The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-09-05
THE GENTLEMAN FROM RENO.
A California Story.

DeuT, ueuT, HOW Jllc WIN uooo pn'N,
though over here on Russian hill
where our stands. My husband says
that it seems to him sometimes as il
the air was river with q mill-racc
current, and was flying full of sticks,
stones and sand, II our front door
was left unfastened any time after
half-past IL o'clock in the forenoon,
it flies open with u spiteful bang,
and in q moment every door in the
house is clapped to or slammed open,
and the house house is small
and thin--resounds rs if q small
army were firing of cannons in it.
| do believe that some day Harry
will come home hnl find tho
house, wife, children and fixtures,
blown from jenkins street to Deca,
tur street. The structure is only
clap-boards and shingles, and how
it has ever stood so long rs it has,
surpasses my comprehension.
But as | was saying, the wind was
blowing q gale, and l was just on the
point of going to see if the front
door was tastened-our Norah is so
careless, and little Harry persists in
going ont at that hour "because
papa does" s"-when open it blew with
u tremendous bang, every other
door in the house flying to and fro
as the case happened to be, each one
firing u salute of its own and knock
ing down the plaster in great flakes;
they do build such cheap houses
nowadays! The gale swept through
my bit of n parlor sending every
thing whirling, and | was mad
enough to cry to see my manuscript
flying all over the floor; for while
the children weyc out with Nora |
had set down to fix up my little story
for the Trans Continental, knowing
full well that if | did not cross out
all the best hits, the editor would.
What fatal stupidity editors always
have for cutting out the best part of
thing to be sure y | was self hes
itating whether to try and save my
precious manuscript or run first and
shut tho door, when | heard II voice
Mt the front door saying, "Hallo !!
house there p
Now, for a lone, lorn woman to
hear a rough voice like that at her
open door, with her husband off Wis.,
ting patients, the servant and chill
dren gone the Lord knows whore,
and no neighbors nearer than three
blocks of sand hills, you will admit
that it was little terrifying, espc.
cially when you know that [ am u
small woman, and am so aooped up
at home with household duties and
three small children, that | never see
anybody outside my own house.
But. with no small quiver at my
heart, went into the bal, aud there
stood q stout, dark skinned man,
wearing soft hat and new suit of
clothes, the store creasos in which |
saw before I saw his face.
elbow mep said he-which |
thought quite unnecessary, as he was
being blown and so was L; for, as !
stood in the narrow hall, | had hard
work to keep my feet, and was pain
fully conscious that my hoop,kirt
was showing right through the thin
calico [ had on. elbow metz says
he, II thought I never should raise
anybody. Amt this Hank Clayton's
house," | replied with some digni-
ty, not unmixed with tremulousness,
that this was DR.. Henry Clayton's
residence; whereupon lie bJlted in
to the hall and closed the door after
him, saying, "Well, marm, you'll
blow right through tho side of the
ere wind"
The mysterious stranger, to my
horror, marched into the parlor and
sat down, deliberately hanging his
hat on my lovely Clytie in real mar.
bic, which stands on plaster pedes-
tai in the little corner behind the
sofa.
$50 you don't know M" said
this apparition; and, without waiting
for my scared negative, he added,
"Well, shouldn't 'spOso you would,
considerin' that y'u never seen me
afore. I'm just from Reno; came
down on the SACRAMENTO boat lust
night, and after 7 had time to do u
ew odd chores and get kinder sI'cked
up, ] Jest come out 10 see Hauk and
his young ones" lie looked com
placenily down his creased panta-
looms, and tonderly picked up q few
gr.ins of sand from his gray coat
sleeve rs he spoke.
I told HIM l was sorry that my
husband was not at home, but if he
would call again tomorrow he would
be sure to find him at nine o'clock,
or he would be moro likely to find
him at his Office, 2,0lO Kearny
street. But in vain. the dreadful
man insisted that he had got through
with his days chores, and could just
as well wait as not, and he added:
"Now, up in Reno, where we do
things on the keen jump, why,
man has no time to fool away wait
ing for nobody; we are sharp set
up there; built a town of three thou
sand inhabitants, fourteen stores
four hotels, twelve saloons, a French
restaurant and a billiard emporium
in six weeks. Oh, yes; i'll Reno we
do thin ps in n hurry and yOu va poL