The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-01-14
QUEER BRITISH CUSTOMS.
One Ut Which Deals With Southlowns an
tho Other With tho Queens Hook.

O"o ot "nacn DealS with SOuthdoWns and
tho Other With tho Queens Book.
While was in England, it really be-
came quite question with me how the
English managed to get such decorative
results out of their sheep, so persist
emily did l find, wherever I went, the
Southdown ''effect" in the landscape.
Whenever 1 went to pay a visit to the
ing-room windows, were the everlast.
ing Southdowns-the lambs without a
frisk, the subdued mother helping to
complete the soft soothing tone of the
perfectly finished landscape.
/ grew som :ti1n"s almost to long for
something half finished that one might
watch, as we do at hoHae, the progress
OF the world The finished look OF
everything wearied me occasionally.
The hills, SO smooth and polished, the
pomaded and well-com bed lawns, awoke
in me wish to see baby cyclone of our
territories hurting through the air on it's
progress to some Of the most glossy and
well-groomed grass-plats. and where
generations had pruned and clipped and
moved. I longed for the wand Of the
magician to transfer one of the wild
exultant dalles of the Columbia or a
section of the bad lands of Dakota that
out-Dore Dore in their weird, uncanny
shapes.
But while these revolutionary senti-
ments lay under conventional exterior,
the peaceful sheep browsed on in much
the same place; either remaining there
from preconcerted action on the par, of
the timorous creatures who were willing
to contribute themselves to the scene. or
because of invisible lettering.
finally asked my hostess at house
had visited what soothing sirup they
used to keep their Southdowns exactly
in range of the windows.
''Thev are very accommodating. aren't
they?" she said, land I've noticed, also,
that my daughters pony has way Of
joining the group whenever it would be a
most successful time for him to appear. :"
If we Americans seem to be lacking
in the bump of veneration, it is only in
speech, not in deed visited in charm
ing household in Kensington one day,
where the young people were wishing
to do us honor. They lived in London
and enjoyed it, but they still spoke the
language of the United States and had
not lost the national capacity for en-
thusiasm. The house they rented was
full of heirlooms, and the book shelves
and cupboards and closets stuffed with
books, old and choice and many of them
presentation copies. On the fly leaf was
often the autograph of some distin-
guished person that would fetch guineas
at a sale.
There seemed to have been no effort
on the part of the house-owner, who, it
goes without saying, was person OF
distinction, to preserve or even put
away these priceless volumes Over
the tea-table the vivacious American
girl gave us little running account OF
some of these treasures 'What do you
think we have unearthed now" she
said, from away back in a closet that
seemed given over to rubbish? Moth
ing less than the Queens book, and on
the hyleaf written, Albert wished it. "
There was not trace IF awe in her
tone, only 4 girls happy laughter; land
you can't imagine what state we are
in to decide what he wished"
1t was the Queens presentation COPY
to their landlord. MY brother and
feel 50 injured because she is so brief u
she went on. I'VE disp tie whether
Albert wished her to write the book OF
to give it to this especial friend, OF
what" There was not a shade OF
difference in her tone in speaking of the
Queen from that she would have used
in speaking of any other woman. ]
thought with glee of my charming
landladies, those three loyal, high bred
English women, whose tones sank to q
subdued hush when Victoria's name
was uttered. 0, if they only could
have heard this clever. unconscious, an
mated girl refer to their sovereign a.
if she was made of just such clay as We
are!-Elizabeth +. Custer, il st. Loui.
Republic.