Wichita eagle., 1890-02-19

THOMAS L. PLATT. q perfect master II
masking if he is not happy as the world
goes.
Mr.. Platt spends the heated term as most
New York business men do. He has a har.
Dor somewhere near New York, SO that his
business shall not suffer, and of course he
makes long trip occasionally. One of his
''outing" experiments has recently given him
a costly experience, not without profit, proba-
bly,, in the usual way. At any rate some one
else got the money out Of the affair, Platt did
not.
The way it occurred was that he found such
pleasant summer boarding nook out on the
slopes OF Shinnemunk mountains, in Orange
county, that he was pleased with the prospect
to the tune of SAC, 900 to $50 900, which he in
vested in country home He bought over a
hundred acres at the foot Of the mountain,
built magnificent Queen Anne, established
his son there as farmer and manager, and
reserved for himself and the main household
apartments that should serve as summer
annex to his parlors at the Fifth Avenue.
But "'twas ever thus" he had summered
on the Shinnemunk two seasons He was
not supposed to winter there and never tried,
yet somehow those two summers had not re-
vealed the possibilities of Shinnemunk in
deathly loneliness, SO unlike the avenue, and
Newport, and Saratoga, that the heart of
man quailed before the prospect of life SEN
tence there even for summers only. True, the
valley prospect, with Cromwell lake nesting
at only miles distance, was charming. A
short climb would bring the noble Hudson
into view. Yet, as sympathetic friend who
has been there expresses it, you leave all the
loveliness behind you, climb the mountain
road up the gentle slope, pass house after
house until you come to the last, which is Tom
Platt'S, and there is not another within five
miles of it. No, nothing but a dismal waste
of mountain such as no acclimated New York
er in his right senses could ever look upon as
home. The Queen Anne, farm and all, with
views and prospects, arefor sale, and the lone
illness viii be thrown in as sort of chrome
accompaniment.
This matter of loneliness certainly never
troubles man of Mr.. Platt's connections in
his New York home during times of political
excitement. Then in vain he sighs for his
wilderness lodge, for since he will be mogul
in public affairs he must face the inevitable
and meet innumerabIe callers whose missions,
however important to themselves, are value
less to him. AT his business Offices it Is easy
to manage, like the 1rishmans master, to ego
out twishtto the waast he comes in" for there
are outside sentinels, inside sentinelS and SEN
tinels, all along the line to give evasive an
swers when the Toms, Dicks and Harrys de-
mand to see Mr.. Platt.
At his hotel the problem is not so easy, but
when he is in and does not want to be, to the
ruthless invaders of privacy the hotel clerk
answers to all callers who ask, ''Is Mr.. Platt
hereF' n sweet and smiling Il don't know!"
Now. il the clerk doesn't l1now-and as he
says he doesn't it is probably true-who does
know! The register viii tell the date of his
last formal arrival, which may be ten days
or month back. The give-it-away key in
his room boz is no guide, because his family
are always in possession. The corridors are
guarded and are paSsabie only to those hav
ing right there, and the only way to find
out whether the ex-senator is in or not is to
watch the several exits Of the place until he
tries to get out Then the interviewer gets
his inning II he have the strength left to
claim il.