Year: 1876

The receipt of an elegant gilt edged pamph-
let containing the "Opinion of the British press
on Mile Titiens' temperance at Her Majes-
ty's opera house, upon her return from Amer
ica," recalls to my recollection the pleasant
travelling acquaintance I formed with her
brother Pete:


Travelling eastward upon the New York and
Erie railway early in March last my attention
was attracted to an elderly German. who was
endeayoring to climb up the steps of a passen-
ger car as we returned to the train from din
ner. He was a veritable Dutchman, short and
stout, weighing at least two hundred and fifty
pounds, long bodied and short-legged; take q
lager-beer keg and set 1t on two large fruit
jars, with small pumpkin on top, adorned
with silver spectacles, and you have his figure
and style, and, as / came behind him and gave
him a friendly lift, he smiled benignly upon
me and thanked me with an JUNCTION that
showed he meant it. l found him, upon en-
gagiDg in conversation, to be a very intelligent
and well-informed gentleman ,chatty and agree
able He told me that he lived in Sacramento
had just come over the Union Pacific railroad
had a pleasant journey of eleven days in q
returning emigrant car, which his party of
Germans had chartered, and supplied with
plenty of lager, rye bread, pretzels and sau-
sages, aud bad good time generally and saved
about seyenty-fve dollars in his expenses over
the first-class fare; was on his way to New
York to meet his sister, whom he had not seen
since he left his native land for California,
twenty years ago, and who was then singing
in New York-the great prima donna. Mile
Titiens that he was rich enough, had retired
from his business of selling lager beer, and
proposed to enjoy himself the remainder of his
life in his own way.


He said he had little daughter who dis
played great musical talents, and he should
try and get his sister to educate her in music;
that he knew she would do it; she was such
good, kind girl when young. l suggested to
him as his sister had become a distinguished
character, he should improve his wardrobe
somewhat before presenting himself to her.
He replied he should do that, go to his hotel,
throw away his calico shirt, which he had
worn all the way from California, without
change, take bath, dress himself nicely in
his new broadcloth suit and plug hat, which
he had brought along in his chest, put on his
gold spectacles, and appear to her ladyship in
first rate style; but he said he knew it would
make no difference with his good sister, who
he knew would be glad to see him just as he
was. We had long and pleasant conversa-
ton, and when 1 left the cars to come South
he told me, with an hoEest grip ofhis fat hand,
If ever came to Sacramento TO enquire for old
Pete Tftiens, as everybody knew Pete, and am
sure shall never forget him, or fail to find
him when l visit the Pacific coast. The meet
ing between the great vocalist and her brother
Pete would have been most interesting to the
student Of human nature, the humble lager
beer merchant of Sacramento embracing his
sister, the leading opera singer of the world,
and addressing her with those affectionate
terms in which the German language is so
rich, would have been a scene worthy of the
pen of Dickens or the pencil of Hogarth.