70 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



"Man muss das Leben eben nehmen, 

 Wie's Leben eben ist." 



(One should take life just, as life just is.) 



Tlie local beer-gardens and saloons have attractions 

 for the new-comer which are not to be found in Konigs- 

 berg. Nobody seems to be surprised to hear English, 

 Danish or Spanish spoken at one and the same table. 

 Not even a head turns unless it be that of a stranger, 

 like myself. I mostly spend my evenings at Diedrichs, 

 townsman from Elbing, who has done Olias and me many 

 a favor. It was there where I met a Turk the other night, 

 who only spoke a few words of broken English outside 

 of his mother tongue, but he got his beefsteak, played 

 a game of billiards and went away again without re- 

 ceiving any more attention than other guests. People 

 who have travelled for years in foreign lands, in America, 

 Africa, etc., speak of their experiences as if they were 

 every-day occurrences, and if any guest within hearing 

 distance tries to listen, depend upon it he is not a Ham- 

 burger. It has already happened to me on different occa- 

 sions to speak German to one and English to another 

 table companion, an easy matter when you become used 

 to it. 



There are quite a number of Konigsberg and other 

 East-Prussians in this city. I meet many old acquain- 

 tances, most of whom will leave sooner or later for for- 

 eign lands. And rnarvelously good it seems to a fellow 

 to shake hands once more with one you have known — 

 back home — sometimes only a mere sight acquaintance. 

 Thus I met Grafe, son of the book-dealer, who intends 

 going to Venice in a few weeks. Voss, who is bound for 

 Liverpool in search of a living. Both were schoolmates 

 of mine. Briihl also is about to set out for America, i. e., 

 Milwaukee via New York. One thing more that you will 

 appreciate. Seeing my prospective needs, I shall now 

 begin in earnest with the study of the Spanish language 

 and have consequently purchased Franceson's Dictionary 



