Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1884-02-07
RURAL ENGLAND.
Holiday Visiting and Country Life.
London Correspon lence Boston Herald.


London Correspon ience Boston Herald.
To know anything whatever of the
peace and love and joy of English home
life, one must see this home life III the
county. 1t is true that it is the English
custom to have only the family and fam
lily circle in the house for the distinctive
festivities Of the holiday, but visitors are
invited just before and after. The GUS
tom is getting less rigidly observed with
every year, and now it is not uncom-
mon to have town" friends with the
family through a fortnight ending with
the 9 year. which is not observed at
all. Among other such visits the most
vivid in my memory is the very first /
ever made to q country house in Eng
land. 1t was all so new to me, so bright
and picturesque, 80 full of all | had read,
as though it belonged to the old centu-
ries and not a part of the new life ola busy
commercial age that itcame upon me
making ind leaving the impressions OF q
dream. That is the Christmas-tide at an
English couptry house that | hold in
inaind mns and grateful lowe IT
was an cd hall in the mid lands. and
one Of the most famous pack or hounds
in England had their master living close
at hand, and the meets were always
in the Immediate neighborhood. Chill
dren, grandchildren and a few friends
were the guests in the house OF the s'lord
If the aasnsTAy invitation to be of
the number was clothed in language
most touching TO me at the time, for l
was almost u stranger In a strange land,
although / had made dear friends Of
certain relatives of the family. The note
TO me made it plain that il was not an
affection of form, but that my acceptan e
would really, in the estimate Of my host,
confer a favor upon himself and his
household. At the close of the note
there was ome such sentence as this:
Perhaps you will kindly bring NO.
B." What on earth 'sNo. 81 was | had
no means of knowing. Up TO that time,
as well as up to this tine, / had read no
book of etiquette on the Manners
and Customs Of Good Society" / knew
1t could not mean my own napkin ring,
and | had nc notion that 1T did
mean MY own valet. However,
found out through the
friendly offices nfa courteous friend that
my valet was "No. 81 and il was sup
posed that | would not be wholly com
foftaS!e without q personal servant, an
accepted custom in families and with,
gentlemen of thigh degree" in England.
took the train to the station, and was
lie g met, after a ride of an hour, by
the faot-man who led me TO q carriage.
and "No3D was provided with a cab
which took him and the luggage on
AHEAD OF ny carriaoe. 1t was quite dark
when | 4 arrived at the hall. and the fall
Of the day was chilly and damp. Upon
aiighting from the carriage, the door
WAS instantly opened by q lackey of the
most gracious and of the great
est readiness OF service. III the great
open square shalt" was an enormous
blazing fire In a fireplace itself almost
as big a,an ordinary room. I was at
once led to my bedroom, where ALREADY
mo. 3" was In attendance. The lackev
told me the dinner honr and said | must
be shown the way to the drawing room
by my servant. While I dressed "No
3" made his toilet also, as he had been
requested to assist In serving at table.
It is useful and sensible custom to
have n own servant, valet or footman
TO accompany one to dinner
parties to a ssist. A few minucel
before 1880 / was shown to the
drawing room. where alrea dy were
gathered the family md most of tn,
~gi'ests. Up to now, ! had seen no ons
Tut servants. but, when my name wa
ANNOUNCED, the host and daughte,
| ssSs vafa uwuru me anu / wa
received with warmest cordially. | has
seen already in London dimly lightes
houses, especially drawing rooms. bu
really this was so dark I could only
with difficulty. recognize faces. b
course, vulgar gag was sxclu! led from
the honse. Here and there in thi
great, old-fashioned room, were lamp
upon little tables and a few candles
And in every instance they wer,