The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-01-25

In THE SMOKER.
enyeloped nv welcome. Now, as / understand
o letter of introduction, il is sort of sight
draft friendship being the consideration, drawn
by your friend on the stranger, which you are
empowered to collect-if you can. Your sue
cess depends upon several things: your friends
credit with the stranger, for one; the stranger S
general solvency-tbat is, his capacity for
friendship-for another, and his opinion Of you
as collector, for third. The whole transac-
tion seems to me loose and irregular, and the
risk falls entirely on the unfortunate bearer of
the letter. who usually takes the thing on its
face value.
At irst, tried by various evasions to get ont
of accepting these letters. But it would not
work People seemed TO think that they were
comforting some enormous favor on me, which,
with the natural modesty of yonth, was seek
ing TO decline. The more held off the greater
was their zeal in my behalf, and in several in
stances, ] am confident, it resulted in my hav-
Ing letters forced upon me which would other
wise have been forgotten. What rculd doP
Nobody ever heard of sGch thing as declin-
ing letter Of introduction-it would be equiv
slent to saying: 4" / don't want to meet your
friend; he may be good enough for you, but |
have no use for him." So / accepted all that
were offered and concealed my true sentiments
under an expansive mask OF gratitude.
The number of these epistles increased with
surprising rapidity. For not only did all my
friends and relatives write themselves, but
many Of them demeBtedly went about asking
people, TO whom / was utter stranger, for
letters which should make me known to their
friends in California. Then there were some
stteTs which came spontaneously from the most
unexpected quarters. For example, q friend
sould meet me and say:
You don't know Col. Jim Fairfax, do you ?"
Mo: don't"
"Weil, he told me the other day he had a
friend oct Oh the coast that he would like you
20 meet-he had heard somewhere of your Cal
ifornIa trip. So he gave me letter of intro
duction-here IL is. It's to the Hon. Patrick
Casey. member of the Legislature. / thanked
hin, knowing that you would feel grateful for
the attention"
"Certainly," ! answered, but as never met
Col. JiED Fairfax, ! hardly see how he -
"0h. that was all right. He just wrote the
letter as If you were friend of his. See2"
opened the letter and saw. 1t was cslcu-
lated 20 deceive the Hon. Patrick into the belief
that Col. Jim and ] were like Damon and
Pythiss ] shudderingly added the letter to
the heap. and mention it now onlyss a sample
Of its class"
At last. when was ready TO start, the bundle
OF letters bad grown so large that il positively
frightened me. Indeed. at times / was half
resolved 20 abandon the trip, solely on account
Of tbe premOnition of evil that swept over me
Whenever CouIetn piated tHaL awful neap. But
j had now gone too far to back out and, depos-
iting the letters IN one corner Of my trunk. l
took my departure. There was crowd at the
station 10 see me Of, and the last thing / heard,
rs the train started. was general cry of:
Be sure and present my letter TO -
Of course the request was superhnous-like
most things said at partings-for the reason
that had already solemnly promised each one
that would deliver his letter.
IN the quiet solitude of the first days ride
hao nothing TO do but think, and the bundle
Of letters provided me with subject-matter.
They constituted a problem whose vexatious
conditions drove me half distracted.
III / failed 10 deliver them-or TO make at
least honest effort in behalf of each-I
should break my promise 10 number of peo-
pie whose good opinion held in high esteem.
IL would never do for me deliberately to admit
Oh my return. that j had scoTned to make &C
quaiDtRnce with their friends, or that l had
been insensible 10 their kindness in giving me
the letters. On the other hand, / doubted
whether could manufacture excuses delicate
enough 20 60 around. Having been trained 10
truth from my boyhOOd, / lacked the iinagi-
native power which is needed for artistic men-
dacity. In fact, i was likely TO find myself in
the same embarrassing situation that is said 10
have overcome the Father Of his Country:
could not tell lie-that would get me out OF
the scrape
So finally settled il in my own mind that
must present all the letters.
Then the other horn Of the dilemma began
20 gore me. Here were lot OF people who
knew nothing of me, nor i of them. / was ex-
pecteo to hunt them up, at great expense of
time and trouble, and deliver TO them letter
apiece ali around, after the fashion of q con-
Beientious and impartial mailman But that
was not al. These letters practically involved
demand, on my part. for attentions based
on q e-sais-quOi relationship between the
sender and the recipient Being a very Young
man, / was somewhat sensitive on the score Of
Enubs, aud ] saw them looming mp in unlimited
numbers throughout the whole situation The
Boston experience was liable 10 be repeated on
magnificent scale
The second day out became acquainted with
several Of my fellow-passengera. One Of them.
bright young New Yorker. by the name Of
felyerion. seemed TO take special fancy 70
me, and we put in several hours c0nvorsing
together. he had visited the coast before and
although only few years my senior. WAS evil
IDENTIFY man who had had q good deal Of ex-
perience IA the world Naturally, after Cur
acquaintance had progressed to a certain stage,
talked on the subject uppermost in nay mind,
and tod him all about the letters
j bad hoped he would say something that
would prove reassuring; the contrary, he
aggravated my woe
why, my dear fellow" lie said "if you are
going 10 undertake to deliver those epistles YOU
have nay sympathy. just ROW the very words
ictter of introduction ere to the average Cali
1orniaa Ike red rag TO a bull They are a
ASspiiai people, but their good nature has