The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-09-06
THE GENTLEMAN FROM RENO.
A California Story.

~ \ OaltlOThHl sot0fys - e.frr.
The Wind was blowing a gale
Dear, dear, how the wind does blow.
though over here on Russian hill
where our stands, My husband saws
that t seems 60 him sometimes as if
The air was n river with q mill-race
eurreEt, and was flying full Of sticks,
stones and sand. If our front door
was left unfastened any time after
&alf-past IL o'clock In the forenoon,
1t flies open with a spiteful bang,
and in a moment every door in the
house is elapped to or slammed open,
| and the house-Our house is small
and thin-Tesounds as if q small
army were firing off cannOns in it.
I do believe that some day Harry
will come home and lind the
| 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 as it has,
surpasses my comprehension.
But as 1 was saying, the wind was
blowing Il gale, and l was Just on the
point of going to see if the front
door was. fastened-our Norah is so
careless, and little Harry persists in
going out at that hour ''because
papa does" when open it blew with
a tremendous bang, every other
door in the house flying to and fro
as the case happened to be, each one
firing a salute of It's own and knock
ing down the plaster In great flakes;
they do build such cheap houses
nowadays! The gale swept through
my bit of a Parlor sending every
thing whirling, and 1 was mad
enough to cry to see my manuscript
flying all over the floor; for while
| the children were out with Nora, I
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 ont the best part of
a thing to be sure y 1 was self-hes-
itating whether to try and save my
precious manuscript or run first and
shut the door, when l heard o voice
at the front door saying, "Hallo !!
house there -
Now, for lone, Iorn woman to
hear rough voice like that at her
open door, with ber husband off Wis
iting patients, the servant and chill
dren gone the Lord knows where,
and no neighbors nearer than three
blocks of sand hills, you will admit
that it was little terrifying, espe-
cially when you know that l am a
small woman, and am so cooped up
at home with household duties and
three small children, that l never see
anybody outside my own house.
But. with no small quiver at my
heart, went into the hal, and there
stood q stout, dark skinned man,
wearing a soft hat and new suit of
clothes, the store creases in which |
saw before I saw his face.
elbow me +" said he-which /
thought quite unnecessary, as he was
| being blown and so was I; for, as !
stood in the narrow hall, I had hard
work to keep my feet, and was pain
fully conscious that my hoopskirt
was showing right through the thin
calico I had on. Blow me !" says
he, 'I 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 Clay S
residence; whereupon he bolted in
to the hall and closed the door after
him, saying, "Well, marin, you'll
blow right through the side of the
house, if you don't get shet of this
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.
ble, which stands on a plaster pedes-
tai in the little corner behind the
sofa.
$50 you don't know me," said
this apparition and, without whiting
for my scared negative, he added,
"Wen, 1 shouldn't 'spose you would,
considerin' that you never seen me
afore. I'm just from Reno; came
down on the Sacramen boat last
night, and after had time to do a
lew odd chores and get kinder slicked
up, 1 Jest come out to see Hank and
his young ones" He looked com
placently down his crensed panta-
looms, and tenderly picked up a few
grains of sand from his gray coat
sleeve as he spoke.
told HIM 1 was sorry that my
husband was not at home, but if be
would call again tomorrow he would
be sure to find him ut nine o'clock
or he would be more likely to find
him at his Office, 2,Ol0 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, a
man has no time to fool away wait
ing for nobody; we are a sharp SET
! up there; built town of three thou
sand inhabitants, fourteen stores
four hotels, twelve saloons, a French
restaurants and billiard emporium
In six week.. Oh, yes; IN Reno we
do things IN hurry, and you've goi
to look alive there, you JEST bet yOul
life, now."zo
Was ever a woman more painfully
circumstanced? +? / could scarcely
believe that it was not some horric
dream, aud that / was not actually
sitting in my own sewing-chair
where / had passed so many busy
hours, looking at that dreadful man
Il II .5--.s,