The Washington times., 1894-10-07
Becky ShaTp'S Gossip;
Maine Memories.

When heard down at the Turkish baths
yesterday that dear old Bob Blank was dead it
did seem too hard 10 think of his poor young
wife, cut right off in the beginning of her di-
vorce suit and her hope of going on the stage.
went straight home and wrote to her that
the next best thing she could do was to come
to Washington and 60 into Office certainly
think our avuncular government is nice in
some respects in its treatment of women. In
ever so many old countries when a deserving
woman is left widow she has no chance of
making an honest, easy living but to marry
again right away or 20 to keeping boarders-
not one thing will the government do for her
in the way of an Office But Stella, 1 believe
good fortune would not desert her in the
heart of Africa.
$50 sweet of you to think of the office" :"
she wrote back, ''but therell be no need of
my going to work, thank heaven! Dear Bob
had his life insured for 900 just before he
was taken SICK and right after the policy
was issued. before making lot of those
nasty payments that do eat into the profits,
he died. The poor fellow always was lucky
in financial matters, you know"
True enough. Some people do have the
luck to die and go somewhere. Others live
and go to Boston Which Is the happier
fate? OF course, Boston knows, as il knows
ali things. But tell you confidentially that,
so far as | am concerned, three months in
Boston on the Maine coast have taught me
the divine providence of that place which
Mr. lngersoll says doesn't exist, and guess
if Mr.. Ingersoll himself ever pumped his un-
regenerate nature down among the elect, he'd
be uncomfortable enough TO believe in spme-
thing where he'd feel more at home.
Here in Washington, with nothing but
geography 10 go by, we have the notion that
Boston is in Massachusetts. When we had
George Fred Williams with us, we almost be-
lieved Boston was in Congress. But | can
tell you Boston is in the beginning and all
things are in Boston. Even Maine-which
everybody but Mr.. Boutee tancies is all
Bar Harbor that is not Thomas B. Reed
even Maine when you get there is nothing
but Boston. We found that out in minute
You know always go with Mrs. Allister Nc
Ward, and when the Senator's colored valet,
who buys and sells stocks, plays poker and
the horses and the races for the Senator, in
advertently placed the Senator's money on
the Bitanniathe very first day the Vigilant won
q race, the Senator said that settled it. ex-
w
sacrificed selling out sugar in the interest of
tariff Legislation, he couldn't afford TO keep
his family at Atlantic City through the sum-
mer, we would have to go some place on the
Maine coast where sea air, spooning and scan
dial was TO be had for a dollar day
Mrs. McWard had heard of Wells Beach,
but. if you can fancy our surprise to find that
Wells Beach had not heard of her.
Mrs. Allister McWard? l do not know any
such person" said the lord of the primitive
inn to which we applied for admission, coldly
surveying our distinguished party through a
two-inch opening Of his inhospitable door.
Thereupon Mrs. McWard presented him with
one OF her visiting cards, which reads in black
and white. and in full, Mrs. Senator Allster
McWard. She says that if wives OF Army Off
GERS may, as they do. reflect their husbands
and their countrys glory from their visiting
cards inscribed Mrs. Gen. or Col So. and So.
she cannot see why the wife of United
States Senator may not with equal propriety
reflect her husbands and her country's glory
in the same way
Bnt not all that this told enlightened the
Wells Beach innkeeper, and though he
finally admitted US under his roof, / frankly
confess that none of the Bostonans who 90
to Wells Beach year after year being per-
sonally acquainted with us or our foreiathers,
Tor all social purposes, we remained through
out the entire season practically unborn.
Inls 100, mlnd you, despite the lacl that
Mrs. 1IcWard presented several oil our fellow
guests with marked copies of the Congress
sional Record, not to mention generously cir
culating tariff speeches of her husband. be-
sides freely loaning several old numbers of
current literature containing popular articles
signed with the Senator's full name and not
generally known to have been written by the
Senators private secretary.
l learned from the president of a Beacon
street Chautauqua circle that Maine was dis