The Washington critic., 1886-12-06
W WASHINGTON CRITIC
DECEMBER 0, tsso.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

public dinner that has William M.
Evarts for its presiding officer and Mr..
Depew and Mr.. Beecher for its princi-
pal speakers. Senator Evarts has un.
doubtedly presided over more banquets
than any other man in New York.
His old fashioned rolling collar and
his finely plated shirt bosom are fa-
millar sights to all Of the walters at
Delmonico's, the Hoffman or the
Brunswick. The urbane Senator en-
joys good dinner and good company,
and with rare forbearance he never in
flicts long speech upon his fellow
diners. Even his abnormal tendency
to long and intricate sentences Is
curbed upon social occasions. Mr..
Eyarts' special weakness as n pre-.
siding officer Is the interfering
OF facetious comments on the
efforts of the other speakers.
He delights to diifuse mirth and good
fellowship, and his facetiousness never
has the sting of acerbity. Occasion
ally, In attempting to score point on
q fellow. speaker, he suffers the fate of
boomerang thrower. An instance In
point occurred at the New England So
ciety dinner last winter. Mark Twain
had just finished an extraordinarily
piquant address when Mr.. Evarts arose,
showed both of his hands down into
his trousers pockets, as Is his habit,
and laughingly remarked: Doesn't 1t
strike this company as little unusual
that professional humorist should be
funny2" Mark Twain waited until
the laughter excited by this sally had
subsided and then drawled out:
Doesn't 1t strike this company as q
little unusual that lawyer should
have his hands in his own pockets?"
~
About the best society 'tease' /
know of, says the Clown Tattler" Of
the New York Star, is Mr.. Heron-Al-
len, the chirosophist, not chiropodist,
as / heard Mrs. Newcome call him
the other night. His prices are some
what prohibitory, $40 palm, but he
has about as much business as he can
handle, mostly In sizes ranging from
ST TO o.. He will inspect club hands,
of not less than ten for So each. To
go out for an evening to give private
exhibition of his handiwork Mr.. Allen
gets 800. All of which proves that
his own lines have fallen in very pleas
ant places, whatever his science may
predict for other peoples.
~.
A shrewd operator of many years
experience In the street predicts that
seats In the New York Stock Exchange
willse for $40 900 in the new year,
and If the boom continues, says the
World, his prediction may be verified.
Membership costs now about $27 500,
and seats have sold in times past as
high as $4,000. Brokers of promi-
nence who have private wires that con-
meet their Offices with various cities in
this and other States declare that the
speculative craze increases with every
hour, and that new faces are seen and
new accounts opened in the street every
day. Stock houses are now increasing
their clerical forces, leasing private. tel.
egraph wires and adding to the expense
account generally at rapid rate. For
they expect that 1887 will be busy and
profitable year and they are going to be
prepared for it, and for the influx of
buyers that will come with 1t.
~
A drummer fresh from Southern
trip sat in Solari's the other day, says
Towle of the Boston 1rdreller, and be.
tween the puffs of his cigar cut loose as
follows: Boys, I've struck new
game since I saw you last, and 1t is 60
ing to be popular sure enough. Cards
are all right enough in smoking car
with the boys, but what fellow wants
is something that will keep his mind
off from the fatigue of travelling and at
the same time give him some amuse-
ment. Well, when we left Atlanta |
ran up against another drummer who
knew all about this new game, aud
we hadn't been at it more than
an hour before the whole train
of men, women and children
were playing it. Now the modus
operandi was something tike this: The
game is to count a thousand points.
My friend sat on one side of the car
and on the other. A boy, dog, COW,
sheep or horse counted 10. man
IS, a woman 20, a girl 25, and cat 30.
A red headed girl counted 100. We
watched out OF the car window until
we reached Alexandria. Va. His score
was S75, and saw that In ten minutes
he was likely to make the 900. had
730 and / felt pretty certain that l
would have to pay for that box ofcigars,
Well, the train drew into Alexandria
and there were three red-headed girls
standing on the platform, and ran the
game out On him right there"
~
A former member of General Grants
staff said to the same correspondent:
II know all about the origin of the
trouble between Grant and Hancock.
1t came from report which Grant
sent to the War Department about the
battle Of Spottsylvania That was q
hard and bloody fight and the Second
Corps, under Hancock, performed
most brilliant service. When Grant
made up his report he did not men.
tion Hancock by name. The report
did not particularlze any officer, but 1t
deal. fairly and honestly with the mag
nifit ent work of the Second Corps.
Hancock thought he ought to have
been mentioned by name, and wrote a
letter to grant in complaining spirit.
/ don't know whether Grant ever
replied to it or not, but l do know
that Hancock thought that the
lieutenant general had failed to do him
justice. All of the subsequent cstrauge
ment Of the two men dates from this
little incident. You will remember
that when Grant died Hancock had
charge of the funeral arrangements as
the representative Of the Government,
and his last public appearance was nj