The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1870-10-08
Mark Twain Mt a Presidential Recep.
fIOu,
he HAS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH
HI PRESIDENT,

he HAS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH
H PRESIDENT,
After | had drifted into the White
House with the food tide Of humanity
that had been washing steadily up the
street for an hour, | obeyed the orders of
the soldier at the door and the policeman
within, and banked my hat and umbrella
with a colored man, who gave me a piece
of brass with q number on II and said that
hat thing would reproduce the property
at anytime OF the night. l doubted it,
but | was on unknown ground now, and
must be content to take a good many
chances.
Another person told me to drop in with
the crowd and | would come to the Presi.
dent presently. | joined, and we drifted
a iong till we passed a certain point, and
then we thinned out to double and single
file. 1t was q right gay scene, and a fright
stirring and lively one for the whole
place was brightly lighted, and all down
the great hall, as far as could see, was
a restless and writhing multitude of
people, the women powdered, painted,
ieweled, and splcndidly upholstered, and
many of the men gilded with theinsignia
of great naval, military, and ambassador.
ial rank. 1t was bewildering.
Our long line kept drifting along, and
by and by we came in sight Of the Preei'
dent and Mrs. Grant. They were stand
ing up shaking hands and trading civil
ties with our procession. / grew ome
what at home little by little, and then /
began to feel satisfied and contented. |
was getting to be perfectly alive with in
terest by the time it came my turn to talk
with the President. l took him by the
hand and looked him in the eye, and said
"Well, | reckon | see you at last, Cen
ersl. | have said as much as a thousand
times, out in Nevada, that If ever | went
home to the States | would just have the
private satisfaction of going and saying to
you by word of mouth that | thought you
was considerable of a soldier anyway.
Now, you know, out there We"
] turned round and said to the fellow
behind me:
"Now, look here, my good friend, how
the nation do you suppose | can talk with
any sort of satisfaction, with you crowd
ing me this wayY | am surprised atyosr
manners"
He was a modest.looking creature. He
said
but you sec the whole PROFESSIONS
stopped, and they're crowding up on
me-"
/ said:
"some people have got more cheek.
Just suggest to the parties behind you to
have some respect for the place they are
in, and not try to shove In on a private
conversation. What the General and me
are talking about amt of the least inter
est to them"
Then | resumed with the President:
swell, well, well. Now this is fine.
This is what l call something LIKE. Gays
Well, | should say so. And 80 this Is
what you call a Presidential reception?
I'm free to say that it just lays over any
thing that ever l saw out in the sage
brush. l have been to Governor Nye's
Enjun receptions at Honey Lake and Car
son City, many and many q time he
that's Senator Nye now-you know him,
OF course. | never saw a man in all
nv life that Jim Nye didn't know
and not only that, but he
could tell him where he knew him,
and all about him, family included, even
If it was forty years ago. Most remarka-
BILE man, Jim Nye-remarkable. He can
tell q lie with that purity Of accent, and
that grace of utterance, and that convinc'
ing emotion"
| turned again, and said:
"My friend, your conduct surprises me,
| have come three thousand miles to have
a word with the President Of the United
States upon subjects with which you arr
not even remotely connected, and by The
living gecwhillikins, l can't proceed with
n sort Of satisfaction on account ofyoul
cussed crowding. Win you just please &c
20 a little slow, now, and not attract 81
much attention by your strange conduct
If you had any eyes you could sec hos
the byAtanders arc staring"
He said:
"But | tell you, sir, its the people be
hind. They are just growing and surginl
and showing, and | wish ] wa In Jericho
I do"
raid.
II wish you was, myself. You nigh
learn some delicacy Of feeling in tina
ancient seat 81 civilization, maybe. ORA
II you don't B50d T."