The Forrest City times., 1896-04-03

Brant, she said, with the most delight
ful of well-bred English accents. Mr..
Austin told me of your accident. / am
sorry for the horse, of course, and for
you If you had need to make haste, but
for ourselves it cannot be looked upon
as misfortune"
"1 our husband has treated the poor
animal so skillfully that fancy | NAV
promise not to encroach upon your hos
pitality very long"
please put aside the idea that you are
not, or may not be, welcome We are
most happy to have you"
''Now, Brant," said my entertainer.
Mrs. Austin viii give you your room.
We cannot do much for you, but there is
plenty of water, both hot and cold, and
that will not be amiss, as / know by ex-
perience, after a midsummer ride in
this country. / will see you at tea"
lie went back to his digging, and Mrs.
Austin conducted me to my room. The
ceiling and floor were of solid boards.
like the rest OF the house, but the par
tltlons were OF white manta, and every
sound i'll the place was perfectly audi
bic. However, it was clean and dark
ened and cool, and there were no flies.
which l took as the crowning blessing
of Providence. l sat upon the chintz-
covered potato box, which served for my
chair, and gazcd at myself in the mirror
again, and wondered, profanely, what
the woman must think of me- | sighed
for my calling suit, which was safe in
loc III. I
lngs; my hostess, in chief. In absolute
regularity of features, she was not a
beauty; but she had the fine gray eyes.
finer brown, soft hair, strong chin, sem
sitive mouth, and dignited carriage If
the best examples of the women of her
nation, and, above all, an air of grave
sweetness which is peculiarly and dis
tinctively English.
My toilet made, l went back to the
| drawing room and read Pelham until
at five o'elock-tea was served-tea
as only the English serve it, with slices
of bread and butter, as thin as cloth.
and rich cream, and good tea, none of
the bitter, nerve-shattering, green con-
coction which is dignified by that name
| in the average American house. / found
out afterward that this was the one
meal of the day where there was any ap-
proach to luxury
Austin came in, after having washed
his hands and brushed his smooth Brit
ish head. With the exception of coat
slipped over his flannel working shirt.
he wore the same clothes in which he
had been digging. So we sat there-we
three-an talked of the doings in the
cutter world in quite the same strain as
we would have talked in London. Nv
host in his boots and work-suit, and my
queenly hostess in her calico gown,
might have been seated in lordly man
sion.
After time bell rang. 1.-The dress
ing bell" said Mrs. Austin; 1--WE dine at
half-after six, and it is now six o'clock"
L retired to dress, simple operation,
which consisted of running my fingers
through my hair and relying my neck
tie. However, | devoted as much time
as possible to this, and together with
sitting on the potato box and medi-
tating | succeeded in consuming 81
minutes before | returned to the draw
ing-room. Mrs. Austin was already
there, looking even sweeter and more
girlish, in an ancient but fresh white
muslin and white ribbons. Mr.. Austin
joined us at the end of five minutes,
fully attired in evening clothes, with a
spray of mignonette in his button-hole
A great, gruff fellow in dirty apron
announced dinner in the surliest Of
tones. L saw Mrs. Austin vince, and
frown passed across her husbands
brow. 'Brant," he said, 81 regret to
say that you will have to eat at the same
table as the ranch hands do. We tried.
long ago, to have a separate dining
room, but it made too much ill-feeling
among the men,"
That was the one apology he made
during my stay. We sat at an oil-cloth
covered board, on long, wooden benches.
Mrs. Austin at the head, her husband Oh
her left, and | on the right, as | had
offered her my arm in entering the
dining-room Our dinner was of the
poorest, both as to food and cooking,
and there was no profusion. l realized
now the full poverty of my entertain
ers, and RENE mbered having heard that
the price of horses was steadily decre4s-
ing. / fancied. too. that Mrs. Austin
did not dare to have dainties for herself
and her husband while the democratic
American citizens at her board Jared on
plain things. There was an unpleasant
constraint about the meal. | could see
that there was no love wasted on the
master, and that his dress-suit and aris-
tocratic bearing was a source of annoy
ance of his free-born employees. They
were sullen and gruff, as was the man