ne but ourselves could possibly know what an
erratic conversationalist I had been. However, she did not seem to lay
it up against me. I think she was as much astonished as I and I am
persuaded that she valued the compliment of my extravagant gallantry.

It is only fair to say that I had risen by this time to the dignity of
"boughten shirts," linen collars and "Congress gaiters," and my suit
purchased for graduating purposes was of black diagonal with a long
tail, a garment which fitted me reasonably well. It was hot, of course,
and nearly parboiled me of a summer evening, but I bore my suffering
like the hero that I was, in order that I might make a presentable
figure in the eyes of my classmates. I longed for a white vest but did
not attain to that splendor.

Life remained very simple and very democratic in our little town.
Although the county seat, it was slow in taking on city ways. I don't
believe a real bath-tub distinguished the place (I never heard of one)
but its sidewalks kept our feet out of the mud (even in March or April),
and this was a marvellous fact to us. One or two fine lawns and flower
gardens had come in, and year by year the maples had grown until they
now made a pleasant shade in June, and in October glorified the plank
walks. To us it was beautiful.

As county town, Osage published two papers and was, in addition, the
home of two Judges, a state Senator and a Congressman. A new opera house
was built in '79 and an occasional "actor troupe" presented military
plays like _Our Boys_ or farces like _Solon Shingle_. The brass band and
the baseball team were the best in the district, and were loyally upheld
by us all.

With all these attractions do you wonder that whenever Ed and Bill and
Joe had a day of leisure they got out their buggies, washed them till
they glistened like new, and called for their best girls on the way to
town?

Circuses, Fourth of Julys, County Fairs, all took place in Osage, and to
own a "covered rig" and to take your sweetheart to the show were the
highest forms of affluence and joy--unless you were actually able to
live in town, as Burton and I now did for five days in each week, in
which case you saw everything that was free and denied yourself
everything but the circus. Nobody went so far in economy as that.

As a conscientious historian I have gone carefully into the records of
this last year, in the hope of finding something that would indicate a
feeling on the part o