Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-03
AN DINNER.
Pie and other circumstances that
Mndc tIe MenI McnnnrnhIc.

Httt the heNi "tHtpFublt.
The best dinner | ever had" said a New
York club man to a New York Sun reporter,
was in Oklahoma, and it cost me about IS.
The dinner itself cost me but 50. but | paid
So to get to it, and the tips cost me 81, as l
remember.
II was in the town OF FL Reno on the eve
of the second opening of the Indian lands in
that section. The town was full of campers
and spectators. Thesfew people in the place
who had got their consent to have homes
there felt under no obligations to entertain
strangers, and the landlord of the hotel was
the most Indifferent and accommodating
wretch | ever saw. 1 lost my grip the first
day | was in his house and when | made
the sort of complaint that a man would net
urally make under the circumstances, he
reckoned | would be- able, to make a better
run without it. l told him I was not there
for that purpose. He replied that he did no.
know why a man in that country wanted
any baggage. And this struck me as being
so nearly correct that I never alluded to the
subject again. In order that | may further
impress you with the Jmeauness of the man |
will say that on one; occasion | went to the
| wash room of the house for the purpose of
indulging in a little exercise which is in
obedience to a testament
and found the tank empty. There
was no porter and no bellboy. I
waited on the clerk, who was engaged
with a half-breed in a game of cards. In
reply to my request for water he referred
me to the landlord. who was sitting in his
shirt sleeves on the porch, as they call it
down there. l made known to him my
wants, and he told me there was a barre
of water in the cellar, and that | could
take the bucket and help myself. He added
that | must use the water sparingly, as he
said that no bathing was allowed, and that
had to pay for it, and that it came from a
spring about ten miles away. He further
only one course of water was permitted. /
asked him if | might have a little extra to
use in conn ectiGn with my tooth rrush. This
request brought down upon me all OF his
contempt, and | waived that.
II have been on the plains where there
was not a house between sunrise and sunset,
and not a feather in sight. But hunger in
such a case can be philosophical with. TO
suffer hunger, however, in a town OF your
own country, and among your own people,
Is one of the pangs | never want to feel
again. | had suffered this sort of feeling
for four days. There was no fruit in the
town. The canned goods of the cheapest
make were being sold at fabulous prices TO
Indians, who regarded them as luXuries.
Besides, I already felt the symptoms Of a
sickening dyspepsia and did not care to in
crease them.
I'm my hungered condition | met an officer
of the regular army from the command at
Fort Reno, six miles distant, and, knowing
that the average army officer is a gentleman,
| introduced myself and begged him to direct
me to some place where | could reduce my
furnishing condition. He invited me to the
fort to mess with him, but | told him |
could not accept, although was distressed
to decline.
He said If ! insisted on spending my
money he would tell me where | could get
a fairly good meal, but 1t was nine miles
away. The qualification he put forth OBJ
liberated distance. ! asked him to be brief. |
| was directed to the Indian agency, and
learned the nam of a man there who
served a fairly good meal to the officer in
charge OF the agency and to the indian
storekeepers. | lost no time in applying
for Everywhere was such a thing as llv-
cry in the benighted town. 1t was a be-
nighted town then; | do not know what 1t
is now. The liyeTyman said he had but
one rig, and that the team was pretty well
tired out; and besides he would not let it
go for one passenger, | asked him nov
many the rig would He said
that on a pinch 1t would hold four and the
driver, If there was no big man in the
party; and he would send us over to the
agency for $40. | told him to hold the rig
subject to my order, and returned to town,
where ! found two commercial and
one newspaper correspondent. held out
to my furnishing acquaintance the allurinS
prospect of a fair meal, and to my delight
they fell in with the plan to capture II.
The driver was a cheerful sort OF Il
chap, who told us OF a stream that we must
cross which had a quicksand bottom, and
unless a man knowed where he was driyin'
the whole team was liable to sink in the
sands and disappear forever. He related a
number of cases of that kind in corrobo-
ration of his statement, But we urged him
on, and entertained him with old stories
and some very bad singing. | had reserved
my worst story until we reached the banks
OF the uncertain stream, and he was so
deeply interested in my yarn that he forded
the creek before he was aware OF II.
HE drove us to the little cottage where
lived the man who put out fairly good
meals. 1t was Sunday, Several highly
painted bucks lounged about the stoGp. One,
| was told afterward, was a graduate of a
Pennsylvania Indian school and had been
sent back among his people to bring them up
to a higher civilization. He was very drunk
the day ! saw him. and his wardrobe con-
sisted OF a blanket and a neither garment
worn by Indians.
The landlord came out and said 1t was
late for dinner. His wife was the cook,
and, as it was Sunday, she did not like TO
do any extra work, especially as she was
wanting to go TO q ghost dance that evening
and II was to take place at some distance,
As ! was the hungriest man in the crowd,
| was selected as spokesman, and ! was
worked up to the pitch Of eloquence. His
wife came out, and | appealed to her. She
consented when | told her that The monetary
consideration vas a small part OF the stu
alton. We were invited in, and the man