The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-07


quito tho Same strain as we should have
talked in London. My host In his boots
anG work suit, and my Gucenly hostess, in
her calico gown, might have been seated
In II lordly mansion.
After time u bell rang. "The dressing
bell, " said Mrs. Austin. 1--WE dino mt half
after t. and it is now O'clock
l retired to dress, u simple operation,
which consisted of running my fingers
through my hair and relying my necktie.
However, l devoted us much time as DOS
sible to this, and together with sitting on
the potato box and meditating succeeded
in consuming 20 minutes before L returned
TO tho drawing room. Mrs. Austin was
already there, looking even sweoter and
moro girlish i'll an ancient but fresh white
muslin and white ribbons. Mr.. Austin
Joined us ut tho end of flvo minutes, fully
attircd III evening clothes. with u spray of
mignoDetta in his buttonhole.
A groat, gruff fellow in dirty apron
announced dinner in the surliest of tones.
l saw Mrs. Austin vince, and u frown
passed across her husbands brow:
''Brant, " he said, : regret to say that you
Will have to cat mt the samo table as tho
| ranch hands do. We tried, long ago, to have
IL separate dining room, but it made too
much i'll feeling among tho men,"
That was tho ono apology he made dur
ing my stay. We sat at an oilcloth coy
cred board on long wooden benches, Mrs
Austin ut the head, her husband on her
left and ON her right, as 1 had offered
her my arm in entering the dining room.
Our dinner WINS of tho poorest, both rs to
food and cooking, and there was no pro-
fusion. l realized now tho full poverty of
my entertainers and remembered having
heard that tho price of horses was steadily
decreasing. L fancied, too, that Mrs. Aus
tin did not daro to have daintes for her
self and her husband while tho democratic
American citizens ut hor board Jared on
plain things. There was an unpleasant
constraint about the meal. 1 could SEQ
that there was no love wasted on tho mas
tor and that his dress suit and arstocr0tic
bearing were source of annoyance to his
frccborn employees They were sullcn
and gruff, as was tho man digniflcd by tho
name of cook. On tho whole, was glad
to leave tho table and got back to tho
drawing room.
"We breakfast Mt half after 6, Mr..
Brnnt" my hostess informed mo gracious
ly, holding out her hand To say good
night. 1t was rather large hand and
work hardened, but firm and beautifully
shaped.
hive said that every sound in the house
could DO heard because of the munta parti
lions. 1 had just lain down on my cot
when l caught the voice of Austin.
REALLY, Alexandria, the men aro getting
almost unmnnagcable. They border on
mutiny.'
Il know it, Evcrctte. 1t makes mo very
nervous too. I'm so afraid they will do
you some harm
ooh, fancy not
"Eyeretto!"
"Wellg"
suppose you stop wearing your evening
suit and that we givo up our tea in the
afternoon. They think wo are putting on
airs, as they call it.
"No; 1 will not. am not going to
change the habits OF 80 years and throw
over all memories OF homo
"You are only ono to twenty, dear. 1t
might be wiser
But the woman's counsel went unheed-
ed
There were boutonniercs at our places
Mt breakfast, and Austin, fresh from his
tub, In an old but natty corduroy suit
tried, with much cheerful loud talking, TO
cover tho evident sullenness OF his
hands" After breakfast he donncd his
working clothes and went back to the
digging of ditchos
My horse was better, so 1 left at 10
O'Clock, with considerable reluctance
-hrs. eUStll was so charming. NO won
der Austin was desperately in love with her
L sent Mrs. Austin a box OF new books
and some small trinkcts, such as n man
believes that u woman likes, when I
reached town. Two days after they had
gone | met Il friend who had como to the
city that morning.
'By tho bye, Brant. wasn't that II CHASTITY
thing about those Britishcrs at the Circle
y ranch."
"Who, the Austins." l cried, turning
cold with foroboding.
Yes; you've heard about it, them"
80; for heavens sake, what is it?'
well, the way 1 heard it was this:
Their men on the ranch didn't like them
accused them of being bloody aristocrats,'
I believe, and they sot fro TO tho grass
near the stables two or three nights ago.
You know it's been dry year and the
grass burned we'll. Austin and his wife
tried To fight the flames and keep them
from the stables all alone; no men to be
found until IL was quito ovor. They kept
tho barns safe all right, but Mrs. Austin
pretty woman, they sny-was so burned
that she died in perfect agony Mt tho end
of an hour. The men had turned I'D by
that time; been down at Central City at
"a dance, they said. Austin nearly went
crazy while his wife was suffering, but
after She died he went outside, drew his
gun and shot the foreman and another OF
the id rascals."
THANK heavcnp
Wait; that's not all. Tho ones he
didn't XII. it seems, said 1t was cold
bloodod murder. 1 believe they were all
half drunk Anyway they held him and
dressed him up in his evening suit-thoy
had special grudgc against it-and then
they took him out and strung him up to