From 8-year old Hilda’s diary:
I wish I could go to the St. Francis to dinner every night, I loved it so much. The dining room is so big and beautiful and there are wonderful big paintings of fairy tales all up and down the walls and the chandeliers are just like great big bouquets of diamonds. All the waiters are so very handsome. One especially nice and very tall one carved up our chickens for us at a little table right beside the one where we were seated and when he gave me mine, he asked me if it was all right, just as if I were a grown lady. He was so kind. I kept thinking that if he had a little girl she must love him to tuck her into bed at night. I guess I looked as if I was thinking that because Mr. Lewis said to me, “What are you dreaming of, Hilda? I see a dream in your eyes.” But of course I couldn’t tell him. Then he asked me if I would like the orchestra to play something special just for me and I said, “Yes, please ask them to play the Merry Widow Waltz.” And then Mr. Lewis said that he thought they would know that piece and he asked the waiter to find out if they could. The orchestra leader was so kind, too. He announced that the little girl with the pink hair ribbon asked him to have the orchestra play the Merry Widow Waltz and so they were going to play it just for her. It was so beautiful, so beautiful. At the end of the dinner even the finger bowls were beautiful. They had pansies floating around in them and I remembered to use just the tips of my fingers, I just dipped them in and didn’t splash once. When we came home everyone said that they were very proud of me and Aunt Tillie said that I behaved just like a perfect lady.
