Saturday's fun started at the JJ Hill house in St. Paul where our host Sosie sponsored a tour of the railroad baron's mansion. Costumed docents played the roles of household servants preparing the edifice for Christmas festivities. In the kitchen Kathleen was pressed into service peeling apples for Mr. Hill's favorite pie and acquitted herself well, having no need for a new-fangled peeler. The turn-of-the century mansion was wired for electricity and had a telephone --- we overheard a "conversation" with President Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. Hill was wanting to merge his interests with other national oligarchs. Mr. Roosevelt mentioned something about "monopoly."
