I felt as I entered the new and neatly furnished sitting-room
adjoining the bar, that I had indeed found a comfortable resting-
place after my wearisome journey.
"All as nice as a new pin," said I, approvingly, as I glanced
around the room, up to the ceiling--white as the driven snow--and
over the handsomely carpeted floor. "Haven't seen anything so
inviting as this. How long have you been open?"
"Only a few months," answered the gratified landlord. "But we are
not yet in good going order. It takes time, you know, to bring
everything into the right shape. Have you dined yet?"
"No. Everything looked so dirty at the stage-house, where we
stopped to get dinner, that I couldn't venture upon the experiment
of eating. How long before your supper will be ready?"
"In an hour," replied the landlord.
"That will do. Let me have a nice piece of tender steak, and the