The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-05
By ". B. MAXWELL, Author of ssThe Guarded FIame,s The Ragged Dfessenger,1
 Avftan," Etc.
Copyright -eo7. by W. B. Maxwell. rshts uHHHmMpnHnEMHTzEMRH MFMl Y ngmEMH nMuH1

e1i " sfp S- as'AnN nHM snm s1h English country towns--into those who lived on the hill and that lived on the low ground. Coming from the railway to the river bridge, you passed through the worst and the old- est quarter. Here were narrow streets. lanes and courts: backways and blind alleys; dirty wives fin doorways and dirty children in the gutter. If you paused on the bridge. you could see on your right brewery buildings. ware houses. and modern workmen's dwell- ings; on your left. the backs of the houses in High Street. sheds. store places, etc, with here and there an old garden and a slimy wall and steps above the slow stream, Thence on- ward, through Bridge Street. you went up hill. On your left lay High Street, the Market the White Hart, the Town Hall etc. On your right there were at first cottages, then common little villas. then terraces and parades and crescents of superior villas-the new red-brick area of responsibility. if not real gem tility. from which came forth the black coated London. toilers, Then, on either hand. were larger. more imposing villas and houses. with fussy architectural or- naments, pepper-pot turrets. cupolas. loggias, large gates and miniature car riage sweeps. Here resided gentry. T hCH .iH A htVIACht, fO0 h0N MY 'se-S meadows besind Hill Rise--the Lawn Tennis. Cronuet. and Archery Club. its smooth lawns. basket chairs and matched cottage and tiled verandah. Then. with a sharp turn to the right, you were in Hill Rise itself--ten no- ble detached houses on either side: and at the top the walls, gate and trees of Hill House, with nothing beyond 1t but open country: the stretching common Ia nd l4n fI.o ~tof ha cvolf lfnkq and the beechwdods and hazel copses and deep sylvan reeesses owned by the Crown, and let to MT. Wace, the brew CT. for the shootipg. |
 Tn truth. the hin was nothing worth boasting about. The Golf Clubhouse was exactly eighty-seven feet above the river But the eminence was sufficient for its purpose--to keep people in their proper places. The higher you lived up the hill the higher you stood socially. Sir John Vincent lived right on top-at Hill House--and he was highest of all As to Hill Rise. just below Sir John even numbers to your left, odd numbers to your right-although the ground rose. one might perhaps say that the social plane was horizontal. The peo pie of Hill Rise would. not admit any differences: they were the aristocracy of the plaea.
 Hill House and its ten acres belonged to Sir John, and all the twenty houses below him: while all the park-like meadows behind the odd numbers be longed to thesdowager Countess of Had dingham. Behind the gardens of the even numbers was the breezy, open commons pleasant sunlit expanse speckled with sheep in their white wooden coats. and with golfers in their red flannel jackets.--and all this be. longed to the Crown. Thus one had on either side of the houses a wide belt of green to guard one from encroachment by the vulgar town. It was really aris- tocratic if you came to think of 1t: The three land owners were the Sover- eign. the Countess. and Sir John. No wonder tie hill thought something Of itself.
 It was pleasant to have a countess for your landlady and the privilege was appreciated. She lived far away-in her midland county,--and no ono ever enjoyed the sight of her or speech with her. All business was done in the grandest style-through a London firm of solicitors. who scaled their letters, printed the agreements never raised your rent. saw that the property was kept up at my lady's charge. and were only particular that you sent the quar- ter's cheque promptly when, after a dig nified delay, you received the official mo- tice It was a pleasure to deal with such people. Old Mir. Garrett of No. g, himself a retired solicitor. could tell you about Messrs. Firmin and Firmin; of the weight and splendor of such a firm, who acted for half-a-dozen other great cities as well as for the Countess Dowager.
 No difficulties were ever made You had merely to ask for what you wanted in a proper and becoming manner. New bath, new kitchen range. new paint ana wall paper from roof to cellar-theso were slight favors habitually craved whom you sent in your prompt cheque: favors granted almost as a matter of course bv any humble clerk in the great solisitors' office. For instance, when the select and successful TenniR Club was founded. no. question was