Evening star., 1898-10-15
AT HOME. IN HOLLAND
How the Members of Dutch Family Spend
the Day.
The Meals Are Very Substantial At
fairs-Thrifty HOusekeeping-An
Evening in the Woods.
From the London Chronicle.


visits in Holland, for the Dutch are rather
chary of opening their doors to foreigners.
With public attention turned to the little
country for the sake of its youthful queen
there may be some who would like to re-
ceive the impression of an average English
girl to an average Dutch home.
l used to wake very early in The Hague
Not nearly so early, however, as the busy
servants, in their short skirts and tight
lace caps. They rise to clean the streets
in front of their masters houses as streets
are surely never cleaned elsewhere. Spring
less carts jog over the uneven pebbles of
the Zeestraat, largely freighted with gilt
tering milk cans and tidy old women
Fruit and vegetable venders Shrek the ma
ture of their wares with harsh insistence
of most Sleep-murdering sort. So l get up
and dress and linger at the window. Truth
to tell the Dutch breakfast is not alto
gether tempting. The windows closed,
and Mynheer has obviously only just put
out his first cigar. Nor are the toilets of
MeVrow and Jufrow quite complete or en-
HANGED by certain popular English hair
curriers'. on the other hand, the tea from
Java is delicious, the ham worthy of York.
With the freshness of eggs one need not
depend upon either the inevitable cheese
or the queer sausage. More especially as
the butter is perfection, despite the dam
aging circumstance that we helped our
selves with our own knives. AS to the
Dutch little breads they are assuredly
the best in the world. Before the meal
all pray in sieuce that has a Quaker i'm
pressiveness of its own. Then Mynheer, in
a sonorous voice and with an indescrib-
ap!e accent, reads chapter from the
French Testament. This ended, he van
ishes, and the ladies begin the arduous
labors of housekeeping. Mynheer was rich
His cellar would have won the respect of
an alderman. Nevertheless every article
of food, plate, china and linen is locked
Wal cd md oil
eXaSperating degree
Honest Christie. the Friesland cook was
radiant on Sundays with dangling earrings
of gold fiigree and a skullcap of pure gold
under the fine thread lace that is an heir
loom But she was never trusted to take
coffee or sugar at discretion. She had an
aged mother, whose wooden shoes were
TOO often heard clicking in the back ward
her Spouess kitchen was scrubbed and
rubbed at some unearthly hour. AS to the
store closet, crowned with potted vegeta-
bles, with dried meats, with podded vanilla
from Paramaribo and scented spices from
Sumatra, that is altogether the sacred do
nam OF MeVrow. Lunch came al l o clock
1t rather resembled breakfast save for a
not dish of beefsteak and of those round
nOury potatoes that grow incomparabIy in
the region of sandy Scheveningen There
was tea, there was milk there were wines
OF all kinds. Mevrow was resplendent in
rich silks by this time, the Jufrow prett1ly
reminiscent of the English modes she so
much admired, for Monday was reception
day, and by o'clock visitors, chiefly ladies'
dropped in plentifulIy. Also newly mar
RED couple, who had previously been much
discussed. The bridegroom was of ancient
family, and-horror of horrors!-the bride
was but bourgeoise. and very shy of the
1lre OF critical eyes directed toward her,
despite her smart new Clothes
At $50 came dinner and two guests OF
course they We're cousins, but, for all that
some of the best wines were brought ont
fort ana sherry are served with rich soup,
cIsa cIaret with with the rest of the repast. We have
oVerroasted beef, carved after the abomna-
BILE Dutch fashion, by which the carver
WhItties the meat away in chips. We have
carrots In an exquisite cream sauce: curry
a Ia HoHandaiSe with the rice in q puIp.
Next irrelevantly comes a delicious ma yon-
nalse OF salmon and, finally, sugary pud-
dings and a handsome dessert of fine fruit
At this stage the Rhine wines make their
appearance. Mynheer calls toast after toast
in Old Rudesneim; nor does he neglect to
press his choice liquors. Heads are strong
IN Holland; even the ladies sip their tiny
glasses of "Parfait Amour" The best Chi
ma was used on this occasion-rare old
Delft, valued a 20 and 80 forms each plate
We did not linger for coffee, but put on
our hats and got into the big old-fasnioned
carriage that took us to Het den Bosch; In
other words to the very beautiful beech
woods that surround The Hague. where the
spacious buildings belonging to the White
cub made an agreeable rendezvous for the
gay world of the capital. The night was
flne and warm, and, wonderful to relate
noe at all damp. The band Of the Grena-
dlers was playing the pretty music cf the
Dame Blanche Very few people listened
The Dutch are not a musical nation though
every one told me with pride that these
same grenadiers had once wrested the gold
medal from the Guides" Of Belgian celeb
rity. We had not, indeed, much time to at
tend, for every moment hats We're raised
and greetings exchanged with profound
bows Mevrow brewed tea of alarming
strength, boiling her water on q quaint
stove that was, in fact, n pail of blazing
charcoal. Our circle enlarged Every pos
stbie attention was shown to the solitary
foreigner Dutch gentlemen are proligal
enough of gallantries waich do not sound
anliss whispered in French. At 10 all was
over, and we went home to more tea and
fruit and wine. Bed at last, at about mid
night-a square soft bed with tent-lke cur
tains. Had | been an orthodox Dutchwo-
man, these would have bea1 cLcsely drawn
As it was. a gentle air from my open win
dows lulled me peacefully to sleep.