The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-03-11
An Amusing Corretemps.--.A Strong.
minded Woman on her ''MissiOn.'


minded Woman on her 'sMissiOn." !
Don Piatt relates the following laugh
able, though rather inelegant, bit of
gossip in one of his recent Washington
letters:
The other day Gen. Pleasanton, a
delicate, sensitive little gentleman, was.
dressing for dinner. He had Invested
himself of every garment except the
one spoken of by Hood in that melan-
choly song called "The Song Of the
Shirt" He was sailing about under
bare poles, when he heard Il knock at
the door, and supposing it to be his
nlan-who ought to have been there,
and was not-he sang out, "Come in"
To his utter CONSERVATION that consti-
tutional female known as Mrs. Wood
hull, with peaked hat and mans
overcoat, terminating in unmistakable
crinoline, stalked in. AS she did not
Immediately stalk out, but stood look
ing at the Commissioner Of Internal
Revenue in the abstract, the last named
gentleman, hiding behind an arm chair,
suffered out, stEXcuse me, madam !"
ssI want to see you on business, Gen.
Pleasanton.''
s'Well, madam, won't you be so good
as to come to my Office. 1 am not in a
condition to see any one on business
just now, and 1 beg Of you to desist and
come to the Bureau"
"I don't care anything about your
condition, Gen. Pleasanton but it is q
matter Of some importance that wish
to see you upon, and this is as good an
opportunity as any"
ssMy God! madam" exclaimed the
agonizcd Commissioner, shifting his fl
nancial person from one leg to the other,
'tWon't you permit me to dress for din
ner?''
"I have no objections to your dress
ingfor dinner, but what want to know
to know is, what are you going to do
about this Vanderbilt case: That Van
derbilt case is a great outrage, sir, and ]
can see that somebody is to be swindled
out of half a million of dollars" and
here followed u statement Of the Van
derbilt case, that occupied just twenty
minutes by the clock and was very for.
chile and emphatic. At the end Of it
when the constitutional Woodruff paus
ed for breath, the Commissioner said:
XII don't know anything about the
Vanderbilt case, madam. I have moi
looked at single paper. 1 have not
heard anything but what you have told
me. have not had time. Ny God,
don't get time to get on my breeches.
1 don't want to be rude, but wish you
would go away and let me dress"
At this moment q knock was heard
at the door, and Pleasanton yelled loud
er than ever he gave command to q
battalion, "Come in" The door open
ed, and the substantial figure and hand
some face of our Commodore Alden ap-
peared upon the entrance. So soon as
ne did this, the Commissioner chassezed
from the rear of his armchair to the
back of a sofa, and Alden, thinking he
was intruding upon some tender scene
between the General and the female
beat a hasty retreat. But the Commits
sioner was not to be forsaken, and he
ran to the door, ierked it open, and with
the tail end of his linen flying in the
wind, seized Commodore Alden, and
brought him back, when the cool and
courageous Woodruff rose in n majestic
manner and wished them good day.
PleaSanton sank exhausted into Il chair,
and begged Alden for Il little brandy,
to try and rally from this tremendous
attack of woman's right made upon him.
with the brief garment Of Il weak defence
He stood appalled,