The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1885-09-05

the same, ana about twenty OF them,
more Enthusiastically attircd than the
women, came in before the ladies had
finished their performance. They
were under the command of Mr. Mel
Smith. They were cnvelopcd in sheets,
slips being made for the mouth, nose
and eyes and two upright fixtures
adorned each side of the head, looking
much like horns. The men also went
through course of burlcsquc drilling
and sang ballad complimcntng the
ladies. Mrs. Thackara meantime had
quietly led her brigade out, gathered
up all the other ladies around who
could be impressed into service, COW
cred them all with sheets obtained from
the storc.ruom and marched them back
into the purlor. There was some more
singing, u good deal of raillery and an
uproar generally. After that there
were salads and oysters and no end of
laughter and gossip. Both the ladies'
and gentlemen had been coached in
the manual of arms by Comptroller
and Colonel DcChcrt, who, when away
from his Office, is us full of go as any
one"
@"%
Says the Washington correspondent
of the New Orleans Times. UemJ,rut,
who has evidently taken great
liking to Mr.. Jencks "Thc govern
mcnt has secured an extraordinary
capable and accomplished Official in
Hon. George Jcncks, Second Assistant
Secretary of the Interior. lie Is law
yer of great ability, given to close and
thorough research, and possesses that
ready grasp of affairs which is the
very essence Of executive talent Hap
pilyf0r the government, too, he is well
placed. The business of the Interior
Department is highly important and
most complex, and requires for its safe
and satisfactory discharge just such an
official as Mr.. Jencks, upon whom II
very large share of its devolves."
~
Speaking of Senator Shcrman's latest
deal in Washington real estate, the
Chicago Mail says: John Sherman is
quietly getting ready for a profitable
speculation in Washington real estate.
For many years there has been de.
mand, wholly indigenous among Wash
ington real estate agents, and fostered
carefully by Congressman and Senators
who thought they could make some
thing by it, to buy large amount of
property lying north of the city and
erect large national park embracing
1000 or 5000 acres and connected with
the city by broad boulevard running
along the picturesque banks of Rock
Creek. Among the pieces of land 60
be bought for this purpose is the Blag-
den estate, belonging to sister of old
Professor Sillman Of Yale College. 1t
is one of the most slightly farms around
Washington, and Mrs. Blagden's hus-
band bought it in 1855, expecting the
Government would buy it from him at Il
handsome advance. Part of the estate
is heavily mortgagcd, AMI Senator
Sherman has bought it at less than the
face of the mortgage. His purchase is
siXty-siX acres out of $50. The land is
easily worth $500 per acre to private
buyers, and when the Government
buys it, if it ever shall, the price will
doubtless be in the negborhood of
81 900 an acre. Senator Sherman pays
5000 per acre for the siXty-siX acres.
Part of it borders on Mount Pleasant,
the pretty suburb lying on the boundary
of the city"
w.
Everything Mark Twain touches,
says the Cleveland Leader's correspon-
dent, turns straight into gold. lie is
now worth about amillion, and his
income varies, running high into the
thousands of dollars yearly. / am
told by Il friend of his that he made
$4,000 as his share of the profits OF
the Twain-Cable readings last year,
and that "'IIuckleberry Finn" has
brought in somewhere in the neghbor-
| hood of $4,000 He expects to make
and in order to get them for publica-
ton he made terms with the Grants
which other publishers did not dare to
make. AS Twain said: "They did
not appreciate the magnitude of the
OCCASION" His scrap-booll which he
invented for his own use and then
patented has brought fortune to it,
makers, and nearly a million of copies
of ii have been sold within the past
eight years. Mark Twain is now fifty
years old or he will be in November
When he wrote "Innoccnts Abroad
here at Washington, less than twenty
years ago, he was living in second
class boarding house, in little back
room, which was heated with sheet
iron stove. Now he has an elegant
residence at Hartford, Conn, filled
with the treasures of furniture and pic
lures which he has gathered in hi,
| tours over the world.