Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-08-08
THE GENTLEMAN FROM RENO.

VIVA IL tuo 1OIeuOOO, IL ule0 open
with q spiteful bang, and in moment
every door in the house is clapped to
or slammed open, aud the house-our
house is small and thin-resounds as
il small army were firing off cannons
in it. I do believe that some day Har-
~ will come home and find the house,
wife, children and fixtures, blown from
Jenkins street to Decatur street. The
structure is only clapboards and shin
giles, and how it has ever stood 80 long
as it has, surpasses my comprehension.
But as I was saying, the wind was blow
ing gale, md I was just on the point
OF going to see il. the front door was
fastened Noeh is so careless, and
little Harry persists in going out at
that hour "because papa does"-
open 1T blew with tremendous bang.
every other doer in the house flying to
and fro - tho case happened to be,
each one firing salute Of it's own and
knocking down the plaster in great
fakes; they do build such cheap houses
nowadays! The gale swept through
my bit Of q parlor, sending everything
whirling, and I was mad enough to cry
to see my manuscript fly all over the
floor for while the children were out
with Norah, had set down to fix ND
my little story for the Trans Conti-
mental, knowing full we'll that If I did
not cross out all the best bits, the edit
or would. (What fatal stupidity edit
ors always have for cutting out the
best part of thing to be sure y 1 was
self-hesitating whether to try and save
my precious manuscript or run first and
shut the door, when I heard a voice at
the front door saying, +" Halo ! house
there"
Now for o Lore, lorn woman to hear
q rough voice like that at her open
door, with her husband off visiting
patients, the servants and children
gone the Lord knows where, and no
neighbors nearer than three blocks of
sand hills, you will admit that it was q
Little terrifying, especially when you
know that 1 am small woman, and am
30 cooped up at home with my house
hold duties and three small children,
that I never, see anybody outside nv
own house. 4 But, with NO small culver
at my heart, I went into the hall, and
there stood stout, dark-skinued man.
wearing q soft hat and q new suit oi
clothes, the store creases in which
saw before I saw his face. elbow me -
said he-which I thought quite unnec-
essary, as he was being blown, and 20
was 4; for AZ I stood in the narrow
hall 1 had hard work TO keep nv feet.
and was painfully conscious thai
my hoop skirt was showing right
through the thin calico I bad on.
'Blow mel" says he, s'I thought j
never should raise anybody. Ain'f this
Hank Clayton's house7 I replied
with some dignity, not unmixed with
tremulousness, that this was DR.. Henry
Clay on's residence whereupon he
bolted into the hall and closed The doc,
after him saying, "Well, marin, you'll
blow right through the side Of thu
house, if you don't get shet OF this en-
The mysterious stranger, to my great
horror, marched into the parlor and "a,
down, deliberately hanging his hat OF
my lovely Clytie in real marble. which
stands on q plaster pedestal in the corn
er behind the sofa.
$50 you don't know me-" said thi.
apparition; and without waiting fol
my scared negative, he added, "Well
shouldn't s'pose you would, consid
erin that You never seen me afore
I'm Just from Reno; came down or
the Sacramento boat last night, an6
after I had time to do few old cbore.
and get kinder sliced up, Jest com,
out to see Hank and his young ones.
He looked complacently down on hi
creased pantaloons, and tenderly.mckef
up few grains Of sand from his era,
coat sleeve as he spoke. I told him
was sorry my husband was not at home
but If he would call again tomorrow
ne would be sure to find him at :.
O'Clock, or he would be more likely K
find him at his Office, No. 2,O1O Kearn,
street. But in vain the dreadful mai
insisted that he got through with hu
days chores, and could just as vel
wait as not, and he added ,"Now
up in Reno, where we do things on th,
keen jump, why, man hasn't no time
to fool away waiting for nobody; W
are a sharp set up there; built tow
of three thousand inhabitants, fourteen
| btO1co, AOuI uOIc101 tW01V0 oa4OOu0,
French restaurant and a billiard expo1
ium IN six weeks. Oh, yes; in Rem
we do things in q hurry, and you'v
got to look alive there, you jest be
your life now"
Was ever woman more painful,
circumstanced9 I could scarcely be
lieve that it was not some horri,
dream, and that was not actually sit
ting in my own sewing chair, where
had passed so many hours, looking a
that dreadful man, spreading his un
calmly limbs all over my ruby plusl
sofa, crossing his ridiculous legs q
though he were IN a bar-room, an,
making the knick-knacks on the bracke
over his head dance madly to the vi
brations of his big, rough voice. Blu
there he was, and how he got in an,
established himself on that sofa a
though he owned the entire little estab
lishment and was considering whethe
he should carry it off, I cannot for tn
life Of me say There he was and pro
tested that he chad Just as soon wal
for Hank as ,t.'' It was a monstrou
lie, Of course; he never knew NV prt
ci"ns Harry, whom ne dared to cal
g Hank, " and he had come here to ro
the house, to carry off all nv bcs
4 n~>-1