Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-07-18

son and shiveringly ask for a light and
a fire. Lord bless us, yes, certainly
as TO light; but there must be con-
sultation about the fire: he departs and
You stand there supported by hope and
"a compact, black atmosphere for
good half hour. lie never returns.
Another man does. This onS brings
one tiny candle family limiting Of light,
and disclosing the extraordinary
necessity for light. You suggest that
you will need more. He is appalled,.
But you pledge your ability to pay for
two, or even three candles, IL all three
be burned together. That may be adj
mitted, but the Innovation Is too much.
You fee this new man. Lord bless us,
yes, certainly: he will see. He goes
away and never returns. You take
your candle and make little trip
around the echoing halls: but you find
no one.
Then you return TO your room, find
the bell-cord, and enliven the hostely
for long time with doleful tollings,
janglings and impetuous staccatos of
"a remote but strengthened bell. BY
and by another man comes, as IL in
doubtful attentiveness. and seems anx
You endeavor To make it clear that
you have, and why you have. and you
fee him and say, my good fellows"
and There's man" and other
friendly things. This one goes and
stays. like the rest You begin on the
bell again; or, thoroughly reckless and
desperate, rush to your door and yell;
yell as one will yell when the limit of
human patience Is reached. In a mo-
ment they are all there. all the pack OF
prosecutors who first gave you well
come. You address them in unmistak-
able language. They are surprised,
panied, humiliated, at your extraor-
dinary conduct. But by frank state
ment that unless "a fire of Goals Is put
in your CRATE, you will utilize the un-
jointed sections of furniture for that
purpose, end unless you are furnished
enough candles you will make pyre
Of the inn itself for light with which to
get out of it, you are eventually pro-
vided with what you want-by two or
three other people who have been lying
in wait for this very denouement these
only submitting to accommodate you
after their palms have been crossed
with silver like the bad old witches of
the story-books
1t would be captious and dishonest
to assert that there are no pleasant ex-
ceptions; but any one who has trav-
eled much in England and Scotland
knows that the above picture is true
one of nine-tenths of those inns the
average wanderer finds in the average
English and Scottish town or village
Acquaintance in every place visited,
would no doubt reduce ones percent
age Of misery. But as you are COM
PEELED to know il, in passing rapidly
from place to place, the entire system
is one OF grab-and-pluck. The bar Is
the British innleeper's god. lie has
no pride in his house and the enter
tainmcnt he might give. II your bill
for liquors is likely To four or five times
exceed that for bed and board, you are
tolerated and even coddled. IL YOU
have something TO do besides guzzle,
you may az well understand first as
last that you are not wanted, and will
not be decently treated. In nine-tenths
ofall British inns, there is not "A public
room and they are all notoriously
tiny and elsewhere the fumes OF
liquor and tobacco do not form dense
and awful pillar of cloud and fire by
night and day The inn is absolutely
the bar annex here.
Ent there is hope for the traveller in
England and Scotland in two direc-
tionS Ii one will make a rule of pat
ronizing only the temperance hotels,
or of hunting ont the humbleSt and
most insignificant inn that can be
found in the place OF arrival, my word
for it, clean bed. a fairly comfortable
room and the best attention and SER
vice 10 be had i'm this country. will In
nearly all eases be secured. The tenn
perance hotels of our own country are
as a rule only fit places for self-morti-
fieation and suicide. Here they are
the only places where one can secure
any manner of adequate entertain
ment
In Wales, in the English lake dist
rict, in some portions of the sleepy old
hamlets of the English midland shires,
and in many Of the characterful viii
lagos of Scotland. you will come upon
little hostels that arc half inn and half
home. They are Struggling, one-story
structures with sway-back, moscow
cred roofs and huge caves and chin
neys, and are nearly half hidden be-
meath ivy.roses and flowing vines. They
are rich in that sweet and unctious
renliniscential life of the old stage
coaching days. and, provided with
numberless hooks, cranies, cupboards
and delightful corners. are each lab
arynth of quaintness and repose. Per-
sonally, in my wayside trampings, this
sort OF dreamful old Scottish nest has
been found the most delightful. BY
the peat blaze of its cavernous fire
place, in the presence of scones of
white as doves wing, bacon crisp and
brown, an omelet as yellow as FROST
painted beech leaf, jug of cream
sweet as nut-kernel, n fragrant
brewing of tea in the delphi pot under
the ''cosey," and guidwife bustling
about in sort of CHEEKY frenzy to
make you welcome, you have reason
to thank British conservatism" that
these few olden gentle places still
EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN.