The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-30

MISS Ruth Boswell of Blue Earth,
who is travelling with party in Eng
land, writes an interesting letter in
which she refers more especially to
the reception given by Ambassador Reid
at Dorchester house, London:
London, July 9, l909.-Here it is
Friday again and [ have not written
you since Monday. We had a most
glorious afternoon last Monday, cele-
brating the Fourth at Ambassador
Reids. We had carriage call for us
at four o'clock, 50 went in real style.
Dorchester House, where they live, is
considered one of the finest residences
i'll all of London and Ambassador
Reid pays $4,000 year for rent.
more than his salary. The walks lead
ing to the mansion were covered with
canopies and lined all the way with
policemen, constables-I should say
here-and fiunkies. A man at the door
took our card of admission and then
we began our walk up the stairs. The
hall was all solid marble of the most
ornate kind, with beautiful marble
stairs leading to the hall above, where
stood Mr.. and Mrs. Reid. We did not
have to present any cards for another
tlunkie called out our names for Mr.
and Mrs. Reid He looked older than
[ expected and quite feeble, [ thought
His hair is somewhat white; his shout
ders are somewhat stopped and alto
In
Mrs. Reid Looked Charming.
Mrs. Reid looked charming in sort
of blue, filmy stuff, very handsome,
but not too snowy or conspicuous, as
we saw some afterwards, After we
had shaken hands with them we were
at liberty to wander through the
drawing rooms as we wished and talk
about your splendor! | would be al
most afraid to live in such place for
fear | should get lost. Beautiful walls
and ceilings, splendid chandeliers, bro
caded and very elaborate chairs of all
kinds and floors so waXed that it was
as much as your life was worth to
walk over them. We walked through
at least, as much as our eyes could
take in Then we found our way by
means of fiunkies again, to the floor
below, back of the house. where a big
place had been constructed for the oc-
casion, as it was all beautifully fes-
tooned with yards and yards of green
and white cheese cloth and flowers, of
course, galore. The floor you could feel
was temporary one, but it was all
carefully covered with Brussels car
pets.
Flunkies Were Everywhere.
Here a promenade was provided, lead
ing Ito an enormous table along one
whole side of the room, where refresh
ments of every kind and variety were
ready for the many guests. There were
fiunkies to wait on you, but you sim
Iply choose from that abundantly load
ed table anything you wanted and they
gave it to you. We had salmon sand
witches and coffee, Strawberries buried
| in whipped cream and several kinds OF
cake and real American lemonade. After
| we had eaten we took seats along
! the promenade and listened to the or
chestra play almost everything under
| the sun from Faust to Old Black Joe
Many of their pieces were arrange
ments of American folk songs and
sounded quite honey to us. Oul
seats were in a good position, too, fol-
seeing the people as they came down
the stairs and it was regular dress
parade. Gowns of every description
size and color and made in every
fashion imaginable, hordes of trains
with plenty of people to walk upor
them. We stayed right in that spot
for a long time just feasting our eyes
! upon people and their gowns. | never
saw SO many beautiful ones nor such
gorgeous hats There were between
two and three thousand people there
but not Il soul did we find whom We
had ever seen before except Laura
who spotted Il northwestern teacher
whom she bad just barely met, sc
didn't speak TO her. 1t was the most