Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-11
He KNE n GRANT.
And the Advice He Gave Him Relative to
the Presidency-How Ee Played it foz
the Drinks at the Metropolitan.

And the Advice He Gave Him Relative to
the Presidency-How Ee Played it for
the Drinks at the Metropolitan.
Shortly after daylight, yesterday morning,
brisk-looking middle aged party, attired in a
suit of last summers clothes, and wearing q
dizzy expression, somewhat intensified by q
savage moustxohe and seldom imperial might
have been observed passing in front of the
Metropolitan hotel, on Washington street. He
perused q copy of the GLOBE, and glanced
furitively at tho main entrance to the hotel,
the doors of which had not yet been thrown
open. Finally7 O'Clock came, when rotund
and jolly Joe Snyder, the presiding genius of
the cocktail dispensary, made his appearance
and prepared for the days business.
The cumbrous walnut doors of the hotel
creaked q welcome to the early guest as they
were thrown open, upon which the literary
chap looked up from his paper, and, with q
spruce air, that seemed to favor Of business, he
advanced to the open doors.
With nonchalant innocence he walked
straight through the rotunda that
leads from the office to the bar
room Of the hotel, where Snyder was
chirruping quiet air from Pinafore, as intent
and lively at bis work as cricket. The stran-
ger advanced to position near the counter,
and after brief pause in which he seemed to
size Snyder. he delivered himself of gruff
good morning. The tones of the voice were
severe with q strained effort at sociability, and
the salutation was repeated by good-natured
Snyoer with the kindliest emphasis.
just been reading an account of Grants
tour Ia California, very interesting-fact is,
you know, have watched every movement of
the party since the occasion of their elegant re-
ception at Frisco" He was warming up to
the work and Snyder was about to interject
something about the hero-worship which had
sigaalized the ex-President's trip, when the
party continued:
"As was about to remark, the general gave
mo cordial invitation to join the party at
Frisco, but business engagements prevented.
great man, did you say? Well that depends"
(At this point the stranger braced up and be
came very confidential. ''You see," he con-
tinued, Grant and myself were great cronies,
bosom companions, indeed, long before he ever
had mentioned the idea of his ever becoming
President in those days, they would have been
rode out OF Galena on a fence rail. He was al
ways lucky man, though, and had the best
faculty of getting out of a scrape of any man
l ever happened to know. A statesman and
name was mentioned for the Presidency, he
sent to me for advice. We met at Washington,
at Williards hotel, where the general had en-
gagged apartments for he and myself over
night"
A famous place for liquors? You're mighty
right; the best old Hermitage in tho United
States.
(The stranger was interrupted at this point
by metallic cough, which was Modified by a
liberal potation of rye.)
regarded the whole affair as q joke, but tho
general looked at it in the light of solemn
fact, and by the peculiar expression always
worn by Grant when in earnest. I could see
a m hnaS Hn oLo1v -ho%I
should do in case the nomination was rendered
(here the speaker leaned forward with that I'M
speakable air assumed by some when they are
about to Transmit some valuable secret), and
shall never forget the mask of profound wis
dom worn when I answered the question.
bit of advice at this juncture will do you good.
As long as you've played the part of the stolen
BOTTLE took your bitters regular and kept
mum, you've been in luck. It's solemn fact
that If Providence had intended making an
orator out OF your branch of the Grant family,
you'd have been provided with double row of
teeth. Grant knew that his best hold was Sc
cretiveness and the public know the result of
the policy. By this time the man who made
Grant became visibly agitated, SO much 50 that
he called for ''iust DROP" to suppress disa-
greeable cough. The drink was forthcoming
and the President maker was about to resume,
when Snyder politely requested pay for the
drink. beg pardon, said the stranger, and he
went down for the lucre. During the search
his face lit up With strange intelligence as if
he had recalled forgotten memory.
Finally the stranger exclaimed in vexatious
tones that some of the best opportunities OF
his Ii fe had gone by the board. on account of
his absent mindedness. lie had left his change
on the counter At tho last place he took q
drink. Sorry, but he would 60 right back and
got the money. He skunk out of the room and
up to last night the man who made Grant had
not returned with the scrip.