The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-24
1t Is Farm With Plenty Of Room OutdoorsThe Land|ady
Has Some Ideas About Civilization.

counted-have decided to what place WI
will HE Il rather like that expression
it sounds as if | had intentions toward
the stage.) Really, we think the idea
place is reached. 1t is a farm, with &
lot of room outdoors and not too mucl
in. Consequently. the supply of board
ers is limited The landlady has some
ideas tending toward civilization. since
there is bath tub, and she can realize
unlike the average landlady, that peo-
pie of fastidious tastes prefer whcI
there is only one tub in the house tc
have it intimately acquainted with the
scrubbing brush and some soda and hot
water once in a while. / once went to
farm house in the ''really rightly
country where I used to help with the
tea things, assist the ''purps" to chase
the mice i'm the barn and teach the
girls in the family how to cut their
skirts after the latest new fashion. but
woe to me! The mouse no longer fears
me. for when start to run a twinge OF
rheumatism announces to him that
grabbed youth and rheumatism cannot
run after him with success. though they
do sometimes.
However. to return to the present.
which. when one has passed Il. is al
ways pleasanter than the past, we are
here Like the detective in the meio-
drama who always pops up and saves
the heroine. Eve have came" How we
will like it remains to be seen. inns
morning, when felt a little poorly ana
one shutter would shake, our courteous
landlady fetched a genial looking gentle
man to arrange the shutter, who. see
ing me arrayed as most people are VINO
are in bed. gave me no opportunity TO
say anything, but announced that he
had daughters Of his own and | needn't
apologize. He little knew that / had no
intention of doing this. for l had put on
a matinee jacket with pink ribbons es-
pecialy for his benefit. At first / did
not understand exactly why he looked
at me with what seemed a measuring
eye. He appeared to be taking me in by
inches.
Then think of it! / learned that this
shutter fixing person was the village un-
dertaker, and he was staring at me with
an eve to business. But l am glad to
know that, gentle and genial as he was,
he will never make anything off me. for
when / say goodbye to this gay and fes-
tive world shall depart in a plain pine
box. / want nobody to look at me, and
want to be taken to my grave in a
wagon and have only couple of the
men of my family at the funeral.
Have you ever seen what l call Il
genteel poor funeral? They feel, as no.
body else does. that they must go into
debt and suffer for months in order to
give what they call "a proper funeral
to their dead. 1t consists in spending
money on an expensive casket and hav-
ing frightful looking hearse with way
ing plumes upon it and a long line Of
carriages to bring up the rear as an
expression of their grief. Why should
you and Il, my friend, when we can no
longer protest, have strangers stare at
us and comment on us? Why should
any but loving hands touch you or me.
and why should the loving be made to
suffer by giving to the dead the money
which is so badly needed? / tell you, my
friend, it is all wrong, all wrong.
But we will drop that now and talk
about going to the country. When we
started out. we were procession. There
were all the rest Of them, and then l
came with the two dogs bowling with de-
light because they were going to ride in a
baggage car and be made much of, while
ID
me carried the canary, chirping its shrii-
lest because it realized it was going
where it can be in the sunshine all day
long and can sniff the very sweetest Of
flowers. Then there were couple of
men who announced that they wouldn't
carry a thing. but staggered under n
dress suit case containing something
which was forgotten until the last mo-
ment while somebody else had a box of
candy. a pound Of fine tea and three UNI
brellas and storm coat, which we for
got to put up, but they had to go, so they
went. And when we got there, there
was a large wagon to meet us. and we
looked as il we had just arrived from the
old country, and we went sailing (meta-
phorically) sitting on our trunks. The
two dogs turned up their noses ut this.
so one sat i'm my lap. while Molly held
the other one, who would insist on trying
to catch flies.
There are times when a puppy, cheer
full as he may be, is somewhat in the
way. On our arrival this truth was
proved, since the two small fox terriers
got into a fight with a large collie, and,
much to the sorrow of our small boy. 1T
was interrupted. The collie was tied TIP
Ill the SIdDle, White tIIc tWo pups went
out, sat just outside it, and be walled as
il there were going to be a death in the
neighborhood until the farmer united
him, and then they kissed and shook
paws and were good friends. The aver
age dog is very peculiar and would IA ther
eat some dirty old bone covered with
cold fat and fished out Of a coal scut-
tie than nice piece of chicken on a
china plate. To return to the two
legged ones.
AS far as can be expected, we are now
settled, and we sit out on the veranda
and are Industrious beyond expression
and lounge in hammocks and read or go
to sleep. but we take life easily, and find
that we gain flesh by doing so. We have
wonderful discussions, in which the
farmers daughter joins. running in every
now and then from the kitchen. where
she is making cherry pies, to give heI
opinions, which is not a flowery, but q
houry, one.
We have discussed the war, killed the
Spaniards, own the world, having Ions
ago possessed the flesh and the devil
Then we come down to clothes, and the
farmers daughter, who is a pretty girl
with very good idea rs to the correct
thing in frocks and other things, said
- H. Ia n. 4 ho .~s,