The Columbus journal., 1898-11-16


herself or else has her servants trained
to perfection; the soup is delicious and
after partaking of the Well-d0ne beet, We
are asked to sample some homegrown
WINE. The next course Of the dinner is
brought ON, We try a bottle of another
kind OF wine which adds to the flavor of
the fine fish and reminds us OF by-gone
days. while We par;ake of the pOulet
rOti, We see our friend uncork another
bottle OF old wine, and did We not know
him 80 we'll, We would suspect him Of
some wicked design, hut as some fresh
wine glasses are brought around, and the
wine flowing out of the bottle presents
that oily appearance which is only
acquired by age, We are quite ready to
sample this homegrown product. It is
called vinde la Hart, and although some
what too strong for our individual taste.
we are convinced that Bacchus himself
would drink it with relish. Another and
another bottle Of wine are brought up,
each of different kind. and although we
demonstrate, it is Of rO avail; we are
simply reminded that it may he n long
time before we meet again. Mrs. de B..
who is q charming hostess. adds to the
enjoyment Of the occasion by her bright
conversation and her witty remarks. and
helps US in our work of sampiing the
different wines. Dinner is at last over.
our friend is satisfied that We have done
Justice to the product of his VINEYARDS;
Mrs. de B. orders the table cleared and
the black coffee is served. We are asked
what kind Of brandy We take with our
coffee, and although We usually leave out
all liquors. We feel tempted to try the
home-distilled kirsch. whose fine quality
is vaunted by our friend. We had hoped
thus to escape the new ordeal. but M.
8. is supplied with a great variety Of
home made brandies and insists on Our
sampling them. Rather than be thought
unkind, we bravely 60 to work and after
Wa have tasted his prunelle. his anisette.
his peach and grape brandy. ETC.. We feel
as il We could lift mountain and write
poetry at the same time
We now adjourn to the parlOr whose
careful furnishing and tasteful adOrn-
ment testify to the good taste Of the
departed mistress. In honor OF her
memory the room is left as she loved to
See it during her lifetime; family por-
traits and few oil paintings adOrn the
walls, little bric-a-brac. a collection Of
rare shells skillfnlly arranged on the
mantelpiece give the room home like
and attractive appearances; waxed oak
floor. that luxury SO dear to the heart Of
the Alsacian woman, gives one the feel
ing as il walking on silk, and SO far as
cleanliness is concerned, is certainly
superior to the universal American
carpet.
Our friend now suggests that We take
q stroll through the orchard. Only set
out few years ago, most Of the trees are
already in bearing: apples, pears. prunes.
plums. peaches, apricOts, almost every
kind of fruit is to be found here. Nor
has small fruit been lost sight of either,
Strawberries, raspberries.c .currants, goose
berries cover part of the ground and
wherever there is square foot Of ground
not taken mp, grape vines are planted
and are loaded with the luscious fruit.
Not weed is to be seen in the whole
orchard. and apparently no one is ever
allowed to grow there. Mr.. SIS. brother,
Mr.. G., who is something of misan-
thrope, worse than that almost mise
gynist, is the one who looks after the
orchard, and failing to find an interest
in what he calls depraved humanity,
devotes his time TO the growing of
flowers, shrubs and trees, whose endless
variety adorning the gardens and the
grounds, puzzle the novice. Thousands
and thousands of varieties Of flowers
shrubs and trees, no two alike, fill every
inch of available space in the grounds
facing the street; hundreds OF different
kinds of cactus kept during the winter
in ho hot I'm n
bright sunshine; some are growing mp,
some are growing down, some resemble
man stretching out his arms, each and
every one of the thorny plants seemingly
at home in its appointed place.
We now find shady nook provided
with benches and table. A gentleman
and his three daughters living in the city
soon join us; our friend sends for few
bottles of beer, and as the conversation
progresses now in French, then in Ger
man, la mode du pays, we feel quite an
interest in the three girls, the Oldest one
of which has scarcely reached her teens;
bright, lively, full of mischief, they romp,
they play, they join in the conversation,
when suddenly our eccentric friend. MIR.
g. addresses them in English. Great
was our surprise to hear English from
his lips; greater was it yet to hear each
one of the girls as addressed answer him
without hesitation in the same language.
Several times already We had met young
people who had only enjoyed common
school education and who surprised us
with their knowledge of English. Even
making due allowance for the thorough
ness Of the German schools in all their
branches, might it not be that Germany
has some ambitious design in view. A
good many over sanguine and patriotic
Germans proudly assert that no country
on earth could resist an invasion OF their
army, and is it possible that they could
be dreaming Of making a conquest Of
that island in the North Sea, and ar Q
already preparing their sons an d dangh-
ters by the acquisition Of the language
to take possession at Soma future time,
OF the coveted country; it is unreasOna-
bic to suppose such thing after their
bombastic bravadO and ridiculous pre-
tensions at Manila.
Time passes quickly in good company;
it has seemed only few hours and
nearly the whole afternoon has passed
away; We must bid our friends good
evening and take our departures: but
Mrs. de b. strongly objects, positively
refuses to let us 90, and insists that We
must stay to supper; while We are trying
to convince her that it is impossible for
us to stay, Mr.. s., who had been called
away for q few moments makes his
appearance, and between his positively
expressed wish and Mrs. de BIS. entreat-
les not to leave. We postpone our depart
ure for few hours,
A careful survey Of the yard, the
barns. the granaries convinces us that
order, cleanliness and precision are some
of the qualities of Mr.. s., who not only
raises all kinds Of farm products but
daily furnishes to his city customers
some hundred gallons Of milk of first
quality. Scientific feeding with a great
variety of feed. absolute cleanliness and
a daily record Of the quantity Of milk
given by each COW undoubtedly con-
tribute largely to the success Of the
business.
An hour or 80 thus passes away and it
is time for supper. As is customary in
Aloaco fhio moal in a 0oOd deal simpler