The National tribune., 1898-09-29


eagles feather in his green hat.
There is much mild gossip, great in
terest in the bill of fare, long hours listen
ing to the orchestra (which always renders
bits from famous operas, foIk-songs, OF
bIendelsSohn and Schubert songs, and
rarely modern, or what we would call
popular, music, and long hours watching
the sun go down behind the great mount
ain peaks, the children playing near the
fountains and the shadows in the trees.
He has his "lieblines punkt" from which
he has the view of the mountain that he
likes best and he has his fayOrite operas,
and so far one would think him extra
ordinarily fine and poetical; but there are
other phases OF his Teutonic mind which
contradict fatty any such opinion OF him.
An American man would not under
stand it. the fact that this Austrian does
not care Il heller whether he has the
morning paper or not. II he reads it at all
he reads it in the evening when he IS
! tired out and yawning, and about ready to
30 to bed anyway. Then he gives the
news scanty attention, but turns with
| all his interest to the "fueilliton," which
is a regular and the most popular part of
! the newspaper, and is q hall sketch, half
story connected with some topic OF inter
/ est Of the day, as at Bismarck death,
with accounts of his money and his will;
OF the funeral; OF Emperor William s words
to the family, and SO on.
| This he discusses mildly and yet with
! the assurance that what he and the news
paper says is so and no womeu-foik need
| volunteer any remarks. Indeed, his own
women listen with pretty Difference, and
except for little sympathetic Abs" are
Shetland we learned TO do it too. There
IS no use having opinions over here;
woman is better without them.
The program for the day is this: Up
early and a breakfaSt-the continental
breakfast, and for inventing which shall
! always bear the continent grudGe; the
| com bination of bread and butter and
marmalade and coffee, while good enough
| in itself, becomes tremendously unappe-
| tizing after three months of its mOnOtony-
| after breakfast little talk, letters per-
hapS, a stroll to a view, and then an
| other breakfast at 10 o'clock, this time of
| bread and salami (salami is Hungarian,
| and not good, SauSage); then walk up
| the mountain-Sidc or two hours OF music
| in the valley; then dinner mostly cara
way seeds and very good neighborhoOd
winel; then nap or walk till 'lauser.
"Jauser' is his a o'clock coffee, and as
good coffee as one could dream
After having "gelaused,' another two
hours of music and admiration OF the
mountains, then supper in the garden,
! then sometimes glimpse at the paper
and to bed early. The next day is ex-
actly like unto it.
By citizen one has in mind the narrow
European meaning. It's too bad for an
American to use our good word in this
way to distinguish class, and yet one
gets accustomed to monarchieS and
classes. and all those bugaECoS over here,
and citizen or burger has only this
certain meaning-tEe shopkeepets, city
officials and that great middle class,
scored by the aristCCracy and seeming
the peasantry.
There aIe four classes-the other the
priests: the hres are very tightly drawn,
and there is cordial class hatred among
them ali, not excluding the priests SO
when | speak of the Austrian citizen |
mean the man of the middle class. The
ar stoCracy would no douE. prove fashion
atie and, although one hates to say cyni-
Cal things, therefore uninteresting.
Reichenau itself is a green little valley
of orchards and fields down deep between
the high SnOw-capped mountains Of the
Austrian Alps. There are dozen or so
bones and a few empty hotels in Winter,
.ut in Summer it is crowded to It's ut
most with visitors. 1t is quite the pretti-
est little resort that we have eve, seen,
with its gardens, music, pavil:CnS, the
walks to fine views each indicated by
sp'ashes OF certain Cclor on the tree
trunks; but every stranger who stays a
week or more is taxed a couple CT guldics
to keep up this chafmingness. The wise
peasant, too, knows on which side his
bread is buttered, and that the more
strangers he delights with his little val
ley the more likelihood there is OF his hav-
ing meat and wine with his dinner, so in
the village schools the children are
taught TO always courtesy and hid "gutep
tag to the strangers, who bring money
and profit to the land and must be treated !
politely.
Sc as one goes up the mountain paths or |
among a cluster of cottages. the little |
girls knitting on the steps rise and bob to !
US and the little boys lying under the |
trees. whist!ing on grass blades. twitch |
their caps and say Good day
The Alpine region is exquisite There
are wide foweTy meadows and fields OF |
rye CHM bling the hill-sides. fine forests.