McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-22
A Presidential Junk-ShOp.

The queerest place in the state is
Gov. Cleveland's barn, or store room,
writes an Albany correspondent of THE
st. Louis Post-Dispatch. Your CORES
pondent was permitted to visit these
quarters to-day, and stranger col
lection of old junk it would be impos-
sible to find anywhere. The barn is a
substantial structure. Built just back
of the executive mansion, and during
the administration of more wealthy
governors it was used for carriages
and horses of these worthless. Gov.
Cleveland, however, doesn't keep a
team, and since his election to the
presidency the vacant barn has been
used to store the vast collection of
miscellaneous presents that come
pouring in from every part of the
union. Formally these packages were
delivered at the executive chamber on
the hill, but as they kept constantly
increasing liz number and variety, it
was found impossible to receive them,
and so kind of union depot was open
ed in the barn. 1t keeps one man busy
receiving, arranging, and shipping
back the packages addressed to the
president elect. In spite of the fact
that the greatest care is exercised in
finding out who sends the stuff and
his address, many of the packages re-
main unidentified. The governors
orders are that all presents shall be
returned at once. But as about half
of the gifts come anonymously, it is
not so easy to carry out the instruc-
tons. A clerk was busy making and
sending away packages when your
correspondent called to take tour of
the place. The collection of oaid
eagles, bicycles, chairs, desks, brushes
and other bric-a-brac would have put a
junk-shop to blush. Yet there was
one marked difference between the
stock in the governors barn and the
Junk shop. Here every article was
brand new. The eagle Tapped his
wings dolefully in his wooden cage,
with an air that told plainly it was
the first time he had ever been made a
show of, and two owls stared in a
monrnfullv knowing way at the ex-
pressman who was taking the things
away.
Not speck of dust dimmed the
brightness of the glittering bicycle
that was promptly going back to Bos-
ton, and the red plush of a comforta-
Bile arm chair showed its newness
through the thin covering spread over
it. The only thing that bore traces of
wear was barrel covered with coun-
try mud and with number of open
ings cut in the slaves, through which
the red and mellow golden of New
York apples showed. A second ex-
pressman was unloading half barrel
of cider that had just arrived, when
the clerk caught him and told him to
wait. A careful examination showed
that it came from Binghamton, n. Y,
and, without taking it from the wagon,
a receipt and bill of lading were made
and the stuff shipped back. So it went
all day. AS fast as one thing was
returned another came in to take it's
place, and the clerk considered HIM
self lucky if two articles did not come
in place of every one sent back. 1t is
easy to understand how simple coun-
try folk take pleasure in sending little
tokens of affection to the man they
honor and respect, and in whose goo d
fortune they have had q part. But
why these tokens so often take the
form of animals is a question that
sadly purplexes the poor clerk. One
man in Brooklyn sends dog, another
in Maine sends two owls, third for
wards an eagle, fourth believes that
nothing less than Maltese cat will
make the president happy, while a
fifth hopes TO win his favor by the pre-
sentation of fawn. If this sort of
thing continues the barn attached to
the executive mansion will soon con-
tain menagerie which will make our
Barnum hang his head in shame. The
president elect takes it all good-natur-
eddy. and as huge joke. Said he to-
day, laughing over the matter, Some
| body out west, don't remember his
name just now, sent me an eagle the
other day. What am to do with an
eagle? Ipresume they will be send
ing me an elephant next" Then, nus
ingly, HE would be just as useful as
an eagle, though