The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-15

friends, political and otherwise, and give
Nature a chance for an interview. The
Governor went, and ever since he has been
afoat on the Polliwog. Up where the Sac
ramento pours its tawny food into Suisun
Bay, up IN the tule-land region, where
there are more navigable channels than
there are legs to the centipede, California's
chief executive has been idly floating, fish
ing, reading and loafing.
And Nature the dear old nurse,
Took her child upon her knee
With the result that the Governor is
better-much better-and in a week or ten
days more he hopes to be back in his Office
at Sacramento, ready for all sorts of vexing
things that he hasn't heard of yet.
All last week the PolIiwog was off
Antioch, as the mariners would say. Up
and down and in and out various inlets
and channels she was pulled by the little
naphtha-launch Hazel. The Governor en-
ioyed it, enjoyed the cat-fshing especially,
but yesterday he ordered a change of
scene, and the floating executive mansion
went down stream and up in behind Mare
Island toward Vallejo. If all goes we'll in
a day or so the scene will again be shifted,
and the Polliwog will go down and anchor
near Belvedere.
This movement would indicate the
Governors desire for sociability, but I'M
less the doctors orders were counter
manded, unless Detective Oscar Marshall's
vigilance suddenly weakens, there will be
few social levees aboard the Polliwog.
1t has not been entirely the public's
fault that the Governor during the past
two weeks has not had scores of visitors.
But orders were peremptory, and the house
boat had to be left alone. Newspaper men
made several attempts to run the blockade
and to quiz the Governor as to whether he
thought DR.. Titus must really go or If DR..
Chalmers knows all there is to know about
cholera, but it was no use. The Governor
has been kept as much isolated as if he had
climbed the corkscrew steps up to the god
dess on the Capitol dome and then burned
the steps below him. He was suffering,
according to DR.. Sargent's diagnosis, from
extreme nervous prostration, and nothing
but rest and freedom from official cares
could restore his normal self. Because he
has had these be is better now, although the
heavy rain last week brought on a slight
rheumatic attack, making sleep Thursday
night entirely out of the question.
Life aboard the Polliwog for man of
Governor Budd's active temperament has
been about as violent a contrast to his
usual life as possible to imagine. 1t was
about like taking San Francisco stock
broker and setting him down on Goat
Island. There has been no excitement, but
many pleasures, and life has run on in
calm serenity.
With the Governor are Mrs. Budd Miss
Todman, executive secretary, and Oscar
Marshall, Stockton detective and an old
companion of the Governor, before he was
Governor, on many shooting and fishing
expeditions. DR.. Sargent took look at
his patient occasionally, but did not stay
long. There's Joe, the cook, also; but he
lodges aboard the launch that forms the
link of communication between the house
boat people and the outside world
The houseboat belongs to a Stockton
man, who kindly loaned it for the Gov
ernor's use. The launch, pretty craft, is
the Governors property. 1t is named
Hazel, after Hazel Colnon, Harbor Com
missioner Colnon's pretty 12-year-old
daughter. Captain Melone and an en-
gineer are in charge of this craft With
this launch at her service Miss Todman
keeps in motion all the State government
machinery. She sends all the dispatches
and letters and manages the mail depart
ment. She brings no newspapers to the
Governor. None are allowed on the Polli-
wog. Somehow the Governor gets the
news, and only yesterday, when a friend
called, the Governor expressed confidence
that san Francisco's Board of Health
would be able to cope fearlessly with any
problems growing out of the cholera scare
in Honolulu.
The houseboat is big two-hulled, six
roomed affair, and is as capacious and
comfortable as a villa at Biloxi. There
are big storerooms in the huils, an ice
chest and tank of distilled water Aft of
the main house is a wide sweep of deck
like broad porch. 1t is covered with
awning, and forms the general dining
room and living-room. Here the Gov
ernor's three dogs-Dot and Petite, cocker
spanlels, and fine English setter-amuse
themselves, and if the Governor goes
ashore at Belvedere or Tiburon it will be
to give the dogs stretch as much as for
anything else.
The Governor has enjoyed the fishing.
Mr.. Marshall knows how to cook fish as
well as catch them, and If the Governor
comes back to civilization with an extra
brain supply it will be owing largely to the
manner in which Marshall cooks catfish,