The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-26

| frankly admit ] expected to md q
| farmhouse, with a TOW OF brightly bur-
nished tins, Immaculate floors. the sa-
worry odor Of newly baked bread and
! cakes; to be ushered into the conven-
| tfona best room. of which We have all
Rad descriptions in the various novels
dealing with country life, and found,
| what?
| THE HOME OF POVERTY.
! After riding along the lake front FOR
perhaps a mile, We turned into a road
| 10 our right, which short distance from
the main road developed into a cart.
| track, with high grass growing between
| the wheel ruts. For long distance we
| passed no houses, then We came 10 one
| or two lonely, implanted farm houses
| ana then a long stretch and nothing
AS We rode along we seemed TO be as
cending slight eminsnce and by ana by
| l saw the top Of a chimney; by degrees
| the whole house came into view.
There is the old woman in the yard, %
said my guide.
rs that where Mrs. Angel lives?"
asked in amazement: and this is what
1 saw:
board blackened by time and weather. a
door in the middle, window in either
side, and a thick. heavy, large leaf vine
covering one side of the house. The
approach to il was over rank grass. a
potato bed reached almost to the door
step, which was but the continuation
OF series OF rocks which appeared 10
me 70 form the foundation OF the house
The landscape was desoiation itself. The
country is fiat and almost treelesS, there
are no hills, no glimpse Of the lake. no
clumps Of trees. Dame nature has done
absolutely nothing TO beautify the home
Of the claimant 10 Jay Gould's millions.
The ''old woman as my guide had
called her-but she is really not an old
woman; she cannot be more than sixty,
and 10 hale and hearty looking-stood
just inside the door, and as I appeared
on the threshold turned and faced me
at the sound of my greeting, Are you
Mrs. Angelo"
My first impression was a good one
My first impressions are nearly always
right, and found no reason in all nv
subsequent conversations with Mrs. An
CELL to contradict the idea ! formed of
her when l first looked into her honest
fact. She Isl large woman, having lost
her figure, as she puts it herself Her
face is full and round, her complexion
good, her hair gray; her eyes. not large
but frank, have a peculiar fashion OF
half closing when she becomes excited
over anything she Is telling you, and her
mouth which has lost any beauty il for
meriy possessed, as she has but a few
teeth remaining, has very sweet ex-
preston about Il. She has been. in her
day. good looking, mighth truthfully
say pretty, country girl and matron.
Yes" she replied, that is my name,
but who be you? 1 suppose you have
come about that testimony Of Judge
Browns. But I have nothing to say, |
and L don't know who you are"
l assured her 1 came as a friend; that |
the editor Of the Herald had sent me |
out there to get the truth from her, and |
If her story was true to see that justice |
was done her. But she would not listen |
to me. She kept saying:
That is what they all say. I have |
had lawyers and judges and ladies and
gentlemen here, and they all say the |
same thing. The first one who came was
such a nice spoken young man. about
two years ago. and he said ne came from
these parts and then he went back and
printed a lot Of lies about me, and such
4 horrid picture OF me-
But 1 told her she must let me talk
to her. I had come such a long distance
and she was SO famous, 50 much more
famous than she had any idea of, that
she really must tell me how she came
% make all this stir in the world.
A DISMAL PLACE TO LIVE.
By this time she had busted a chair
and given il TO me, and apologized for
lot being dressed up ana for the looks |
If her place. and was seated opposite
ne. having reached a communicative
rame of mind. had chance to glance
Iround me by this time. IF the exterior
lad been shock 10 me. the interior
learly Frustrated me. The floor was
'are, the walls were upholstered and the
,aper which covered them was in places
alling off and patched up with old news
'apers. A bed stood in one corner, a
'oxed affair, such as one sees in Scot
and ard Holland. around which hung
'hintz curtains. old and faded A table
With a drop leaf stood in the middle OF
ne floor. upon which was what seemed
o be the stock Of groceries and edibles.
overed with a piece OF cloth. sink,
stove, few chairs, and some bags OF
orn o. some such stuff. standing around
he walls completed the furniture.
An inner room, into which she after
-ard took me. contained an old lounge. ,
cooking stove. a rocker, a toale AMI a !
hair. The walls were covered with
3lored prize pictures. The floors were
arpeted in spots. If may 50 express my
elf, with newspapers. especially under
he rocker and lounge. as II 70 give
ra-nth 70 the feet. Notwithstand
ne poverty. the whole place. though not A..
rderly was clean. scrupuiously clean
Mrs. Angel seemed very much excited :
bout the testimony given By Judge {
rown. She said ne had put a wrong :
roaming on what she had told him. Size 9
al not heard % the afidavits made by ]
81 mother and sister and she raIksi I
-eely OF her daughters visit % her
bout a year ago. but every Few minutes
lriHg our conversation she would orsak
] by saying: :
George Gould ought 70 come and sac =
.e. and we would fix i all up. He
nows The mistake has been made. and
he would come and SO me I would =,
Il AL out for him He could >
We ne A l;tls money. enough - keep
2 comfortable for tire rest % ny days
81 Il would be ell right. Hes me ore
Ight = come"
n reply % ny direct question Pr 70