The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-11-20
HANDSPRING IN ENGLAND.
its Etiquette Not Easy to BE Mastered by
Foreign Visitors.

stEk Hr .Is . ste. . ------FE E--eLE.
It's Etiquette Not Easy to BE Mastered by
Foreign Visitors.
"On my FIRST visit to England"
says a man who IS a persistent trav-
eler, Il was given letters OF intro
duction to q family living in the
suburbs Of Liverpool, which, on the
day following my arrival in that
city, I took occasion to present. /
found the family, which consisted
of a mother, her two daughters and
a young lady friend, most charming.
They We're expecting me, their rela-
tives in America having written
them that / was coming, andI spent
q most delightful hour in their
home. At tho same time l could not
but feel that there was q certain
something in the atmosphere of the
call which was not quite right.
Either I had done something which
I ought not or I had left upper
formed something which ! ought to
have done.
LAS I brought my call to a close
this feeling grew stronger, and as /
babe the young ladies good day and
bowed myself out Of the drawing
room i was decidedly unoomforta-
BILE. TO add to my uneasiness my
hostess followed me down the entire
length of the long hall so closely
that I almost thought that, in spite
of tho excellent recommendations I
had brought, she feared Knight
carry away with me some Of the ex-
quisite brio,a-brao with which the
house was adorned. When Preached
the door and extended my hand to-
ward tho knob to openeit, to my sur
prise she grasped my o~utstretched
hand and gave 1t a hearty shake be-
fore letting me 60 out. Even then
1 did not realize the situation, and
il was not until months afterward,
when I had become very intimate in
this family, that they told me how
strange they thought it that day
because ! did not shake hands with
them all as they came into the room
and again as I went out.
Fortunately for me at the very
first house l visited after this q very
bright woman, who wasa1so staying
at the same place. took compassion
on my American ignorance and very
delicately set me right in this mat
ter. ~, el. lsr..
"The breakfast room was general
~ the meeting place in the morning,
and unless we were very early the
hostess was there before us, seated
at the head of the table. Etiquette
demanded that we shake hands with
her first and then with such others
of the party as were there before us
Those who came later saluted us in
turn, SO that when the party was all
assembled We had shaken hands
with each other. AT night, when we
prepared to go to bed, the process
was reversed, and the hand of the
hostess was the last we grasped be-
fore we took our candles and wound
our way up tho odd old stone stairs
to bed.
"Then all through the day it al
ways seemed to me as if we indulg-
ed in a. dissipation of handwriting
on every possible occasion, which
had a tendency toward evening.
when the neighbors were likely to-
call, to develop into a regular orgy.
I remember one evening in particu-
lar. We We're out in the garden en-
joying that hour of perfect twilight
which has no counterpart in this.
country when a party Of six from a.
neighboring house strolled in mere
ily to exchange @ friendly greeting.
Of course we shook hands all round
when they came, and for some rea-
son, I forgetswhat now, | began to
keep count Of how many times I.
shook on this occasion. ] knowlthey
did not remain more than Is min
utes, but / think they made one
false start, and then at last I know
we walked down to the! gate with.
them. Even then, however, when,
after they had gone and l reckoned
up and found that in that one short
call Of a quarter Of an hours dura-
ton I had shaken hands "a times, T
could not understand it, nor have I
ever been able to do so since. ] can
only think that, in the general ex-
oitement, I became confused and
shook hands with several Of my own
party or possibly two or three times.
with myself anddid not know the
difference. New York Times.
Fares For MIX CAM and orpses.
Many persons are not aware that
passenger conductors collect fare for
cans of milk as for passengers. Tick
o+o IVA icc,1od ap1 colloc+ed IN VOW