I Was Becoming Very Cross - For Half An Hour Before I Had Sent
Hang Up To Call Him, Knowing That He And Faye Also, Were Obliged To Be
Ready To Start At Ten O'clock.
I was worried, too, fearing that Faye
would have to go without any breakfast at all.
Of course the nice
little breakfast was ruined! Soon after ten, however, our guest came
down and apologized very nicely - said that the bed was so very
delightful be simply could not leave it. Right there I made a mental
resolution to the effect that if ever a big Englishman should come to
my house to remain overnight, I would have just one hour of delight
taken from that bed!
To my great amusement, also pleasure. Captain Percival ate heartily of
everything, and kept on eating, and with such apparent relish I began
to think that possibly it might be another case of "delight," and
finally to wonder if Hang had anything in reserve. Once he said, "What
excellent cooks you have here!" This made Miss Mills smile, for she
knew that Hang had been loaned out the evening before. Faye soon left
us to attend to matters in connection with the trip, but the three of
us were having a very merry time - for Captain Percival was a most
charming man - when in the room came Captain Chater, his face as black
as the proverbial thundercloud, and after speaking to me, looked
straight and reprovingly at Captain Percival and said, "You are
keeping his excellency waiting!" That was like a bomb to all, and in
two seconds the English captains had shaken hands and were gone.
The mounted police are still in the post, and I suspect that this is
because their commander is having such a pleasant time driving and
dining with his hostess, who is one of our most lovely and fascinating
women. I received a note from Faye this morning from Helena. He says
that so far the trip has been delightful, and that in every way and by
all he is being treated as an honored guest. Lord Lome declined a
large reception in Helena, because the United States is in mourning
for its murdered President. What an exquisite rebuke to some of our
ignorant Americans! Faye writes that Lord Lome and members of his
staff are constantly speaking in great praise of the officers' wives
at Shaw, and have asked if the ladies throughout the Army are as
charming and cultured as those here.
Our young horses are really very handsome now, and their red coats are
shining from good grooming and feeding. They are large, and perfectly
matched in size, color, and gait, as they should be, since they are
half brothers. I am learning to drive now, a single horse, and find it
very interesting - but not one half as delightful as riding - I miss a
saddle horse dreadfully. Now and then I ride George - my own horse - but
he always reminds me that his proper place is in the harness, by
making his gait just as rough as possible.
FORT SHAW, MONTANA TERRITORY,
December, 1881.
YOU will be greatly surprised to hear that Faye has gone to
Washington! His father is very ill - so dangerously so that a
thirty-days' leave was telegraphed Faye from Department Headquarters,
without his having applied for it so as to enable him to get to
Admiral Rae without delay. Some one in Washington must have asked for
the leave. It takes so long for letters to reach us from the East that
one never knows what may be taking place there. Faye started on the
next stage to Helena and at Dillon will take the cars for Washington.
Faye went away the night before the entertainment, which made it
impossible for me to be in the pantomime "Villikens and Dinah," so
little Miss Gordon took my place and acted remarkably well,
notwithstanding she had rehearsed only twice. The very stage that
carried Faye from the post, brought to us Mr. Hughes of Benton for a
few days. But this turned out very nicely, for Colonel and Mrs. Mills,
who know him well, were delighted to have him go to them, and there he
is now. The next day I invited Miss Mills and Mr. Hughes to dine with
me informally, and while I was in the dining room attending to the few
pieces of extra china and silver that would be required for dinner (a
Chinaman has no idea of the fitness of things), Volmer, our striker,
came in and said to me that he would like to take the horses and the
single buggy out for an hour or so, as he wanted to show them to a
friend.
I saw at once that he and I were to have our usual skirmish. There is
one, always, whenever Faye is away any length of time. The man has a
frightful temper, and a year ago shot and killed a deserter. He was
acquitted by military court, and later by civil court, both courts
deciding that the shooting was accidental. But the deserter was a
catholic and Volmer is a quaker, so the feeling in the company was so
hostile toward him that for several nights he was put in the
guardhouse for protection. Then Faye took him as striker, and has
befriended him in many ways. But those colts he could not drive. So I
told him that the horses could not go out during the lieutenant's
absence, unless I went with them. He became angry at once, and said
that it was the first team he had ever taken care of that he was not
allowed to drive as often as he pleased. A big story, of course, but I
said to him quietly, "You heard what I said, Volmer, and further
discussion will be quite useless. You were never permitted to take the
colts out when Lieutenant Rae was here, and now that he is away, you
certainly cannot do so." And I turned back to my spoons and forks.
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