River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-04-21

of conveying food from the plate to the mouth.
Never had he been known to reach the ice
with nothing left but little harpoon,
like George AIDES banqueter. He didn't tuck
his napkin and responded readily to the rule
prohibiting the Of a knife in the hosting
of peas or pie. All Of this is set forth as proof
that Mr.. Leopold was no gaStrOnOmic novice.
But after he had partaken of Mr.. Walsh's hos
pitality he had to tack to get to his cab. He
so happy and satisfied that he didn't
care whether he kept on Ringing or not. In
burst of enthusiasm he said he was coming
over to America to follow up the Walsh brand
of banquet. The morning following the ban
quet it is understood that Mr.. Leopold went
back to Laeken, in Belgium, where he lived
when he wasn't taking in the Partisan White
Way, and fired his chef.
But it must be remembered that this little
lunch that Mr. Walsh arranged for his royal
guest was quite out of the ordinary. He sent
out for the most famous of French banquet
architects.
There's hungry king coming next Thurs
day week." he told them, land / want you to
feed him we'll. Go as far as you like" Which
they did. The banquet was given at the Hotel
Ritz. They had some very excellent fddlers
and other musicians at the hostelry, who were
willing to furnish any sort of music for the
occasion But not for Mr.. Walsh. In enter
tanning a kingly parsonage he decided to OBJ
serve the harmonies. Maybe plebeian music
wouldn't aid royal digestion! Nothing but
regular monarchical melody would go well with
the food. The Imperial Russian band, which
plays For the car and helps him forget his
troubles was in Paris at the time. Several
people with money had sought to engage that
band for private affairs, but the manager an
nounced that his band could not be engaged
it was none of your country orchestras.
"Iyl just stroll over and hire them" sug-
gested Mr.. Walsh.
Those who heard Of his expressed intention
laughed derisively. But Mr.. Thomas F. Walsh
did hire them and Mr.. Leopold Rex, had ma
zurkas with his soup and Paderewsk1 with the
baked beans.
There were others in addition to the king
at that banquet, but they didn't cut much OF
figure The Belgian ruler the big attrac-
ton in the main tent. 1t isn't everyone who
can entertain a king and it isn't one IN mill
lion that could entertain one as Thomas F.
Walsh did. That banquet cost, 1t is said, about
S750OO which is even more expensive than
dining at some New York hotels. All Paris
talked of the Walsh entertainment, and it is
still talked about over there. 1t set the high
water mark for banquets Harry Thaw had
given one that was the limit heretofore, but
the Walsh affair made the Thaw dinner look
like a cold lunch on washday. Even the
square meal prepared by Lucullus for his
guests several seasons further DacK, was
merely a snack compared to it, But it wasn't
the only dinner given by Mr.. Walsh that
startled Paris He gave a score of them while
he was commissioner to the exposition, and
each of the kingless ones cost $4,000. Dukes
and duchesses and princes and counts and mar
ouises--a lively assortment of noble appetites
attended and went away feeling as though
thew couldn't eat another thing for week.
Mr. Walsh had fun. He liked to see them
enjoy themselves.
"Never turn a hungry duke from your
door," appeared to be his motto, and as re-
suit European mobiles put signs on the front
fence to signal others of their kind that this
was bully place to get handsome hand-out.
II was one of Walshs phianthropies.
Also it was one of his ways of enjoying the
money that he accumulated in Colorado mines.
He believed that money was made to spend
and that's why he liked to spend it.
But there is more to the tale of the enter.
tainments in Paris Incidentally King Leopold
became so impressed with the American man
of millions that he consulted him about some
of his (the king's) gold mining properties in
Africa with the result that Mr.. walsh went
into partnership with the king. Mr.. Walsh
explained that he didn't go into the venture
with Leopold for the profit that was in it. but
Just to please his friend of the crown and scep-
ter But greater than the triumph of enter
tanning the king-greater than the prestige of
entering into partnership with him-was the