The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-12-30

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''Do you know these people?" know
them. we said ~ by, they are our fam
ily." 1t was like message from home.
| that feel almost sure that if you started
far from home, you would find that you
they WOu know someone whom you
knew. On our way to San Antonio,
across the aisle from our section, / no.
ticed an attractive woman who was trav-
cling alone. She made some comment,
and then asked if / would mt come across
and visit with her, which did. She was
from Kansas City, and when told her
that we were on our way to San Antonio
she asked if we had made reservations at
the hotel, as they were apt to be crowded
at this season. When l told her we had
not, she said: Friends of mine have
just been there, and they had desperate
time trying to get in anywhere.
This was on our first visit there, and
the Menger was the only first-class hotel
in San Antonio although two others have
been built since.
She went on talking about her friends,
and finally spoke of Mr.. Eugene Rust
of Kansas City. told her Mr.. and Mrs.
Rust were dear friends of ours, and that
Mr.. Rust and l lived side by side and
went to school together. So, as they we're
friends of hers, too, it made us seem
quite near, way out there on the the
great desert. She asked us to call and
see her on our return from California, as
we intended stopping in Kansas City,
We stayed there at the Baltimore
hotel, and as we were walking
down Petticoat Lane, a most fascinating
name for street, among the women 8
shops, we were surprised to again meet
Mrs. Reed, and had the pleasure of telling
her we were we'll taken care of in San
Antonio.
Among the many guests at the St.
Anthony, there was one woman who was
in the llmelight all the time. She had a
very girllsh gait and manner which did
not fit her years, for she was passing on
into the sere and yellow leaf, and would
not, or did not, recognize the fact. She
changed her dress SO often that | called
her ''The Lady of the Decoration. -
She amused and interested me, and !
felt sure after seeing her fit from one
group to another that she must be some
body, she seemed to know SO many peo-
pie. l became SO interested in her that
| said:'I am going to know about her be-
fore | leave here, and won't ask any
one either"
Well, the time passed and was often
asked by my friends what l knew about
''Ihe Lady of the Decoration" We
were at dinner one night, and as we
were leaving San Antonio in the morn
ing finished my dinner first, asked to
be excused, and left the table saying
that wished to be left alone for while.
l went out in the lobby and took a chair
near the entrance to the dining ROOM
Soon the little lady came out, and as she
looked at me in passing, l raised my chin
and looked pleasant. She then turned,
came back, and took a chair beside me,
so, when my party came out, there sat
with my new friend. Since l had said
l would not speak first, l waited for her
to start the conversation, which she did
by saying in very pleasant, refined
voice: aren't the fashions perfectly
ridiculous?''
Considering her toilettes could agree
with her, but she referred to the hobble
skirt and peach basket hat which had
Just come into great popularity. Then
she asked if we we're at the hotel for
the season, and when | told her we were
was greatly interested and said they in
tended to take trip there but did not
think it safe. Then she asked where we
were from, and when l told her Maine,
she gave ia little lady-like shrek, and
said: "Oh! will you meet my husband?
He is crazy over anyone from Maine"
AS thought it would be rather nice to
meet someone who was crazy over M alne
| said | would meet him. So she trotted
away and came back with very fine
looking and dignified man, who had re-
served manner. She said by way of in
PRODUCTION, Here is a lady from Maine"
They were from Leavenworth, Kansas,
and he was lawyer and judge of Su-
preme Court. | asked him if he knew
Mr.. George Barnes, and he said he knew
him very we'll, and be was greatly inter-
ested in hearing about Mrs. George R.
Sleeper, whom we all admired so much,
and who was sister of Mr. Barnes.
Then he spoke Of man he met and
came to know quite well, lawyer, from
Maine. He met him in Kansas City, but
could not remember his name. l asked
if he would recognize the name if l
should speak it, and asked if it was Mr.
William Mcclellan. had hardly spoken
the name when he finished it for me. He
asked about him, and said he considered
him very brilliant man.
Then the little lady was anxious to
come into the conversation, so she asked
in what part of Maine we lived. / said:
''Y on may not know our lovely little city
on Penobscot Bay, but we live in Bel
fast" Belfast" she said, why we
spent the summer in Bluehill, and sailed
over to Belfast in our yacht" Then l
asked if they landed and went up town,
and told her of our straight streets, old
fashioned houses, and the grand old
elms. She spoke of their disappoint-
ment. for they came intending to spend
the day and did not get up town as it be-
gan to rain and they were obliged to re-
turn to the yacht. They expected to
come again the next summer, so we ex-
changed cards and they were to look US
up. But we have never seen them since.
think when summer came again his ill.,
ness, (for he was there for his healthy
prevented their spending it in the Blue
hill they loved so much. The next MORN
ing we left for Mexico.
We were having lunch one day in the
patio under the palms surrounded by
beautiful flowers. The sun was shining
brightly, it was like summer, and l
thought how it looked back here, so cold
and frozen and l had big lump just
beneath my collar bone, and then l could
not see. Perhaps it was the music-but
the drawback to these lovely trips is,