The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-06-22

The following letter was written
Charles Salak, Jr. by his brother-in-law
who is travelling in Europe:
PRAGUE, BOHEMIA,
May 2Sth, 1899,
My DEAR CHAS:-
With apology for the parchment | will
proceed to write you a few lines with an
excess of pleasure it has seldom been my
good fortune to feel ] refer directly to
the treatment | received at the hands of
the German people, on d recent visit TO
Shonbach, and / wonder that | have
heretofore been ignorant of character
/ have often heard spoken of in America.
l refer to the unequaled generosity and
good fellowship shown toward stranger
in which position found myself on sew
eral occasions IT'S a tabled wind that
blows nobody i'll and as most bright
things have their dark sides, so my trip
presented its difficulties and yicissitudes.
Not from any act of the inhabitants how
ever, but hard luck rather and probably
also from strangers ignorance of GUS
toms and / may add, itineraries. left
this city at 7:12 on the morning of the
18th instant going through to Eyer, au
interesting town from the fact of its
being a thousand years old, 1t is partly
surrounded by decaying wall built at
some remote period very attractive to
gan.
Being obliged to remain at this point
for an hour decided to improve the OPP
portunity by regaling myself with a
beefsteak, visions of the Chicago article
floating before my eyes meanwhile. This
by the way, giving the occupant of hades
his dues, was quite delectable, having
the very desirable effect of making me
beam on my fellow creatures perfectly
satisfied with all things generally. On
settlement however ipwardly, all things
changed, my hitherto mellihuous cogi-
tations giving way to muttered anath-
ema they peeled me for five forinsl
while | vowed vengeance on somebody
or thing. And imagine that through it
all, feeling myself the viction of an inn
position / still smiled benignly on the
waiter, (et. all Five dollars would have
been about the equivalent in the states
considering value received
So much for the path of roses an Amer
lean has the privilege of treading for |
am firmly convinced that had been a
German the charge would have been two
forms at most
Had reached Eyer at 12:45 NJ, my train
leaving again at | 25. Having finished
the steak had barely time to make my
train which | did after Il considerable
sprint when | found | had plenty of
time still, my watch being ten minutes
fast At this place | reaped an indie
scribable satisfaction by hurting voluble
epithets at a conductor for attempting to
lock me up in third class coupe when
my ticket entitled me TO second class
box This satisfaction was all my own
and | now smile when | think of his
beaming face, and am assured he vainly
imagined himself the object of unworthy
praise Certes it was that my berating
made him the cynosure of the envying
eyes of his numerous brass buttoned col
leagues, and this where | had firmly ex-
pected Il challenge and had gloated over
the prospect of wreaking an imagined
vengeance.
Arrived at Brombach, IA place which
comprised a station only, | found l was
destined to wait an hour as previously.
The prospect for any entertaining diver
sion being poor in so isolated spot l
sought the seclusion of the ':Restora-
ton" (cion) with which each of these
stations is provided and which | think
means literally ''beer-room" as this is
invariably the only beverage in sight
Burying myself in its darkest corner with
companionable mug of beer a Ia mode
was soon lost to my surroundings in
meditation principal subject being
Home Sweet Home" Aroused from my
lethargy by a friendly porter | hastily
finished my potation and going out of a
rear door beheld the vehicle, a superan-
nuated post-wagon on the verge of col
lapse, that was TO perform the final run
of three hours to Schonbach | groaned
inwardly at this memorable fate that
condemned me to such torture and on
further examination of the 'steppers'
my heart sank within me and it was only
after an effort that / finally determined
to see it out. This country is very hilly
and mountainous but travel is acceler-
ated by the exceptionally good roads. 1t
was nevertheless as | imagined it would
be, and the beasts toiling laboriously
along We're no doubt grateful on each