The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-02-23

| "a hand, Mll flowers must bc held at one!
face 10 prevent their utter ruin Step by
'tcp slowl, aud somewhat painfully, the PEG
| pie move along, now advancing a few inches
now hating, again moving with he current
| Many wish 90 lowe the line after once getting
IA II, but II is too,ltc. Unless YOU are squeezed
| INTO an eddy no ,hoice remains FOR YOU but
20 go with the crowd, In twenty or thirty
| niultc> yuu have iravrrsed the ycstibuc and
| fh' corridor, and stand now AT the door Of the
| srccn room Through the door Of this apart
ment, 10 your lctt i, caught "a glimpse Of a
| line Of ladies standing and shaking hands
| with passing GUESTS. Nearest You Is a man
| similarly ENGAGED Back Of them is IA lovely
| bank of society flower, d'butGntcs aud ma
| irons, with "a few manly uniforms sand
wlchel I'm. This /, the American court, and
| as you take IA few steps nearer It YOU feel II
sort of citation, a glow Of satisfaction You
are 10 meet, face 90 face, shake by the hand,
the president and his wife "What viii she
think of me- the young man asks himself
"What shall ! say To- her" The young wo-
man Is bay with similar anticipatonS. Is it
not great thing 10 hr able to get an intro
uurtiou 10 the president of this great nation
and l,- lovely wife, To- converse with them,
% look into their eyes,
But now your turn comes. just inside the
d1orut the rod parlor stands Marshal Wilson.
Your eye is ON the president and Mrs. Cleve-
hand, and your thought, are ON what you
have determined to say. The marshal, how
ever, interrupts your dream with the prosaic
query:
Name please"
1t is a shock to you when you realize that
you must thu, curly introduce yourself 10
the marshal that he may introduce you to the
president. But there is no o.hcr way, and
You announce your name.
Mr. and Mrs smith, the marshal calls
out IN a loud voice as you pass before the
president. Now the supreme moment has
come. Iou are on a level with royalty
Now is the time for your pretty speech, and
for the sweet and CHEEKY little conversation
you have planned.
Somehow, things do not come your way.
Twenty seconds later you are walking into
the blue room. The American court is be-
hind you. All you are conscious of is "a hazy,
indistinct recollection vi having touched the
presidents hand and the hand of the preSi-
dents wife. At the moment of contact the
president had looked straight into your eyes
for one full second, and said Glad to sec
Nbu' Autu IlN Ellp ItldAttl, anu YOU StN
his face turn TO the next conner. He was
through with Mr., Smith and ready for Mr.
Jones. OF course under such circumstances
You deferred your little talk and passed
along. Your memory tells you also of
touch OF Mrs Cevelands fingers, momen-
tary look into her face and then you were
moving again. You did not know the ladies
of the cabinet, and hence YOU had the honor
of walking in front Of them while they looked
rather tired and bored All this comes to
you rs you pass on to the east room, closely
followed by Mr.. Jones, Mr.. Green, Mr.. Gray
and Mr.. Black, who have come through the !
mill a, rapidly as yourself
Now you begin to wonder where the fun
comes in. You pinch yourself and inquire if /
there is any enjoyment in it. Eou have 1
spent, III dressing, riding, pushing and crowd /
ing, two hours; in twenty seconds all you |
came for has been realized. You feel hghili- |
atcd little, inconsequeutial. You realize that /
II state reception is stupid, almost ridiculous. |
You say to yourself you will never do it .
again You say to your companion that it is .