National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-05
BEEN TO MENTOR.
An eK-United States Senator'S Visit to the


PresideBf-eIecf.
so you have been prowling about Mentor re-
Gently, have your said one of our persuasive
podaugurs to an ex-senator of great distinction
and much popularity, whom he met at Wizards
last night.
How did you know thatg' said the Senator
forgetfu of the fact that his visit to the home of
the President-elect had been blazoned in the col
umas of one of the leading religious weekles
which. issuing from the vicinity of d and Tenth
streets, devastate the Capital every Sunday morn
ing
"Saw it in the papers," said our scribe, with
sententiousneSs which is characteristic OF all those
who powerfully ponder the wit and wisdom ofthe
weeklieS aforementioned.
"The ID you did," said the Senator, as he bit
off the end of strong stogy and fired the ampu-
tated fragment with unerring aim at the yawning
mouth of the numerous crystal cuspadors tnat
decorate the lobby of that well known tavern.
"Yes; is it true bill?"
"Yes," said the statesman, with subdued ex-
preston and a tender tone; al was there"
"What for" said our indisputably impertinent,
but somewhat sagacious suction pump.
ITO make calls" said the victim.
"Must have thought you had good hand,
chipped in our moral representative, thereby mad
vertently displaying knowledge of the language
of game of chance unconsciOusly acquired by
absorption while rooming with divinity student
many, many years ago.
The effect of the light remark upon the Senator
WAS singular, and as our scribe watched the work
ings of his eountenance he was fOrcibly reminded
of the lines of Byron about striking the electric
chord wherewith we are closely bound or words
to that effect by liberal Interpretation liable to
the same meaning. A chord in the memory of
the statesman had evidently been touched the
other end of which probably rested on the rafters
of New jersey hay-loft in the vicinity OF the
home of his youth. The involuntary and uncon-
scious rapid rubbing of the nail of his left thumb
with the ball of the right that accompanied the
rapt and faraway expression ofthe eyes convinced
our man that he had touched chord that vibrated,
and so he let her vibrate for a space before de-
manding response to his query:
"What for?"
-Four aces-four-for fun" said the Senator, by
a determined effort of his intellect bounding from
the New jersey hay-Ioft to the icebound shores OF
Lake Erie.
"What did Garfield give you in the way of
news?"
Nothing for you," said the Senator, with great
solen:nity.
"How did he receive you?"
"Oh, splendidly; never was more heartily vel
coined OF more cordially treated by anybody"
"Well, that was rather pleasant" remarked our
sympathetic listener
at was, it was" said the late meanderer Mentor
ward; and when he slapped me on the shoulder
and said Hello, old fellow, how are you? Glad to
see you,' began to feel that he cherished a1ee
ton for me that would make me a power in the
councils of the next administration"
"A very natural inference" inteTiected our in
tensely interested indier of able articles betrayed
into the impoliteness of interruption by the i'm
portance fthe promised developments.
But" continued the Senator, never noticing
the interruption, "before had been there very
great length of time the first impressions of my
Importance in the eyes of the General began to
wear off, and before left 1 came to the conclusion
that Il wasn't exactly as close to him as was the
late lamented Damon to the recently mourned
Pythias."
"How so?"
"Wen, you see, before had been there ten min
uteS another fellow called, and 1 heard the sound
of the slap on the shoulder that the General gave
him in the hall and the words, Hello, old fellow,
how are you? Glad to see you There's some
rooster who's just about as stout as 1 am with the
next administration, said to myself as mentally
calculated our relative chances in division of
spoils A little LATER however" said the Senator,
sadly, another fellow called and was received in
the same way. And then another and another,
and so the thing went ON until no less than twenty
five had been welcomed in exactly the same Ian
guage and with the same slap"
"Well?"
"Oh, 1 tumbled and tarried not There were too
many old fellows around there for me-"
said the Senator, as he tossed the stump
of his stogy on the floor and whispered
confidentially to a man with a white apron
on and glass in histiIand. "a little less hot
water and not so much saccharne matter in this
one If Won DleaSen