The Washington critic., 1886-06-25


tion she remained there alone with her
servants. She was very cranky about
the place, and would not consent to
the use of the land for farming pur-
poses, though she had many offers of q
high rental for IT. Occasionally she
would take n fit of thrift and direct the
old colored man. who had the care of
the place, to do some garden farm.
ing on It, but her delicate nose could
smell growing cabbagcs half mile
away, and the attempts at gardening
were generally cut short by orders to
plow up whatever had been planted.
She entertained her friends royalty at
the old house. Mr.. Conkling being the
favorite, his visits being frequent.
lie would drive out to Edgewood
with his fine horse, turn him
over to the servants, spend the night
there, and return to his duties in the
Senate by noon of the following day.
The house was elegantly furnished,
and when Mrs. Sprague desired to go to
Europe she had many offers to lease or
purchase, but they were all contempt
uously rejected, and the old house has
stood empty ever since In charge of
couple of colored servants. There have
been numerous offers for IL meantime,
but they have not been even considered
until now. Mrs. Sprague was always
known as o very reckless person in re-
gard to her business transactions-scru
pulously honest, so far as that goes,
but exhibiting little business tact and
an utter rccklessness as TO the use of
money. Her long stay abroad has
doubtless cost her n very considerable
sum, and her friends here are not sur
prised that she has seen fit to make this
fine old estate of some value to her, and
to take advantage Of the boom in real es-
tate that Washington is now enjoying
to dispose of It,
Nv
Two of the busiest men on the floor
of the House of Representatives says
Towlc in the Boston Traroller, are Mr..
Price of Wisconsin and Deputy Ser.
geant.at. Arms Ike Hill Of Ohio Mr..
Price is the Republican "whip," and
Mr.. Hill holds the same Office for the
Democratic side. These two gentlemen
have entire charge of the 'pairs.
When Republican member goes out
of town he notifies Mr.. Price that he
does not wish to be unrecorded upon
the important questions which are to
be decided during his absence. Armed
with this authority, Mr.. Price consults
with Mr.. Hill, and he finds some Demo
crat who Is willing to pair. Then both
parties sign paper to the effect that
they are paired, and deposit II with the
clerk. At the end Of each roll.call
these pairs are read, and the Repre-
sentatives SO making them go
into the Congressional Record. Not
long ago Democratic member said to
Mr., Hill that henceforth he desired to
be paired with members of his own
party, for the reason that IL his South
ern constituents found out that he was
associating with the Republicans his
chances Of denomination wouldn't be
worth figuring out. The situation was
explained to him, but he is still upon
the anxious seat, as he is triile dubious
over his prospects in case the deadly
information gets down into his district.
, Price is little, nervous man, who
originally came from Pennsylvania,
but who has been resident of Wis
consin for several years. His hair
and queer. looking chin wiskers are jet
black, and he Is one of the most
pronounced advocates Of prohibition
In the 10th Congress. Price has
never yet missed an opportunity
of paying his respects to the evils of
the alcoholic liquor traffic, but it would
be interesting to know how much of
an impression he has made upon the
genial and jovial Ike Hill. Hill is the
most rabid kind of Democrat He
doesn't recognize the Republicans as
such but invariably calls them "the abo.
litionists." Nevertheless Hill is popu.
lar official among the Republicans, who
laugh and joke him numerically at
every convenient opportunity.
x"%
"IIamilton," in the Minneapolis Tri-
Juae, writing of George Alfred Town
sends summer residence in Champion
Gap, on South Mountain, tells the fol-
lowing funny story; Before Mr.. Town
send built on this ground the young
people for miles around had been in
the habit of using the very land he Sc
lected for picnicing purposes, festi-
walls, etc. One day couple of farm
ers came to him and asked him If he
would not grant them permission to
have little festival on his grounds
some evening, as they had done regu-
larly every year before; it was to be &
private and select affair, and none but
a few of the best people of the country
would be invited. Certainly" re-
piled Mr.. Townsend, II will be glad
TO meet q few of my neighbors, and
will endeavor to contribute something
in the line of refreshments myself
So the evening was set and invitations
were sent out to select Is or 81
persons; but the event became noised
around and talked about amongst high
and low, and on the eventful evening
every farmland, laborer, parasite anl
bum in that section of the country haC
provided himself with bottle OF
whisky and wended his way up the
mountain, prepared to participate ir
| the festivities, invited or uninvited. A
few brought up large baskets of beer
and did very lucrative business u
little ways Off, selling 1t at three cents
glass, and Mr.. Townsend, who KEEP
his temper with remarkable grace, hap
pened to run across his stable boy L
native of that section of the country
busily engaged in selling watermelon'
and gingerbread in the rear of the
stable Where he got the watermelon
and gingerbread is mystery. Tht
next morning the grounds did
look like picnicing grounds
sure enough, with watermelon
rinds, beer bottles, etc, scattered
from one end to the other. But thai
was not the worst of 1.-THE worthy
church people of the surrounding
country severely criticised Mr.. Town
send for countenancing and lending his
aid in such an affair One minister
even spoke of 1t from the pulpit