The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-04-05
f
Hearty Cid Fashioned Politeness
ana Fresh, Unaffected Coun ny
Girls.
New York SUM-

Almost The first thing you ale tOid
when you take up your tenn orary
residence in BIankshire. is that your
| comments must be guarded and your
conversation diplomatic, al all the
families within a visiting radius of
twenty miles are related 10 each other:
| And so they are, for a death puts all
The countryside in mourning, while
| q wedding calls out universal sympa-
thy. Along the route Of the bridal
cortege every cottage or farm house
hangs out its little decoration, and in
the town every tradesman has his
flag. his bunch Of h)wers, or his bit
of bunting, fer has he not catered
for the wants of the young couple
from their christening upward:
Visitors and Invitations promptly
1ow in upon the newcomer with 8
hearty old fashioned p%oIiteness.
Dinner parties are not popular. Ii
the summer other gatherings are
preferred. and in winter OF autumn
the male portion Of the community,
men who have been shooting and
hunting for seven or eight hours. re-
fuse to don the tsil coat and white tie
and drive ten miles for a ceremoniOus
meal. Moreover, coachmen and
grooms, hard worked by their attend
ance on the exacting understanding
the Quadrupedl, turn crusty at being
kept ont till the small hours for social
duties, although they are ever ready
to turn out at l a. N. when it is nee
esSary to ride eighteen miles to be at
a meet for club hunting at 5 in the
morning.
The girls the strong. fresh, healthy
unaffected girls Of Blankshire -
seem to exist on lawn tennis, with
al occasional triaia at cricket. at which
manly sport they are no mean adopts
But tennis is the inevitable, the uni
versai, the all-engrossing game. In
front Of the low. broad, many-win-
gentry, spread the well-kept lawns,
smooth As car, cts, SOFT and springy
as moss, and across their green ex-
panse are stretched as many nets as
the accurate measurement of the
courts will allow. There from morn
ming till sunset the balls fly, sent over
by strong, supple. wrists, while the
ar echoes to reiteratiOns of the tennis
slang. The men of all ages and de-
nominations are clad in their dan>
nel', and, like the girls, wear the
hat, India ruboer soled shoe. for on
no account must the admirably kept
turf be cut up. While the game pro-
crosses tie strangers and non players
are supplied with lea and the th!nnest
of bread and butter.
At no hour between 3 and s car you
pay a visit in the country without
the neat silver service being brought
In and the rites Of 5 O'Clock tea com.
piled with. Then you are shown Z
the house by the kind hostess, and
gladden. her soul with genuine admit
ration Of the rare bits of china, the
quaint-carved balIusters of oaken
sfalrcases. odd rece=ses, curious old
engravlngs. older and more curious
books in gigantic bindings and colos
sal type. Among these. in str ,nge
oissonance,a and yet Enthusiastically the
index to the keynote Of courlly
minds. shines the red bindings of all
the peerages and volumes dedicated
by Burke, Debrer. and others to the
no'1ilty and gentry. Some are in
three volumes, Others fat and volu-
mlntus like a commercial directory.
oniy pocket editions of the
same. Each family knows its own
lineage and descent of every other.
What the New Testament was to the
Ole Covenanters, the printed record
OF his ancestors is to the British land
owner-his wade mecum, his guide.
his fundamental dogma. Sometimes
of two brothers one only figures in
the LANDED Gentry" The other
has lost his claims to appear in the
Live d'Or," for he has embraced
trade and become u broker or a
brewer.