The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-22

perience, after a midsummer ride in the
country. / will see you at tea"
lie went back TO his digging. and Mrs.
austin conducted me TO my ROOM The
Cellng ana the floor were of solid boards,
like the rest of the house. but the parti-
tons were of white manta and every
sound IN the place was perfectly audible.
however II was clean and darkened and
cool, and there were no flies which |
look as the crowning blessing of provi-
dence. l sat upon the chintz covered po-
tato box, which served for my chair, and
gazed al myself in the meirror again, and
wondered, profanely, what the woman
must think of me. 1 sighed for my call
ing suit, which was safe in Miles City, and
considered my surroundings my hostess
in chief In absolute regularity of fea-
lures she was not a beauty but she had
the me gray eyes, finer brown, soft hair
strong chin. sensitive mouth and dignifed
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 any style of cut, which also
gave evidence of her English birth; but
IT was pleasing and harmonious in some
way. Altogether she was a fascinating
woman-a woman that a man must abso-
lutely worship. She knocked 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 daugh-
ter of a hundred earls We're not pleasant
My toilet made. went back to the draw
ing room and read Pelham until-at 5
o clOck-tea was SerNed-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 connection which is dig
niied by that name in the average Ameri-
can house, 1 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 working shirt, he wore
the same clothes in which he had been dig
ging. So we sat there we three and
talked of the doings in the outer world in
talked in London My host in his boots
and work suit and my queenly hostess in
her calico gown, might have been seated
After a time bell rang. 1.-THE dressing
bell, said Mrs, Austin . we dine at $780,
and it is now O'Clock"
l retired to dress, a simple operation
which consisted of running my fingers
through my hair and relying my necktie
However, devoted as much time as pos
sibe to this, and together with sitting on
the potato box and meditating l succeeded
in consuming twenty minutes before I
returned to the drawing room. Mrs Aus
tin was already there, looking even sweet
er and more girlish, in an ancient but
fresh white muslin and white ribbons Mr.
Austin Joined us at the head of five min
utes, fully attired in evening clothes with
spray of mignonette in his button-hole
A treat, grun fellow in dirty apron an
nounced dinner in the surliest of tones. I
saw Mrs. Austin vince, and a frown
passed across her husbands brow
"Brant," he said, Il regret to saw thar Vo,,
will have to eat at the same table ss tbe
ranch hands do. We tried long ago to
nave nay a separate pa ate dining room, but it made
TOO much lll-feeling among the men,"
That was the one apology he made dur-
ing my stay. We sat at an oil-cloth cover
ed board on long wooden benches Mrs
Austin at the head, her husband on her left
and | on her right, as l offered her NV
arm in entering the dining room. Our din
ner was OF the poorest, both as to food
ana cooking, and there was no profusion
l realized now the full poverty of nv en-
tertainers, and remembered having heard
that the prices of horses was steadily de-
creaSing. | tancied, too. that Mrs Aiisti,,
did not dare to have dainties for her
self and husband while the democratic
American citizens at her board Jared on
plain Things. There was an unDleasant
cOnStraint about the meal / could see
that there was no love wasted on the mas
ter, and that his dress suit and aristo-
cratic bearing were source of annoy-
ance to his free-born employees They were
sullen and gruff, as was the man dip-
nified by the name of cook on the Who'll
was glad to leave the table and get back
to the drawing ROOM
I'VE breakfast at half past six Mr.
Brant," my hostess informed me era
eiously, holding out her hand to say good
It was a rather large hand, and work
hardened, but firm and beautifully shap-
l have said that every sound in the
house could be heard, because of the man
ia partitions. ] had just lain down on NV
cot, when l caught the voice of Austin
Really, Alexandria, the men are getting
almost unmanageable. They border on
mutiny."
II know it. Everette. 1t makes me very
nervous, too. I'm so afraid they will do
you some harm"
"Ohi / fancy not"
''ENeretter'
"Wel2"
Suppose YOU stop wearing your eve
nlnS SUIT ana that we give up our tea in