Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-18
Mrs. Austin conducted me TO my room.

| The ceiling and the floor were of solid
| boards, like the rest of the house.
but the partitions were of white man
"a and every sound in the place was
perfectly audible. However, il was
clean and daTkened and cool, and there
were no flies, which | took as the
| browning blessing OF Providence. L
sat upon the chintZ-covered potato
box, which served for my chair, and
gazed at myself in the mirror again
and wondered, profanely, what the
woman must think of me. l sighed
for my calling suit, which was safe
in Miles City, and considered my sur
rOundings; my hostess, in chief. In
absolute regularity of features, she
was not beauty; but she had the
fine gray eyes, finer brown nair strong
chin. sensitive mouth and dignified
carriage OF the best examples of the
women of her nation, and, above all,
an air of grave sweetness which is
peculiarly and distinctively English.
Her figure was Indifferent and her
gown had not and never had had
any style of cut, which also gave evil
dence of her English birth; but it was
pleasing and harmonious, in some
way. Altogether she was a fascinat-
ing wOman-a woman that Il man
must absolutely worship. She knock
ed ut 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, l went back to the
drawingroom and read Pelham" I'M
til, at o'clock, 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-sh attering, green
decoction which is dignified by that
name in the average American house.
| found out afterward that this was
the one mesl of the day where there
was any approach to luxury.
Austin carle in, after having washed
his hands and brushed his smooth
British head. With the exception of
Il 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 AID my Queenly hostess in
her calico gown might have been
seated in Il lordly mansion.
After tiIne bell rang. THE dress
ing bell" said Mrs. Austin; I'VE dine
ut half after g. and it is now o'clock
| retired to dress, 4 simple opera
ton, which consisted of running my
fingers thu ough my hair and relying
my necktie. However, l devoted as
much time Us possible to this, and to-
gcther with sitting on the potato box
and medjtating l succeeded in con-
Stunning Twenty minutes before / re-
turned ID the drawing room. Mrs.
Austin was already there, looking even
swceter and more girlish, in an ancient
but fresh white muslin and white rib
bOns. Mr.. Austin joined us at the
end of five minutes. fully attired in
evening clothes. with spray of mig
nonette in his buttonhole
a great, gruff fellow in dirty apron
announced dinner in the surlicst of
tones | saw Mrs. Austin vince and
frown passed across her husbands
brow. "Brant," he said, Il regret to
say that you Will have to eat at the
same table as the ranch hands do. We
tried long ago TO have separate din
ing-room, but it made too much i'll
feeling among the men,
That was the one apology he made
during my stay. We sa. at an oil
cloth cCyered board on long wooden
benches, Mrs. Austin 1T the head, her
husband on the left and | on the right,
as | hSI offered her my arm in enter
ing the dining room. our dinner was
| Of the poorest; both as to food and
cooking, and there was no profusion.
| raali'eG now the full poverty Of my
entertainers and remembered having
heard that the price of horses was
ste3diIy decreasing. l fancied. too,
tina: Mrs. Austin did not care TO have
dailti's for herself and her husband
while the democratic American citi-
zcna st her board Jared on plain
things. l could see that there was
no Iowa wasted on the master and that
his drtss suit and aristocratic bearing
were source of annoyance to his
free,barn employees. They were sullen
and gSuff, rs was the man dignified by
the Lime of cook. On the whole. l was
glad 30 leave the table and get back
to tbf; drawing room.
"W, breakfast at $50, Mr. Brant,"
| my hostess informed me, graciously,
holding out her hand to say good
night 1t was rather large hand and
work,hardened, but firm and beauti-
fully shaped.
l have said that every sound in the
house could be heard, because of the
mania partitions. l had just lain
down on my cot, when l caught the