, 1884-05-29
WIVES ON THE WATCH.
How Statements Wives Watch Their
Lords from the Galleries.
"Family'' Gallery OF the Mousse
BracIng Up n Husband--Locked
in on tho FIoor--Amus1ns


1t was in order to limit the space which
loafers of a most Objectionable character
used daily to fill in the house gallery several
years ago that the house of representatives
decided to set apart certain portions OF the
gallery 10 be reserved for those who had
cards Of admission thereto, given them by the
members. One gallery is exclusively for the
families OF representatives or those whom
they and their wives regard as such.
One representative said at the time it was
decided to reserve this gallery that it was
done 80 the members could know exactly in
which part of the gallery their wives were
likely to be, so they would know which way
to dodge If they wished to avoid their gaze.
When Lent comes, as they have more leisure
from social duties, ladies of the families of
members Of both houses Of congress have
more time to spend in the galleries of the
house or senate, and wives are often inter-
ested spectators of scenes upon the floor Of
either chamber. Some Of them become
much absorbed in watching tho fate of the
bills in which their husbands take special in
terest, and their faces show their chagrin or
triumph in the course OF the debate.
One of them, whose husband had been suf-
fering severely with bronchitis when he was
forced to 60 to the house to look after a bill of
great Importance in his district, used to 90
there daily a few weeks ago while there was
a prospect for the bill coming up, and car
ried with her a box of ~quinine pills, and reg
ularly sent from her seat in the "members'
gallery" an effectionate note and "A dose Of
the medicine to her husband on the floor of
the house when the time arrived for him to
take it. Thus she stroye to brace him up for
the contest in the Same spirit as Spartan
wives equipped their husbands for battle.
The day his bill was voted down she had
waited for several hours with sachel contain
ing the pill-box in hand, and as soon as the
vote WINS announced, which was against her
husband, she rose Indignantly, packed up the
medicine, and went home with lessened faith
in its bracing effects.
The wives, OF course, do not foil to watch
from the gallery the demeanor of their re-
spective husbands in their seats below
especially when cards are brought in to the
latter. One lady will say to another: aThere
goes u card to your husband; wonder If it is
n lady or gentleman wants to see him. There
he goes out; let's see how long he stays, and
then we'll know whether it was a man or
woman. There he comes in again, so it must
have been a man who was waiting for him;
he'd have staid longer if it had been a
woman, certainly"
While some OF the incidents in this gallery
are highly amusing, others are often very
annoying. For instance, lately, a loving
wife, who was listening intently to her hus-
bands speech, heard a lady behind, who was
evidently unaware of her presence, say: as
that Smith speaking again, nowl 1t seems
to me he is always talking, and yet never has
anything to say"
An au'night session of the United States
house of representatives, especially when It
is occasioned by a discussion which requires
either political party to muster its full
strength, and causes n "call of the house 10
be ordered. and the sergeant-at-arms to be
instructed to bring in absentees, always has
some ludicrous features outside the hall, as
well as some productive of to the
families Of members of the house as much as
to themselves. During such a night session.
not long ago, the wife OF one of the colored
representatives was left alone in the mem.
bers' gallery until a late hour, all other occu-
pants of that gallery having left in the early
home alone, and her husband, who
was on the floor of the house,
was locked in, 80 he could not leave to take
of the house is ordered to lock all doors oil
exit or entrance to the legislative hall, MOI
only TO prevent those members who arc
within from going away without permission
of the house, but also to prevent those absent
without leave getting in except in the cus.
tody of the sergeant-at-arms, who has beer
ordered to arrest them and bring them to
make their excuses at the bar of the house.
1t was not until the colored representative
could succeed in obtaining the formal leave
of the house to go homo with his wife land he
promised to return as soon as he had done)
that he could join her in the gallery and 40
company her to their residence.