Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-06-11
MARY JAMES LETTER
She Tells About the Ladies in the Gal
leries and Adds Some Interesting
Anecdotes Picked Up During
Failed to See " by Gas Shouldn't
Be Blown Ont.

on my bonnet and other ext1atoraneous
apparel.
Wsm going 10 the capitol" said l
politely. "Won't you 60 alons?"
"No, thanks" seid she; "I'm not on
the mash to-day"
"What do you neant" said I, with ris
ing indignation.
"OA, Just what say. you innocent old
party" said she, with the most provok-
ing manner. "Don't you understand
good, plain English, with touch Of the
pic'uresque7"
81 understand your words" said I, "ss
miserable as your slang is, but don't
understand the application"
"Well, If you DON'T" said she, "let me
give you diagram: You are going TO
he capitol, and Of course in Washington
that means thst you are going to occupy
a seat In either the Senate or House gal
lery. Am correc'?"
nodded in affirmation.
Every well; you won't be there Eve
ninutee," she continued, "until some
Senator or Ger Will have spotted
you, and will BE- gazing upward at you,
something sitter the fashion Of Dives arc
Lszarus IS narrated in the New Testa
aent, with the exception shat you will
| hand him down something reire shing il
The shape Of smile, and the next thing
you know he will be up alongside of YOU
talking more than he ever did on the DOR
of the chamber"
"And what Of thsi2" said l. with con-
scious smile and tell tale blush. al
gentlemen of my Acquaintance want TO
talk to me, aud | want them to, Is there
harm in III"
"On, no, Of course not" said she, "and
| am not finding fault; only. as l said be
| fore, am not on the mash to day. That
is to say, don't feel in the humor TO talk
to or to be talked to by any rising or risen
sta esmsn."
With that she reIspsed once more into
her reading, and L went to the cspito!
slone, and q portion of her prediction
came TO pass.
Nor is it unusual for ladies to go 10 the
capitol. On the contrary, 1t lie quite the
thing. and one can often spend q very
pleasant afternoon there, especially on
The House side, where men are plenty and
many of them are young, gay End gsllsnt,
for age doesn't have very serious enc,
on Congressman, unless ii mss been run
ming long time; and charming little par
lies OF ladies' 60 10 the capitol, and meet
ing their statesmen friends there, indulge
in delightful lunches in the House resLsu-
rant or charming tete a-tetes IN the
gallery. congressman wives and dsugh-
ters go there, too, 8 d On special coca
siOne, when speeches are to be made, they
are always in advantageous positions,
where they may see and hear, and it is
pleasure to see the quick passages Of
recognition between The floor and the
gallery; the look Of the anxious man be-
low and the encouraging glance and smile
Of the loved ones above, who center all
their hopes and ambitions on the speaker,
snd to whom the national Legislature is
interesting and important only because
he is there.
Yet the galleries are abused and many
women are admitted who should be under
the ban OF communication, and almost
d!sgraceful q atoms are sometimes Gear
ried or, but this does not often occur,a and
the women occupy the public portion Of
the gallery, though l have heard Of con-
sressuen who have given their cards of
admission to the members gallery to
women that they would not dare to rec
ognize lin public. Is would seem that
every man who had risen to the dignity of
a national representative had also risen
10 the dignity or decency OF g gentleman,
but am gIieVed to coLfess that this is
not true.
| Some right funny things occur some
times in the gallery when the stranger
seeking information is on hand. Not
very long sgo couple Of outsiders sat
behind several ladies, and they were des-
csnting upon the characteristics Of the
Members. One of them knew number
kH the statesmen by sight, and he was
fpointipg out their noticeable points,
\ mucl as dime museum lecture shows
of his fresks. The ladies we're Ell joying
it Immensely, too, in q quiet wsy. Fin
ally one Of them said:
mo" do you want to zee the homliest
nan in the houstf"
| tOt course; want to see it all, was
the response. (Which is he2"
"That's him over on the Rapubl1csa
side, Lyman Of Iowa; see him over there
eating an appltY"
"Geewhillikins! ]" WAS the ether's only
comment, when he had located him, and
the ladies' Immediately looked nervous,
for Mrs. Lyman was one OF them, but she
only smiled, for it wss.not her husbands
beauty that had won her.
Then the strangers went on:
| "Who's that chap sp: akipg?" asked one.
BLAMED if know who he is"
"WelI, he amt much l guess, for no.
body is paying much attention to him,
but I'll ask" and he went forward and
inquired OF 3 young lady in the group If
she knew the speaker.
She turned TO the questioner with her
| sweetest smile
"No," she said, ~ do not know who be
is"
But she did, for he was her own father.
She told me about 1t herself.
He Is, by the way, one of the lesding
western R -publicans, and always makes q
speech with one foot In his chair.
Oae of the congressional mysteries
is how man can N AXE speech and main
tain his own interest in it, when he knows
nobody is listening to him. The day OF
the Ingalls, VOORHEES, skinning match IL
the Senate, happened into the House
about ralf past O'Clock, and there were
only twenty odd members on tie foor,
vita nobody liz the galleries, not even in
the prees gallery aud there l found q