The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1885-11-26
HAzLEHURsT. CoPIAH COUNTY, MISS, NOVEMBER 2, 1885.
HOURS WITH GREAT MEN.
Biii Nyo's Unexpected Meeting with Gene
erai Sherman sinoe the War.


Biii Nys's Unexpected Meeting with Gene
srai Sherman sinos the War;
I presume that could writo an entire
library OF personal "reminiscences rela-
tive to the eminent people with whom !
have been thrown during busy life,
but hato so to do II, because I always
regarded such things as sacred from
the vulgar eye, and I felt bound to 70.
spect tho confidence Of q prominent
man Just as much as would that OF one
who was less boforo tho people.
! remember very well my first mcet.
ing with General w. T. Sherman. ]
would not mention II here II It wero not
for the fact that the people seem to be
yearning for personal "reminiscences
Of great men, and that Is perfectly right,
too.
It was since the war that ! met Con.
cral Sherman. and II was on tho line OF
tho Union Pacific Railway at ono OF
those Justly celebrated eating.houses
which understand are now abandoned.
The colored waiter had cut off strip
OF the omoletto with q pair Of shears.
the scorched oatmeal had been passed
around. the little rubber door mats fried
In butter and called pancakes had been
dealt around the table, and the cashier
at the end of the hall had just gone
through the clothes Of party from Yer.
mont. who claimed rebate on the
ground that the waiter had refused To
bring him anything but his bill. There
was no sound In tho dining.room except
the weak request Of the colfco for more
air and stimulants, or perhaps the CRY
of pain when the butter. while prac.
tising with the dumb bells. would hit
child on the head. then all would be
still again.
General Sherman sat at one end OF
the table. throwing 4 liic.preserver to q
fly in tho milk pitcher.
We had never met before. ,-orgh for
years we had been plodding along lifa's
rugged way-hs in the War Depart.
meat. In tho Post-Oilice Department
Unknown to each other. We hai been
holding up opposite corners Of the great
National fabric. il you will allow me
that expression.
remember, as well as though i,
were but yesterday. how the convcrsa-
ton began. General Sherman looked
sternly at me aud said:
II wish you would overpower that
butter and send it up this way"
"All right" said ]. III you viii
please pass those molasses."
That is all that was said, but ! shall
never forget It, and probably he never
will. The conversation was brief, but
yet how full of food for thought! How
true, how earnest. how natural! Moth.
ing stilted or false about it. 1t was
tho natural expression of two minds
that were too great to be verbose or to
monkey with social, conyc7:a tional Hap.
doodle.
remember once. q great while ago.
was asked by friend to 60 with him
in tho evening to the house OF an nc.
quaintancc, where they wero going to
have kind of musicale. at which there
was to be some noted pianist, who had
kindly consented to play few strains.
did not get the name OF the profess
sional, but ! went. and when the first
piece was announced I saw that the
light was very uncertain. so / kindly
volunteered to get lamp from another
room. 1 held that big lamp, weighing
about twcnty.nlnc pounds. for half an
hour. whilo the pianist would tinky
tinky up on the right hand. or bang
boomy to bang bang down on the bass.
while he snorted and slugged that old
concert grand piano and almost
knocked Its teeth down Its throat, OF
gently dawdled with tnc Keys hKe
pale moonbcam shimmering through
the bleached rafters OF Q deceased
horse, until at last there was wild
janglc, such as the accomplished musi.
clan gives TO an instrument to show the
audience that he has disabled the piano.
and will take o slight intermissiop
while It Is sent to the junk shop.
With q sigh Of relief ! carefully put
down the twenty.ninc.pound lamp, aud
my friend told me that ! had been
standing there like liberty enlightening
the world. and holding that heavy
lamp for Blind Tom.
had never seen him before, and ]
slipped out Of the room before bo had a
chance to see me.-BM Nye, in Boston