I 2 Life and Sport on the Pacific Slope 



them lulled to sleep the prudence of the smokers. 

 Who can tell ? 



During these halcyon days there were no Popo- 

 crats, no Silverites (for silver — as in the time of 

 Solomon — was counted as dross), no Unemployed. 

 Everything being upside down, the man became the 

 master. I remember that I was graciously per- 

 mitted to pay my cook eighty-four pounds a year 

 for services worth, as we compute results in Europe, 

 a ten-pound note. The ranch hands wore diamonds. 

 On Sunday they arrayed themselves in suits of broad- 

 cloth at fifteen pounds the suit, silk-lined ; they took 

 their " best girls " for drives in well-appointed bug- 

 gies drawn by fast pairs of trotters. As for the 

 young ladies, I dare not describe their toilettes. 



But the outward and visible sign of this amazing 

 prosperity was most manifest in the houses (they 

 were always spoken of as residences) which — like 

 Aladdin's palace — seemed to be built and furnished 

 in a single night. A propos of them I have a story : 

 I was in a Pullman car, and we were passing through 

 a valley dotted with most unsightly houses, — ram- 

 shackle buildings, for the most part, each an amal- 

 gam of half a dozen styles of architecture, each 

 obviously built for show. 



" What are yon ? " said an old Scotchman, who 

 was of the party. 



" They 're private residences," replied an American, 

 proudly. " Yes, sir, we 're passing through Paradise 

 Park. Six months ago, sir, this tract was a howling 

 desert of cactus and sage brush." 



" Eh, eh-h-li ? Ye surprise me. Private resi- 

 dences, ye say ? " 



