The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-04-10

| ~ -ssss,sAtA Wii BAsc you your room
we cannotdo much for you, but there i,
plenty OF water, both hot and cold. ane
that will not be amiss, as i know by *
perience, after q midsummer ride II
this country. Twill see you at tea h
| He went back to his digging, and Mrs
Austin conducted me to my room. The
ceiling and floor were of solid boards
Ike the rest ofsthe house, but the par
titions were ofFwhite ,manta, and eycry
sound in 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 browning blessing
OF Providence. sat upon the chintz-
coveredpotato- box, which served for nv
chair, and gazed at myself in the mirror
again, and wondered, profanely, what
the woman must think of me. l sighed
Tor my calling suit, which was safe in
Miles City, and considered my surround
ings; 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. SEN
sitive mouth, and dignified carriage If
the best examples of the women of her
nation, and, above all, an air of grave
sweetness which is peculiarly and dis
tlnctively English. r.
My toilet made, went back to the
drawing-room and read Pelham" until
at five 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-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-and talked of the doings in the
outer world in quite the same strain as
we would have talked in London. NV
host in his boots and work-suit, and nv
lueenly hostess in her calico gown.
night have been seated in a lordly man
sion.
After time bell rang. 1.-THE dress
ng bell, said Mrs. Austin; 1--WE dine at
lalf-after six, and it is now six o'clock"
retired to dress, a simple operation,
which consisted Of running my fingers
trough my hair and relying my neck
lie. However, devoted as much time
$ possible to this, and together with
itting on the potato box and medi-
ating I succeeded in consuming 90
minutes before l returned to the draw
1g-room. Mrs. Austin was already
here, looking even sweeter and more
irish, in an ancient but fresh white j
luslin and white ribbons. Mr.. Austin
,ined us at the end of five minutes,
lily attired in evening clothes, with a ,
pray of mignonette in his button-hole. 6
A great, gruff fellow in dirty apron t
dinner in the surliest of !
mes. | saw Mrs. Austin vince, and :
own passed across her husbands '
row. "Brant," he said, II regret to :
" that you will have to eat at the same y
BILE as the ranch hands do. We tried, q
ng ago, to have separate dining il
om, but it made too much ill-feeling a
nong the men,
That was the one apology he made +
ring my stay. We sat at an oil-cloth d
vered board, on long, wooden benches, 81
rs. Austin at the head, her husband on q,
r left, and l on the right, as I had !,
tered her my arm in entering the e,
Our dinner was of the II
crest, both as to food and cooking. e.
d there was no profusion.- realized Sc
w the full poverty of my entertain to
J, and remembered having heard that
: price of horses was steadily decreas- M
!. fancied, too. that Mrs. Austin or
not dare to have dainties for herself in
her husband while the democratic II
lerican citizens at her board Jared on m
in things. There was an unpleasant tb
lstraint about the meal. / could see m,
It there was no love wasted on the tb
ster, and that his dress-suit and aris- of
ratio bearing was source of annoy w,
e of his free-born employees. They or
Re sullen and gruff, as was the man wi
nified by the name of cook. On ac
whole, I was glad to leave the table on
get back to the drawing-room. tie,
We breakfast at half-after six, Mr.. he
mt, my hostess informed me tn.
ciously. holding out her hand to say we
d-night. 1t was rather large hand, At
work-hardened, but firm and beau the
lily shaped. for
nave SAID that every sound in the ant
Sc could be heard, because of the enc
tia partitions. had just lain down she
ny cot, when caught the voice of wit
tin. Really, Alexandria, the men or
getting almost unmanageable. aga