The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-22

secretary Of tho navy is encouraging.
The duties of the department. were in
creased under Secretary Whitney's Wig
orous administration of naval affairs.
SHADOWGRAPHS.
Here is true story about ex-President
| Grover Cleveland that has never been pub
lished, and to my certain knowledge is not
known outside of small circle. It is
! good evidence of the large-hearted gener-
osity Of a man who has suffered more lying
Misrepresentation than any public man of
the present time. In tho class of 1888 in
Hamilton college there was a young man
who had begun his education at the age of
81, when he could neither read or write. In
place of money he had plenty of ambition,
and after hard struggle with fortune he
prepared himself for college and entered
with money enough to carry him through
the first year. He wanted to graduate with
his class, but as he had neither funds nor
friends he found himself in an embarrass-
ing situation at the opening of the sopho-
more year. He had never seen President
Cleveland, but one day in moment of de-
spair he sent letter to the White House
stating his circumstances, his hopes, etc.,
and closing with an appeal to the president
for financial help. It was of course a
merry" request, and the president would
have been entirely justified in dropping it
in the waste basket. Instead Of doing this
he wrote a personal letter to his old
friend, Prof. Oren Root, of Hamilton, ask
ing If the student was a worthy fellow.
The professor, whose kindly generosity runs
beyond his favorite square of infnity, re-
turned a satisfactory reply to Mr.. Cleve-
lands inquiry. Within two weeks it was
evident to the students on Hamilton's beau
tiful campus that our ambitious friend had
made raise. He blossomed out in new
suit of clothes and showed other signs of
prosperity, and he announced to his class
men that he had decided to stay with them.
He graduated with a prize Grafton and is
now working his way to the pastorate of a
Presby terrain church. The ex-president's
charity may have come from the remem-
brance of his own struggle to reach the
freshman year of "Old Hamilton When
; the college walls were almost within his
reach he was forced to turn to the world to
find support for his widowed mother and
! sisters, and thus suffer as he once remarked
: "a deprivation that seemed to grow with ad
, vancing years." At any rate he will find nc
more ardent supporter for the next presi.
? dency than the student who found in him
the best friend of his life.
.. ~
A hotel clerk remarked the other day:
$50 you think the life OF hotel clerk is a
!. soft snap. Did it ever occur to you that
, am required to answer from 10000 to 15OOC
questions every day and keep smiling
face all the time. | am supposed to know
tee exact location of every man, woman and
child in this city, to know all about the re-.
: sources of Montana, the number and pro-
duct of the mines, the standing of our bust
ness men etc. At least am asked all o.
these questions by travelling men who arr
: fresh in this country. If fail to answe
+ any of these l expect they size me up TO
J a tenderfoot. Then again when travelling
man arrives here alone, he wants to see tn
town. the licensed gambling houses etc.
!, get an hour off in the evening, he expect
4 me to show him around. I stand back il
!, the crowd and watch him play five dolla
. stack and I generally breath sigh of relic
when the dealer rakes in the last check.
r means more sleep for me. The tri
= usually cost me from five to te
= dollars SO you see if this racket is kept u
it knocks something of a hole in my salary
;. About salaries, the best hotel clerks in TIL
" city draw about $75 month and their e,
u penses. This is much better than they ca
n do east. Now, you stand by the desk fv
l. minutes and listen to some of the question
n l am asked" An old gentleman rushed VI
a "What time is that l:5O train dueY"
n "At 1:5O."
81 know, but it is two hours late"
;, "Then it will be in at $3.50"
y The old gentleman gave the clerk a quee
o look and walked away. The bell boy the
q came along with grin.
r '"Ihat woman up in 81 wants anothe
room. She says she don't like that dys
i peptic looking green carpet"
n "All right, we will have tent pitched o.
= the roof to accommodate her. Show tn
\ lady the carpet in 400"
Then commercial traveller sauntered u
g to the desk and observed:
II This is my first visit to Helena but
y don't know whether like this hotel or moi
y That pastry cook of yours seems a little o
# on pie crust. Now down in Portland the
j. have got hotel that
= There the conversation was interrupte
. by tho jingle of the bell board and til
= lounger left.
8 A barber was talking about his frien
% Mr.. Sponge the other morning. THAT fe
X low is certainly dandy" he said. 9TH
IL morning early he came into the shop an
a remarked:
,s "Old man give me two bits until I ca
. get a drink. am feeling very rocky til
!; morning.
y. gave him the money and after viii
u, he returned and dropping into chair
cd read the illustrated newspaper for fe
n, minutes and remarked:
n "You haven't got cigar with your"
ne gave him my last cigar and expecte
ed his departure. but it seems he Was there
10 stay. He read the paper for ten minut
i, and then rubbed his face and said:
Il guess You had better shave me-"
"a Then when he got in the chair he sa
on that as long as he was there he might
NJ well have a hair cut. ! patiently We
ty through tho programme. which At his 50
nd gestion was concluded with "magit
A shampoo. ! brushed his clothes and v
I'D just breathing sigh of relief when he !
nd marked: