Marble Hill press., 1908-03-12
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
/ "The one fault l have to find with
| European life is the poor quality of
/ tobacco used"
| 1t was eight o'clock, Thursday night,
the night of the dinner at Muller's. l
was dressing when Max entered, with
a miserable cheroot between his teeth.
! They say" he went on, that in
| Russia they drink the finest tea in the
| world, simply because it is brought
| overland and not by sea. Unfortunate
| ly, tObacco-we Americans recognize
no leaf as tobacco unless it comes
| from Cuba-has to cross the sea, and
IS, in some unaccountable manner,
weakened in the transit. There are
worse cigars in Germany than in
France, and | wouldn't have believed
it possible, II l had not gone to the
trouble of proving it. Fine country!
For week I've been trying to smoke
the German quality of the weed, as a
preventive, but see must give it up
on account of my throat. My boy,
have news for ou,'--tossing the che
root into the CRATE.
Fire away" said l, struggling with
collar.
! Il have box of Havanas over at
the custom house that l forgot to bail
! out"
MOI" said l joyfully. A Havana,
and one of Scharfenstein's!
I've an idea that they would go
well with the dinner. So, if you don't
mind, I'll trot over and get EN-"
BE sure and get around to Muller's
at halfpast eight, then" said |.
I'll be there" He knew where to
find the place.
Muilers rathskeller was the rendez-
vous Of students, officers and all those
persons of quality who liked music
with their meat. The place was low
ceilinged, but roomy, and the ventila-
tion was excellent, considering. The
smoke never got so thick that one
couldn't see the way to the door when
the students started in ito clean up
the place." to use the happy idiom of
mine own country. There were mar
BILE tables and floors and arches
and light, cane-bottomed chairs from
Kohns. 1t was at once Bohemian and
cosmopolitan, and, once inside, it was
easy to imagine oneself in Vienna. A
Hungarian orchestra occupied an in
closed platform, and every night the
wall OF the violin and the pom-pom OF
the wool-tipped hammers on the Hun
garian piano" might be heard.
1t was essentially a mans place oi
entertainment; few women ever had
the courage or the inclination to enter
In America 1t would have been the
fashion; but in the capital of Barscheit
the women ate in the restaurant above
which was attached to the hotel, and
depended upon the Volksgarten band
for their evenings diversion.
You had to order your table hours
ahead-that Is, if you were a civilian
If you we're lucky enough to be an of
ficer, you were privileged to take any
vacant chair you saw. But heaven aiC
you if you attempted to do this not be
ing an officer! In Barscheit there were
also many unwritten laws, and yor
were obliged to observe these with al
the fidelity and attention that you gave
to the enameled signs. Only the mill
tary had the right to request the or
chestra to repeat piece of music
Sometimes the lieutepants, seized will
that gay humor known only to cubs
would force the orchestra in Muller!
to play the Hungarian war song til
the ears cried out in pain. This wa!
always the case when any Austrian!
happened to be present. But ordinari
ly the crowds were gOod-natured, bois
ferrous, but orderly.
1t was here, then, that | had ar
ranged to give my little dinner. Tht
/ l. i -
to play THE Star-spangled Banner,
and there was case Of Doppelkinn'
sparkling Moselle. may as we'll stat
right here that we neither heard ou
aational anthem nor drank the vintage
You will soon learn why. / can Iaugl
now, l can treat the whole affair will
becoming levity, but at the time
gained several extra gray hairs.
If the princess hadn't turned arount
and if Max hadn't wanted that box o
! Havanas!
When / arrived at Muller's I fount
= my boys in a merry mood. They wer'
singing softly from Robin Hood" will
fine college harmony, and as / entered
they swarmed about me like so man.
young dogs Truth to tell, none O
them was under 20, and two or thre
were older than myself. But to then
I represented official protection 70
whatever they might do. ! assumes
all the dignity l dared. l had KEEP
Scharfensteins name back as SUI
prise.
Ellis-for whom l had the passport
l Immediately struck me as being s.
nearly like Max that they might easil
have been brothers. Ellis was slight
er; that was all the difference. | CAV
him his DaoerS and examined his +irI