Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-01-26
A Brothers Solioitude and Anx.
iety-A Failure Feared The
Famous Speech Hastily
Soribbled at Night AT.
ter Long Procras-
tination.
[Cor. Cleveland Leader.l

years later, and at whose grave the
great atheist delivered his wOrd-re,
nOwncd Grafton. lie immediately
told his brother of his selection, and
that he had promised to deliver the
speech. The brother who was some-
what nervous, tried TO persuade him
not to try it.
"Y0u are not famous enough" he
persuaded. "You are getting along
and making a fair reputation, but
this Is too big thing for you. l fear
you will make dead failure OF It."
But Bob had promised and would
not back out.
swell, If you are determined to do
this, you must do your best. You
must make a success. To do this you
must get at it Immediately. Don't
wait a minute. Go into that room
and lock the door, and begin the
speech"
"Oh, tomorrow will do" urged
Bob, sand, besides, l have promised
to go with the boys tonight"
And away he went.
DELAY IN GETTING READY.
The next day passed, and, although
his brother spoke about the speech
several times, Robert did not touch
it. And so the time passed till the
night before the convention. The
brother, meanwhile had got nearly
frantic. Robert came In late that
night and in answer 10 his brothers
solicitation, said:
"0h, brother; let's get a good
nights Sleep"
And they retired. Ingersoll says
he never slept so soundly in his life
as he did that night. Finally he
woke up suddenly, and felt perfectly
refreshed. lie got up hastily and
looked at his watch. 1t was 3 o'clock
A. NJ. He went to the adjoining room
very quietly and closed the door, so
as not 10 disturb his brother. lie
turned the light down. and, closed
his eyes, imagined the great conven-
ton hall, and his audience before him.
Then he began TO think of Blaine.
Finally he began to say his speech
over TO himself. When he had fin
ished he took pen and paper and
wrote It out carefully as he had said
It. lie laid 1t away in the drawer to
the bureau, and went back quietly to
bed. 1t was now past 6 o'clock in the
morning. He very soon was fast
asleep again, and did not wake up
till past s, when his brother was
standing over him, vigorously shak-
ing him.
"Bob, get up, get up! It's $50,
and the convention assemblies al 10 80
I thought you were going to get up
early and get your speech ready. II
will be a dead failure, and we shall
be disgraced. Blaine will not be
nominated. 1t is TOO bad, too bad"
Bob slowly walked up, and rub
bing his eyes, urged that 1t would be
best first to get their breakfast. But
the brother insisted that he should
not leave the room until he got down
to business on the speech. By this
time Bob had donned his pantaloons
and remarked:
"Well you be the audience and sit
over there, and will see what l can
do"
WORD FOR WORD REHEARSAL.
He then started in and delivered
the famous speech, word for word,
as it was given that day in the con-
vention, beginning:
Massachusetts, is proud Of Benja-
min Ii. Bristow SO am l." etc.
He went on easily and rapidly un-
til he reached the following:
"This is grand year-year filled
with the recollections of the revolu-
tion;' filed with proud and tender
memories of the past; with the sacred
legends of liberty; a year in which
the sons of freedom will drink from
the fountains of enthusiasm q year
in which the people call for man
who has preserved in congress what
our soldiers won upon the field"
But the real climax of the speech
was the following:
"Like an armed warrior, like
plumed knight, James G. Blaine
marched down the halls of the
American congress and threw his
shining lance full and fair against
the brazen foreheads of the defamers
of his county and the maligners of
his honor"
1t is, perhaps, needless to say that
the brotherwas completely captured.
When Bob had finished he rushed to
him, and putting both arms around
him, embraced him in the most en-
thusiastic way.
at is simply sublime he cried I;
"but when did you prepare it?"
ooh, 1 scratched it off last night
when you were asleep. Go to the
drawer there and you will find the
manuscript. While l dress please
read 1t over and see if 1 delivered 1t
correctly"
The great point with Ingersoll, my
friend continued, is that he Is always
self-possessed. He never gets ratified.
Some of the greatest orators In this
country have trembled before so
great an occasion as this. Bob H.
gersoll never said anything that gave
him so much reputation as that hit
about the "plumed knight" 1t has
been quoted ever since, both by
Blaine's friends and enemies. The
convention went wild over 1t. But
1t could not make Blaine president.
Ladies wear in the morning, when
they go out in the street on foot, and
do not intend paying any visits,
costumes of woolen fabrics without
anv mivfura nf aillr vaIx,at ~, ,,lush