St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-24
GOSSIP AT WASHINGTON.
Special 10 The Globe

WASHINGTON. ID. C.. April CTR
Gus day, = Sunday school picnic aud
Washington are three things on which
it ought never To rain. but the rain has
a nabit Of falling alike on the just and
the unjust. the congressman and the
lobbyist; and it rains in Washington.
ana does Ii. too, great many more
times i month than people who love
the town-and that means everybody
here - like to admit. Washington
weather." SAYS the clever little wife OF
Senator John NJ. Palmer. lis ike the
little girl in the rhyme-when its good,
its very good indeed, and when iIs
bad it's hOrrid. Its rain is certainly
a great deal wctter than rain In any
other quarter of the globe. and its winds
are strong aud bold Is the winds that
sweep across the Dakota prairleS.
Every pavement IN the rain reflects gro
tesquely the long waverlng lines OF bare
trees, passing herdicS and dreary-lOO6-
ing pedestrians. Every gutter IS foam
ing rll. NashingtOn'S monument re-
tires behind mantle Of mist. The flags
that, floating above the capitol. announce
that congress IS in session, flap against
their stats like wet dish rags. In the
departments. which are colossal exam
pies OF how successfully cajacUmbS can
be built above ground, the gloom IS dis
I hearteulug. Cabmen do thriving
/ business, and every where wet, dScour-
aged, tired tourists trail about and ask
questions. You can count more brides
aud brluegrOOmS here in one afternoon
than justice OF the peace at full speed
could marry in week, and nowhere on
earth are questions answered 50 cheer
fully Inquiries are taken as evidences
=
but OF laudable desire 10 acquire USE
ful Information. and are treated accord
ingly. You never tail of an answer.
True, ii is not always borne ont by Tie
facts in the ease, but IT'S an answer aud
very polite one always.
The women in the world who have
accomplished much nave been smai.
| suppose Eve herself must have stood
about five feet nothing. | shouldn't be
| at all surprised TO learn THAI Boadicea
/ was little woman, for walking to and
| fro and up ana down IN this world one
| hnds il the little women on whom the
| real burdens OF the world rest. The
! daughter of the gods, diyinely tall and
| all that, may 90 well enough In poetry.
| but when it comes 10 woman 10 put all
| your confidence in, woman 10 tie 10.
| give me the little woman who looks is
! il puff OF wind would blow her away.
or an April shower wipe her on
! the face of the earth Mrs.
/ Palmer is one of that kind OF
women. Her trim little mead.
/ always with its soft brown hair folded
| back smoothly from an old-tashlOned
| parting under the neatest and quletest
| OF bOnnets. falls far below her hus-
! bands broad shoulders, as they explore
I the corners and hooks OF Washington
every evening after dinner. Mis-. Palmer
! is always busy. i'm fact, she has ne vtr
an idle moment. She is Senator Palm
/ er's right hand man. and there Is bc
| tween them that fellowship and good
comradeship so seldom seen, that 90 10
make up an ideal marriage. She keeps
| an eye OF his work. sees that ne IS not
( OYcrwOTkcd and thar he is not bothered
10 death by people with axes to grind.
| She is woman OF graceful manners aud
! bouudless tact, bat prefers listening TO
a senatorial debate 10 round oil society
calls.
When the clock strikes - every day,
and the stars aud stripes are run up
! above the house of representatives, aud
the speaker takes his char ana calls
1 the session 10 order, there is always
/ III ~ an Guilltot buNitu b1 TIC
| blind chaplain, Rev. DR.. Milburn. DR..
Mhburn is one of the most interesting
men IN all the Town. lie has not the
air OF a blind man. lie is tall and broad
Shoudered and straight. His gray
beard, like everything else about him,
is scrupulously neat, and his voice rings
out boldly and clearly. Every day he
| comes 10 the capitol with the bright
! faced and interesting young girl who is
his secretary, and after the opening
! prayer walks about the grounds and
back 10 his sunny room near the new
congressional library. lt is an upstairs
front room, full of books and light, and
the chaplain sits in great reclining
chair, with his pipe and tobacco always
! in the same place near him. He
comes 10 the door TO greet the new
conner, or speed the parting guest. and
unless you looked AT his eyes closely,
| you would never suspect that manly,
cordial. interested and Interesting man
! of blindness. He has a marvellous mem
oTy. and talks well. He is an lllnoisan.
| and Just now is turning TO good account
his recOllections of that state in a book
1 he is writing. .'Ihe Lance. the Canoe,
the Flat Boat ana the Log Cabin" is TO
| be the title. and it is to be an account Of
! early explorations and pioneer days in
/ his native state. L ne DOCK Is nearly
ready for publication, and Mr. Milburn
/ and his secretary are working like Iro-
| jams on II.
1t isn't usual in Washington 10 work,
however Only newcomers do that.
! There's something in the atmosphere
| that discourages the idea. One Of the
! clerks-One OF those ornamental salaried
| creatures who abound ia official circles
told me yesterday that it took him
1 several months TO get his conscience
| into such shape that he could draw his
salary for that seems TO be all the work
! his position requires OF him OF course,
/ somebody must work, but who it is no
/ man Wotteth. The department clerks
/ come down town at9. At they 20 away
| again. Every mothers son and daughter
! of them has thirty days leave OF absence
every year. with thirty additional days
! sick leave. fhe general land commits
siOner. Mr.. Carter, who has brought a
true Montana breeZinesS into the Office
he holds, says that he has remarked il,
as an ineXplicabie aud interesting fact.
that clerk invariably falls sick inst at
the expiration of his thirty days leave
OF absence. Officials high in the scry-
leo may din If evprtNaVE hat IL clerk