198 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



no more than four dollars a gallon, which makes it pos- 

 sible for the poorest day laborer who shoves a hand cart 

 or carries a hod to include half a bottle of wine in his 

 bill of fare. And the California wine is fully as good as 

 the French wines, so-called, which we purchase at home; 

 at any rate you get what you pay for. Business men, as a 

 rule, eat after what is called the American plan, and 

 which is a very sensible one, in my estimation. About 

 eight o'clock in the morning one starts with a good warm 

 breakfast, consisting of beefsteak, chops, roast beef or 

 something of that sort, winding up with a cup of good 

 coffee. About noon one indulges in a so-called lunch, that 

 means a glass or two of wine, bread and cheese or cold 

 viands, and enjoys the principal meal at six o'clock, after 

 the cares and worries of the day are over and the office 

 is closed. This mode of living suits me exceedingly well, 

 yes, even better than our home method with its five meals. 

 By this method the day is not much divided, and one 

 can follow one 's pursuits without being interrupted every 

 two or three hours, and the natural consequence is that 

 the American accomplishes more in a day than his Euro- 

 pean competitor. 



Though we are said to live in the midst of the rainy 

 season, I confess that so far I have not seen a drop. The 

 air is warm and most agreeable in daytime, the sky clear 

 and of a tropical blue, and Mother Nature is clad in a 

 pretty green; the nights, however, are decidedly cold and 

 remind me quite often of the dear ones at the fireside at 

 home. The mines, too, are said to lack rain, particularly 

 in the more southern region. A few days ago I had a 

 very interesting chat with a miner from the San Joaquin 

 country, who complained greatly about the lack of water 

 in the "diggings." He claimed to have worked four long 

 months without being able to wash a handful of the earth. 

 Having thus spent his money for necessities of life, he 

 found himself compelled to look for work in San Fran- 

 cisco until the long-looked-for rain would give him a 

 chance to sift the proceeds of his months of hard labor. 

 And there are hundreds of men sharing the same fate 



