The Penn's Grove record., 1896-04-24

at tea"
He went back to his digging ant
Mrs. Austin conducted me to my room
The ceiling and the floor we're OF soli'
boards, like the rest Of the house
but the partitions were Of white man
tn and every Sound In the place wa
perfectly audible. However, 1t wa
clean and darkened and cool, and Their
were no files, which ! took as TN
browning blessing Of Providence.
sat upon the chintz-covered potato
box, which served for my chair, ant
gezed at myself In the mirror agar
and wondered, profanely, what the
woman must think Of me. l sighed
for my calling suit, which was SAT-
In Miles City, and considered my sur
roundings; my hostess, In chief. III
absolute regularity Of features, she
was o a beauty; but she had the
fine gray eyes, finer brown nair, strong
chin, sensitive mouth and digniaed
carriage of the best examples Of the
women of her nation, and, rbove all
an air Of grave sweetness which Ii
peculiarly and distinctively English.
Her figure was Indifferent and heI
gown had not and g had had
any style Of cut which also gave evil
dence Of her English birth; but 1t was
pleasing and harmonious, in some
way. Altogether she was q fascinat'
ing woman-G woman that q man
must absolutely worship. She knock
ed at the door and brought me a big
wooden bucket Of hot water. My
sensations at being served by this
woman, with her air Of the daughter
of a hundred earls, were not pleas
ant.
My toilet made, I went back to the
drawing-room and read pelham" I'M
til, at 8 o'clock, tea was ~served-tea
as only the English serve 1t, with slices
Of bread and butter. as thin as cloth,
and rich cream, and good tea, mono
of the bitter, nerve-shattering, green
decoction which is dignifed by that
name In the average American house.
l found out afterward that this was
the one meal of the day where there
was any approach to luxury.
Austin came In, after having washed
his hands and brushed his smooth
British head. With the exception of
a coat slipped on over his flannel work
ing shirt, he wore the same clothes In
which he had been digging. So we
sat there-we three-and talked Of the
doings In the outer world in quite the
same strain as We should have talked
In London. My host In his boots and
work suit and my queenly hostess in
her calico gown might have beer
seated in a lordly mansion.
After a time a bell rang. 'The dress
ing bell" said Mrs. Austin; I'VE dine
at half after 6, and 1t is now 9 o'clock.
l retired to dress, a simple opera
ton, which consisted of running my
fingers through my hair and relying
my necktie. However, I devoted as
much time as possible to this, and to-
gether with sitting on the potato box
and meditating / succeeded In con
Stunning twenty minutes before 1 re.
turned 30 the drawing-room. Mrs.
Austin was already there, looking even
sweeter and more girlish, in an ancient
but fresh white muslin and white rib
hons. Mr.. Austin Joined us at the
end of five minutes, fully attired In
evening clothes, with a spray of mig.
nonette in his ~huttouhole.
A great, gruT fellow in a dirty apron
announced dinner in the surliest of
tones. l saw Mrs Austin vince and
II frown passed across her husbands
brow. "Braus-" lie said, Il regret to
say that you will have 10 eat at the
same Iable Is the ranch hands do. We
tried klE zgo TO have a separate din.
5aE-rgoL bat Il made too much Ill
feeling 1E0ls the men"
TaaE7 Sks EA= oHe apology he made
darlzs 2g Say We sat at In oil
ds1a esv+re,3 aJlri on long wooden
Sr114ss Mrs.. t4stI1 az the head, her
hGsaR15 sa Tia A=fs and | on the right,
Is ] LIT sE4ee,5 heE NY arm in enter
ing lh4 d1nEra9aA Our dinner was
of the EnfGes-= 6ssa as TO food and
cooking. and CAeE4 was 40 p~rofusi0n.
l realized uo~ The full poverty of my
entertainers Aai remembered having
heard that the price of horses was
steadily decreasing. l fancied, too,
that Mrs. Austin did not care to have
iainties for herself and her husband
while the democratic American citi-
e at her board Jared on plain
things. l could see that there was
no love wasted on the master and thai
his dress suit and ~aristocratio bearing
were a source Of annoyance to his
freedom employees. They were sullen
and gruf. Is was the man dignifed by
the name of cook. On the whole. I was
glad to leave the table and get bach
to the drawing-room.
"Ws breakfast at $50, Mr.. Brant,'
my hostess Informed me, g~raciously.
holding out her hand to say good.
night 1t was a rather large hand and
work-hardened, but firm and beauti
fully shaped.
I have said that every sound in the
house could be heard, because of the
manta partitions. l had just lain
down on my cot, when l caught the
voice of Austin. REALLY, Alexandria,
the men are getting almost unman-
ageable. They border on mutiny."
Il know 1t, Everette. 1t makes me
very nervous, too. I'm SO afraid they
will do you some harm"
"oh, l fancy not"
"Everetter'
"wen?"
Suppose you stop wearing your
evening suit and that We give up our
tea in the afternoon. They think We
are putting on airs, as they call it."
mo, l will not. l am not going
10 change the habits OF thirty years
and throw over all memories of home"
you are only one of twenty, dear
1t might be wiser"