Some Of The Working Men Are
Remarkably Fine And Intelligent Looking, And Always Quiet And Well
Behaved.
I do not observe any very great politeness to women, which I
was led to expect was the prevailing habit in the United States, but I
notice that the fathers are wonderfully gentle and helpful with the
children.
Mrs. Childs is a bright little woman, and sings well, which
you would scarcely expect when hearing her voice in speaking. It is a
pity that so many of the women have such unpleasant voices, and the
_men_ have generally nothing harsh in their tones. A captain of one
of the Cunard steamers sat next me, and seeing my distress over a
plateful of very large oysters, whispered, "you need not eat them." We
had carefully abstained from luncheon, as dinner was at four o'clock,
and this was the menu for dinner: soup, _big_ oysters, boiled cod,
then devilled crab (which I ate, and it was very good), then very tough
stewed beef-steak, large _blocks_ of ice-cream, and peaches, and
that was all! So my dinner consisted of crab, and I was obliged to have
something to eat on our return to the hotel. Mr. Childs is very rich,
and gives away immensely. He showed me a valuable collection of
autographs, &c., given him by Mrs. S. C. Hall, whose husband, now an old
man I believe, he partly supports. We left at half-past eight, and this
morning, _Thursday, 16th_, Mr. Childs called early with his
picture, framed, as a present.
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