Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-14

| from where we were able to see about
a half a dozen little kuhles rolling upon
the kitchen floor and hindering all they
possibly could the preparations for din
ner. From this time on Mamma regu-
larry saw US each day at twelve
O'Clock. Herr Kuhle requested that we
give him no tip, a wonderful thing in
Germany.
Our suppers We're generally eaten
gypsy fashion. There was bake
shop opposite US where we could get
delicious rolls and Pfaudkuchen. the
latter Il kind OF raised doughnut with
raspberry jam. Many Of these did we
buy from the baker and his cheerful
wife before we found out his name.
Looking from our Ninodw one morning
we noticed that it was Albrecht siauer-
bier. But his face belied his name and
we continued buying our supper Of
him.
From childhood we had connected
Christmas with Germany and we were
very glad to have the opportunity Of
spending one December twenty-fifth
with the people. Soon after our arrival
in October the children began counting
the weeks before Christmas and the
plans they made were elaborate. They
let US into many of their secrets and
when they were in our rooms the talk
always ended with schemes for the
coming festival In the evenings when
Herr Kuhn came they would sing their
Christmas songs to the accompaniment
of the violin Their favorites were Der
Taunenbaum and Stille Nacht. The
former is sung to the tune of 80 Mary
land, my Maryland" and the following
is one of the verses.
80 Tamenbaum. o Taunenbaum.
VIE tren sind define Blatter,
Du grunst rictt nur EUR Sonunerszeit
Nein aucE Winter wenn rs schHell'
20 Taunenbaum. o Taunanbaum.
Vie tren sind desire Batter
Christmas is the only time when the
Frau does any baking. The German
housewife is unable to picture New
England kitchen on a Saturday morn
ing when the pies, cakes and bread are
being baked. The Germans could not
believe us when We told them that all
the baking was done in the house OF the
New Englander. There is no oven in
the average German house suitable for
baking. only a stove for preparing their
meats and cooking the purple cabbage
and sauer-krout. They do not even
bake their bread but buy those large
round Ioaves at the bakeshops
Often did we meet a German carrying
one of those loaves wrapped Up in Il
newspaper or more often without any
covering. an armfuI for any able bodied
man as the loaves are so large. Many
were the little boys in Germany mat
we saw carrying these loaves and many
were the loaves that went rolling away
in the mud. for the German small boy
is not much different from the American
one and if he CHANGED to see a COM
rade opposite down would go the bread
and away he would fly to settle some
DISPUTE or engage in some hand 10 hand
struggle. then he would come
hack, pick up the bread and trudse
along as if nothing had happened. we
did not care much for this bread out
nreferre6 the crisp rolls for which Ger
many Is noted.
| For the week before Christmas the
housewives were away all day long pax
ing. Just where they went was mys-
terv to us. AS near as we found out
they went to some bakers. paved tcr
the use Of his oven and baked enough
| to last them month.
Two or three nights before Christmas
we heard the tranlping of many fee'
on the stairs and there were our Fraus
each with one end Of a plank over hei
shoulder while the other end was borne
by an obliging neighbor. Upon thos'