The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-27

The popularity thus begun Mrs. Wheeler has added to- The more suited foreign
 embassies found her nothing if not orig inal. The Baronese d'Anethan, wife of the Belgian minister to Japan, sister or Rider Haggard. has decided literary tastes and the pair often enliVen gllt- tering state dinner with q literary duel. | The prime favorite of Tokyo has always | been Madame Bakhmeteff. wife Of the l Russian minister. who was Miss Mary | Beale of Maryland, and sister Of Mrs. | John R. Mclean of Cincinnati and Wash | ington. Madame Bakhmeteff, who speaks | seven languages and wears three tur- | quoise rings on each of her ten ringers. IS l known the world over for her warm | heart and her eccentricities and rules the ! foreign society of Tokyo with heavy i rod On Miss Rives' first evening at the l capital, the two found themselves dining ] at opposite ends of the long dining room 1 of the Hotel Imperial. Madame Bakhms- l teff studied the slim figure awhile through | her lorgnette Thank Godl' she said at , last to the table full. There's woman | with originality. I'm going to like that | girl" And she did-as their present close | friendship vouches.
 l Indeed. originality is the breath in Hal | lie Erminie Rives nostrils. At the hrst | official dinner she gave 1t showed Tn unique way Things American, she be- | i kind Her guests on this occasion found 1 themselves seated at a table which bore 1 no resemblance to the usual state board ] It was not French. but Colonial-Ameri- | can. A long, narrow lake was In the | middle. with a wilderness-bord of old | fashioned flowers. The smenu-card was l uncompromisingly American. and was 1 printed in English. It read as follows: Terrapin Soup.
 l Jap,estoyO Ham MOSelle. Corn Bread. Turnip Greens. l Quince Jelly.
 Roast Beef. Sweet Potatoes. Sucking Pig. Claret
 I Baked Apples Pin-money Pickles.
 Fried Chicken Norfolk style). 1 Champagne.
 | New Potatoes. Corn Fritters Celery.
 Hot Mince Pie Cheese. | Frozen Custard.
 Martha Washington Cake Four Beggars.
 | Oranges. Bananas. 1 Coffee.
 | A boiled ham occupied one end of the 1 table, and a sucl<ling pig. roasted whole, | with a red apple in it's mouth. was at the 1 other And all the food, save the dessert, | was on the table. Mandolin and guitars l furnished the music--a selection of south | ern airs.
 The dinner, so far as Tokyo went. was fa new sensation. The Spanish minister,
 Senor Barrera, sent his secretary next 1 morning to beg for the recipe of the tur- l nip greens, and it is still told that his | excellency. Yang Shoo the Chinese mn l ister, ate three pieces of hot nince pie. | Imitation is the sincerest fiattery. Ten l days afterward the Austrian ambassador 1 gave a Hungarian luncheon. and since | then national dinners have been quite 1 the vogue.
 l During the months of her life in Japan !, there has been no more earnest student | of things Japanese than Mrs, Rives- | Wheeler. She has begun now to under | stand the musical tongue that has but 6S syllables. In the afternoons she rides | through the country, stopping for tea at
 some village shrine. generally accompa- nied by her Japanese teacher, demure little woman with the tiny hands and feet that mark the Samurai class. She has been from one end of the empire 10 the other crossed the Inland sea. seen the trial-by-fire and by boiling water,
 watched the famous iiu-jitsu and wrest-
 ling matches, freauented native theatres l and climbed Mount Fujii. In the house
 she dresses in Japanese costume and, ex cept for the raw-fsh- eeffegses to liking
 for Japanese food