Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-20
Public StOry-Tellers.

IuOucI1to oUlllty 10 mbAluS speech
the cloak-rooms are generally crowded
The scene represents club-room more
than anything else, but were there no,
so many hats and cloaks hung along the
walls, and were there little more oil
an air of cheerfulness, the resemblance
would he more complete. As it is,
however, the cloak-rooms are the most
interesting places at the capitol. Around
the walls are cleats, on which are large
brass hooks with the names of the own
ers on little cards tackled under them,
on which the congressional hats and
coats are hung. There are sofas aud
settees, of old fashioned patterns and
we'll worn numerous chairs, in various
| stages of decay and Offering various de-
grees of attraction, are scattered about
there is tankard of ice water, three or
four marble wash basins, with soap and
towels, and at the house end of the cap.
itol u couple Of BARRIERS chairs in each
cloak-roOm. Cheerful fires are burning
in the CRATES, and generally one of the
chandeliers is lighted, for the only
light that can be otherwise obtained Is
filtered through the stained-glass win.
dows from the public corridors A box
of matches sets on the mantel, aud in
the house. cloak-room one of the pen
.iant gas.jets seen in cigar stores, gives
the smoker his =" fire."
At any time during the session groups
of Longing statesmen may be passed,
in every variety Of posture, all smoking
and discussing the events IF the day or
telling stories and some of the best
story-tellers in the world were in the
last congress.
Abraham Lincoln's stories are quite
as much part OF the administration as
the emancipation proclamation. Pres
ident Grant told story eloquently
when he was "unbent," but he was not
in the habit of telling them promiscu
ously. President Hayes does not orig
mate stories as Lincoln did, but often
quotes them, and seems to have been
studying Lincoln, for he repeats his
sayings very frequently. Secretary
Evarts is an habitual wag. and is the
life of cabinet meetlI gs, very often H.
Illustrating his views on pending
question by the point of an anecdote
Many of his stories are in circulation
now. Encouragement Deveus DO =.
tell many stories, but is given to pun
aing. Secretary Thomson loves joke
as we'll as ever man did, and can ell
ertain q company with "hoosier an
ecdotes for whole evening at time
Postmaster General Key often attempts
to be funny, and sometimes succeeds,
but generally tells story You have
heard before. Schurz is fond of good
story. but doesn't tell one. Sherman
and McCrary are the sober men Of the
cabinet. Sherman sometimes smiles.
out was never heard to give gOoo
hearty laugh. McCrary laughs some
times, aud is always in good humor
but you g ldom get an anecdote from
him.
Charles Sumner never knew what q
Joke was. Humor was entirely absent
from his nature. Morton enjoyed stories,
aud told ,hem sometimes, but he Was
always very busy man, and when he
sn't in bed suffering torture indie
scribable, he WAS generally at work.
General Sherman is AL inveterate story
teller, and you can catch him ut army
nea,iq uurters, surrounded by his staff
relating his experiences, of which b.
seems to have had an unusual amount
If AL amusing character, or describing
some funny sight lie has seen, or som.
iuuny thing he has heard. He las
very keen sense of the ridiculous, anu
Is graphic in description. and very sue
cessful in mimicry. ce-President
Wheeler enjoys a joke a. we'll as any
man in congress. but seldom perpetrates
one.
Conklin is inimitable when he
chooses to be. There is no man in pub
lie life who Las conversational powers
equal to his. He can be interesting on
any topic that may enter aconversation,
and when he fairly lets himself out, a.
he did in England year ago last sum
mer, the people stare at him until they
are overcome by fascination. Bltine is
.Qually accomplished, but does not dis
play himself AZ Conklin does on stated
occasions. Blaine is more genial as a
common thing, but not so pyrotechnic
in his displays. General Butler can
make himself as interesting as any man,
when he chooses, but his humor gener'
ally is of grim kind. and he tries to
make people uncomfortable. If Butler
should sit down at a dinner table with
twelve strangers, before the coffee was
reached he would find the tender spots
in each mans armor. He has u disa-
greeable way of finding out the weak
nesses of those with whom he comes in
contact, and a conceited ass or braggart
never wants to meet Butler second
time. He puts this faculty of making
people uncomfortable to very good
use sometimes; but he isn't always dis
agreeable, but can be as charming as a
sweet sixteen when he chooses. Martin
I. Townsend, Proctor Knott, Sunset
Cox, Charles Foster, and DR.. Stewart
were the story tellers of the last house:
DR.. Stewart will be especially missed
from the cloak-room lotteries, and his
stories most of which were new down
here, will be quoted until he comes
buck to congress to tell some more
Cor. 81. Paul Press.
CUCUMBER PICKLEs.-Fill a porce'
lain kettle about half full; fill it up
with cold water nearly to the top. Put
it on the stove and let the water heat as
soon as it will, stirring with the hand
all the time. When the water is too