Evening star., 1905-11-05

tectural plans. / take my Sunday very
easily, and do much as | please-same as
any other day, l suppose.
The Interior of Mrs Dickson's home gives
one surprise. or course one is looking for
surprises with everything connected with
such woman. You would naturally ex-
pect her home to be simple almost 20 rude
ness. As a matter Of fact. some of the
rooms have nne carpets, and a piano and
other strictly modern luxuries were In evil
dence. The house Itself Is unique archi-
tecturally The back OF the house faces
the street. ana you have 20 go right through
10 reach the front. The house IS arranged
In such a way that by boiling couple OF
doors Il be thrown into two separate
dwellings, each with an entrance Of its
own.
The house is fitted up with really exquisite
artistic taste WooGen-beamed ceilings.
which remind you of houses at Stratford-
on-Avon. and high psneling about the walls
display the real antiquity OF the place. Mrs.
Dickson IS evidently very fond of the
antique, for, while her drawing room Is
modern to certain extent all the other
rooms correspond to her two very old
grandfather clocks; and this is saying
great deal. Some OF her chairs date back
to the time OF Henry VIII. There are all
sorts of hooks and corners and crannies
about the walls and windows. and doors
open into unexpected rooms or passages
which lead to unexpected places. The
sides OF the staircase leading 70 the second
story are adorned by carved oak. and she
has utilized the posts from an old -four
poster bed for baiustrades.
Most of her antique furniture has been
purchased al quaint sales that take place
about the country, and some OF Il has be
| longed in her family for many years.
Mrs Dickson was asked II she did not
consider her energies rather wasted in a
small village like Sleights.
Not at ALL" she replied, with emphasis.
''In the first place, all my time Is taken up
in developing the building lands ] own. I
have to see~to the road building. the plan
ming and architecture of the estate. the
drainage. the lighting and everything else.
I sell the land and make all the contracts
myself do not have much spare time on
my hands,
Besides all my own work I meddle n
great deal IN other peoples business. but
only by their request As have had some
years experience at nursing, most OF the
mothers In the country come TO consult me
ABOUT their babies, and | have certain
free medical practice. IL might be said. In
fact. only aefew weeks ago | saved an old
woman's life by administering witch hazel
internally. She was dying from lung hem
orrhage.
Then a lot of people come to ask me
legal questions. I have made study OF
land laws and l don't worry solicitor
when l want a contract drawn. l always
carry six-penny stamps about with me and
when / make land bargain l clinch 1t
there and then.
y
Mrs Dickson was asked about her al
legged Tolstoian proclvities.
Il have read Tolstoi's life, and think he
is a good man for the Russian people. In
Russia the laboring classes regarded
more as donkeys than men. / doubt If
Tolstoi would do much good in England.
If to believe in the simple life, to wear
clothes that | make myself and that do not
cost me more than s25 a year Ohey are not
things of beauty. or JOYS forever. however,,
to do a lot of manual work because you
like 10 do il, and to develop landed estates
and sell at small profits is 10 be To!-
stoian, then | suppose am one.
Il believe in open-air work, and plenty or
It, | read a great deal-whenever 1 get 4
chance-and read almost anything that
comes to hand. | am thoroughly modern
on ideas of sanitation, progress and all
that; and | believe that we should all work
| hard in some sort OF occupation that we
like 1t is a great thing to be able to live
your own life in your own way; every free
born Britisher, man or woman. should be
able to do it, and not be borne down by
conventionalities. Some OF the newspapers
said | was immensely wealthy That's rub
bish. l have a moderate income from my
land, which l sell cheap. l satisfied
with small profits and quick 'turnovers.'
| they say. When | finish developing the
present estate l shall get another some
where and begin work at IL.
IF people would only realize the advan-
tage OF life in the country / am sure they
would all go back to the land, and l would
like to turn everybody l could away from
the terrible cities and bring them back to
real life in the open. Those are my ideas in
| a nutshell, and doing all l can 10
carry them out"
w B. NoRTHRuP.
Copyright 1905 by Curtis Brown
British Rights Reserved.