Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1884-07-20
OUR NEIGHBOURS BAY
WINDOW.
&c. c. Post in Chicago Express.

This was when we were q boy and lived
with our fathers family in log house,
and in neighborhood of log houses.
Outside of two or three little towns
we do not think there were dozen
frame or brick houses within distance
of as many miles on every side, and
such thing as bay window in any
kind of house was unheard of. At
least We young ones. born in that new
and wooden country. had never heard
Of bay window, and wouldn't have
known what it was il we had found one
in our porridge.
When il was announced in the family
that stranger had bought the eighty
which joined fathers on the east, and
was going to build frame house, We
Youngsters jumped to the conclusion
that he must he a very rich man, and
began to wonder whether his children,
of which we heard there were no less
than six or seven, would associate with
folks children who lived in log houses.
Judge, then, our feelings when the new
neighbor, having come on in advance of
his family, and began the work of get
ting out the timber, was overheard to
tell another neighbor that he was going
to have bay window in his house, and
that il would be in the second story,
and in front.
The fact that we had no idea what
bay window looked like did not in the
least dampen the eagerness with which
We watched the progress of work on the
new house, or our respect for the great
man who was to be the happy possessor
of the wonderful window.
We We're pretty well agreed among
ourselves about one thing: that was
about the color of the window. Ii
would he the same as that of bay
horse, of course. but undoubtedly there
would be other very wonderful things
connected with it, and we gave our
childish Imagination full scope and
waited.
The new neighbor was fine looking
man, well formed, and of very gentle
manly bearing. He was well educated
too, and could talk learnediy about a
great many things which We incline
now 10 think most of the grown peo-
pile Of the neighborhood knew as little
about as We youngsters did about bay
windows.
One Of his fayorite themes was the
enormous power of electricity, and he
had an electric machine such as il
common among certain schools of ply
sicians nowadays, with which he illus
trated this power in . way that was
thoroughly convincing
We enjoyed greatly getting one and
another of the neighboring children who
saw it for the first time, to take hold of
the innocent looking little handles at
the end of the two wires and then watch
their efforts at letting go again.
They didn't always succeed in letting
go Just the moment they wanted to, but
when they did let 60 it was with minds
thoroughly imbued with the correctness
of the great mans views regarding the
wonderful power Of electricity.
By-and-by the frame Of the new
house was up, but the lumber for the
siding and finishing was not even ON
the ground Evidently there was q
hitch in the arrangement somewhere.
We waited and watched for q time,
and then learned that the great man
was disappointed in some Of his expec-
tations about the lumber, and that as
he was anxious to have his family with
him, he would side up the building
for the present with rough oak lum-
Der. nailed on perpendicularly, and in
Q little while would procure pine sid
ing and put on over this, thus making
his residence both more substantial and
warmer.
This was a disappointment to us
youngsters, as the bay window had not
yet made its appearance, even In en-
bryo. and we were anxious for it TO do
so. However we knew il would come
in time, for we heard the great man
say that as he was intending to put
bay window in the second story, front,
when he finished off the house, he
would just side up that end entirely
above, until he was ready to go on with
the work, and as he did the same thing
with the other end and both sides,
leaving no light whatever except such
as found its way between the cracks
of the rough boards, We came to the
conclusion that he contemplated put
ting in bay windows all around, and il
so we could afford TO wait little.
When the family came we found
them not at all unwilling to associate
with folks who lived in log houses. The
night they got there they sent over to
fathers TO borrow little tea and some
sugar, and the next day for little salt
and some saleratus, and the day after
for some -four and o little coffee.
There were two girls and boy large
enough to run errands. The boy was
too bashful TO speak to grown persons
even When spoken to, but the girls
were not Lasllful at all and they were
regularly sent to every house in the
neighborhood to borrow anything which
the family needed, from needle and
thread TO corn pillow.
Their mother was good enough soul
and had perfect confidence in the great
man who was her husband, believing
that he would do everything needful
Just as soon as he got Strengthened
round.
"When Jacob got Strengthened
round" she would say, referring to her
husband. he was going to finish of the
house"
"Jnst as soon Is Jacob got straight.
ened round he was going to build a