his countrymen had done
and come to America. He thought
New Orleans would be a nice place to
make his home. But there were no
steamers leaving German ports for New
Orleans. So Weber decided to buy
ticket for New York and then to re-
embark for the Southern port. He
landed in New York all right and found
that his boat for the South was to leave
the same night. The task of getting his
baggage through the Custom-House,
purchasing his ticket. and getting
aboard the second boat kepthim 80 busy
that he had no time to get anything to
eat. As soldier he knew how to fast
and decided to wait until the morning
meal. So he sought his state-room and
went sound to sleep. He was awak-
ened in the morning by the sound, as
he called it, of tom-tom beaten with
considerable force. Opening the state
room door Weber looked out and saw a
big negro walking down the corridor,
beating a gong and calling in loud tones:
Breakfast! Breakfast"
Now Weber knew half dozen con-
tinental languages, but he did not know
English. Having heard that the Amer
leans were a half-savage race and feel
ing by the rolling of the ship that she
was out at sea, he thought that the
negro and the gong were part of some
propitiatory rite to Neptune. But the
word "breakfast" puzzled him and he
determined to find what it meant Get
ting out his dictionary Weber looked for
/ breakfast" 1t was an hour before he
| found the right word and discovered its
meaning. Then he made hasty toilet
and rushed to the dining-room, only to
find the door closed and breakfast over;
The morning passed. He had had
nothing to eat since noon OF the day be-
fore and was getting decidedly hungry.
He did not want to be cheated again, and
getting out his German dictionary
learned the English equivalents for all
the words he could think of that had any
thing to do with eating.
At II o'clock the negro and the gong
again appeared. This time the negro
was shouting Lunch! lunch!"
Lunch" was not in Weber's CASTRO
nomical vocabulary, and for time he
did not regard the summons as having
anything to do with the dining-room.
Then he searched his dictionary; it was
small one and did not contain the
word. An hour was spent in the search
Then he reasoned that if the negro and
the gong meant something to eat the
first time they appeared it was probable
they meant the same on the second oc'
casion. So he hurried off to the dining.
room. The doors were just being closed
when he got there.
Determined not to be cheated 'agair
Weber decided to watch the negro fol
the rest of the day. All the Afternoon
he trailed him about the ship. At
o'clock the negro picked up the gong
Weber dashed for the dining groom.
Dinner" shouted the negro.
"Humph," said Weber. 81 need no
have worried. l knew that word. -
Chicago Tribune.