Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07

owned a country place some ten miles out from
Wirnipeg-hstoric Silver Heights, where that
famous blackleg and swinder, Lord y Gordon,
took refuge in the 7os and nearly drew MANI
toba and Minnesota into international war.
His hospitality, even in those days, was truly
royal, and more than once Silver Heights found
itself in straits to accommodate the guests who
claimed its shelter at the invitation of its owner.
One of the stories that arCh-storyteller, Sir
William Van Horne, delights to tell, is con-
nected with of these spells OF social con-
gestion at Silver Heights.
Lord Strathcona, as ciCerone of large party
of official junketers travelling west from Ottawa
by way of St. Paul, owing to the uncompleted
condition of the Canadian Pacific, went about
among the men, asking this, that, and the
other one to stop off at Silver Heights. AS
the train neared St. Paul. Sir William drew
Strathcona to one side and said:
Do you realize what you have done? You
have asked twenty-four people to stop OFT at
Silver Heights, and know perfectly well that
you have accommodations for not more than
twelve"
Lord Strathcona was surprised; but he was
not nonplussed. While the party saw the
sights of ST. Paul, he chartered car, filed it
to Overlooking with cots mattresses, bedding,
and other supplies, and when the train pulled
out that night for Winnipeg he knew that his
guests could be taken care of. Arrived at
Winnipeg the party was driven to the Mani
toba Club, instead of direct to Silver Heights,
a large number of prominent men having been
the party for several hours at the club.
1t noticed that Strathcona went to
the telephone frequently; but there was so
much going on that little attention was paid
to it. Those telephone calls were all for the
manager at Silver Heights; with inquiries as
to how things were comingsalong. For hours,
after each call, Lord Strathcona would return
to his guests and say solicitously, Won't you
have little more OF this Madeira3 1t
bottled in 1920. It's just old as l am
nr III ntChI z &c
brand that the club imports especially for me.
Finally, word came from Silver Heights that
all was ready for the party and not until
they reached the country place, and found
cots everywhere, did even Sir William suspect
what the long stay at the club had meant.
After considerable Jollity over the lntormallty
of the entertainment, all settled down for the
night, Lord Strathcona being the last to retire.
1t happened that the first man up in the
morning was that ncorrigibe joker, Van
Horne. In prospecting. he entered the dining
room, and there, seated Turk fashion on table,
was Lord Strathcona, sound asleep In counting
noses for beds, he had entirely forgotten himself.
White Wash in the North
FROM the time he emigrated to Canada, at
the age of eighteen, until he was forty
eight, Lord Strathcona spent all his time at
various posts of the Hudson Bay Company,
newly located on the Labrador. In all those
thirty years among the northern Indians and
the Eskimos, Donald Smith, as he then was,
held himself strictly to the niceties of life;
that when, a OF middle age, he returned
to civilized life and the highest office in the
gift of the Hudson Bay Company, there
no rough edges of either speech manner to
be overcome.
Nothing shows this better than story told
on the Labrador while he was governor of the
company 1t IS rule of the Hudson Bay
Company that woman shall be allowed pas
sage on its boats. One day, as steamer OF
the company neared one of the northernmOst
ports, string OF white garments was seen
stretched across deck The watchers We're
amazed for to them the washline suggested
only the presence of a woman aboard the boat.
Comment was freely made of the scandal that
would ensue and the shake-up that would fol-
low. When the boat locked, the line of wash
ing had disappeared,-still another proof OF
the scandal Later, one of the landsmen said
to the Captain:
why, how did it happen that you carried
woman passenger this trip"
There was never woman along the whole
voyage" was the indignant answer. What
do you mean2"
" If there was woman aboard, where did
all that white wash come from" was the tri
| umphant reply.
The Captain looked puzzled for moment,
and then he laughed. "Oh," he said, and
didn' we have the governor himself along with
us on this trip? And every day doesn't he in
sist on having his clean white shirt, no matter