Evening star., 1899-03-11
DESERVED TO BE POPULAR

/ N.S1ttN III U VI S@FNtt
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"I don't suppose thers ever was or could
be more popular gentleman among young
men than was Col. Fred Grant. during his
term as minister to Austria, among the
American students in Vienna said scien-
tist of this city who at the age of thirty
| i've has achieved a distinction that
amounts almost to aminence in his sep
arate field. II blush to reflect upon the
number Of scrapes Col Grant got each
| and all Of us out of while he was this
| country's representative at the court of
| Franz Josef. We unquestienably furnished
| him with more bother during his term
| than all the rest of the affairs intrusted
| to his charge put together, but he declin-
ed to consider the effort and embarrass-
ment to which he was put by our escapades
as bother. and was always cheerfully ready
to go to any length to help us out. That's
| the reason-among numerous others-why
| the American students in Vienna held and
hold him in genuinely affectionate esteem.
| He not only held himself at our call when
| we needed his services to square us with
| the Vfennese police but he and his delight
| full wife were forever doing something
other to make us feel at home. Never
| Sunday passed during Col Grants en-
| tire stay in Vienna that he did not have
| half dozen or SO Of the American stu
dents at the legation to enjoy a genuine
| old-fashioned American home dinner with
| his family, and in many other ways he
| and Mrs. Grant endeavored to make the
| somewhat scapegrace pack of 1ads-of
| whom was one-pursuing their studies in
| the Austrian capital feel the curbing in
| huence Of an American home that was in
| all respects charming ard delightful. 1t
| was relationship to remember, that be-
| tween Col. Grant and the students. Fact
taff [NA1
| year or so yet, and do all of the other
| Fellows who were over in Vienna with me
| at that time.
| 'Id hardly know where to begin if I
| attempted to relate the story of Minister
| Grants perpetual efforts to keep one or
| the other of US out of Austrian donjon
| Keeps. You see, the atmosphere of liberty
| winch we had all inhaled most of our lives
| IN this country disqualified us for a proper
understanding of the duties. rot to say
the authorities of the gendarmerie of a
asosarefteai an ma f capital. and when We revolted.
as we often did, against interference in our
| private anafrs. we revolted in distinctly
| american fashion, and that's how the in
| cesSant trouble came about
| Il recall one case particularly in which
! Col: Grants services were enlisted by my
| SELF although I wasn't the victim The
| Eictfh was young fellow from New
| Hampshire who had just Joined the stu
| dent colony in Vienna Besides being total
| ly unfamiliar with Viennese ways, he was
| rather stubborn and quarrelsome chap
and we could easily see that he was book
| ed for trouble of some kind or other The
! t1oubie came about in this way: In Vienna
| there are two classes of licensed eating
houseS-restaurants and cafes. In the res
| taurants the heavy eatables are purveyed
| together with wines, spirits etc In the
| cafes only the lighter dishes are served to-
| gether with beer, coffee, etc The res
| taurants are not permitted under the terms
i OF their licenses to serve coffee. This raw
| New Hampshire chap went into one of the
| restaurants one night not long after his ar
| rival in Vienna, and at the conclusion of
| his meal he asked the waiter for cup of
| coffee. The waiter told him that coffee
| was not served in the restaurants The
| student from New Hampshire straightway
| began to 'cuss out a blooming country
! where a man couldn't get cup of coffee
with his dinner He employed some strong
| language, and within just ten seconds after
| he began his TRADE he was seized by half
| a dozen Austrian officers who had over
| heard him from a nearby table. Another
| student and myself We're with the New
| Hampshire chap at the time. and we eau
| toned him not to kick up any row or it
| would be the worse for him. Then 1 re-
| quested the chief officer in charge of the
| New Hampshire lad to wait with his pris-
| oner at the restaurant until / saw the
American minister. He courtecusiy enough
consented, although he did not indicate
| by his manner that he thought my efforts
| would amount to much.
Il hopped into a cab and was whirled to
| the palace. for knew that Col. Grant was
| IL. L
| lackey at the palace door that / wanted
| my card taken in to the American minister
that II was imperativefy necessary that l
| should see him at once. You'd have thought
! L was the courier announcing some terrific
| casualty in this country from my manner
| probably, but my manner impressed the
| lackey and he took my card in. Col Grant
| shortly appeared in his court costume in
| the corridor of the palace and he smiled
| when excitedly related my story and said
! he thought he could arrange it, telling me
| to wait. Col Grant went right into the au-
! dience chamber and had talk with the
| emperor, with whom he was a great IA
vorite. Col. Grant afterward told US that
| old Franz Josef smiled over the affair when
| the ignorance of Austrian manners on the
| part of the New Hampshire student was
explained, and he wrote with his own hand
| an order for the young mans immediate
| release by the officers. This Col Grant
| jumped back into the cab and made my way
| back to the restaurant, where I found the
| fuming New Hampshireite still in the hands
| of the officers
| 81 handed the slip of paper containing
| the emperor's autograph to the chief Off
| Ger. You should have seen him and all the
| rest of his men come to sudden Atten-
| ton and doff their caps when they saw
| that bit of paper with the emperor's name
| signed to the bottom of 1t. The New Hamp-
| shire student was turned loose instanter
| and when We walked out of the restaurant
! l, who had already spent a couple of years
| in Vienna, had a good many quiet little
pointers to give to him.
| "Col Grant was one Of the few foreign
representatives at the Austrian court who
| could have accomplished that release so
! easily and quickly"
The Musical Heart.