The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-21

there was nothing to do but what Brown
lee, In the most desperate calculation Of
his chances, had never contemplated even
as last resort-stop at his home.
Daisy" said he, in hoarse voice, as
the bus splashed through tho miro Of the
road, "Daisy"-softly taking her hand
in bis-"are you prepared to make sacri-
fee for me, greater, hope, than any I
shall ever ask you to mako for me again
In all our livesi"
She said Yes" YEARLY, with her head
swaying loosely on her shoulders like
sick ohild's. What do you ask meih
THAT you will not hate and despise me
when ! introduce you to my father and
mother" he said tenderly.
They are poor, them" she asked In
that same weary tone.
They are the oommonest people In the
state. They are 80 common that wlren ev-
erybody In town had the cholera 1t passed
them by as not worth noticing"
My" she exclaimed. How did you
ever get into congressf"
by my own efforts and not with the
help Of anybody in the world just sim
ply hustled for 1t.
"Well, " she said ''let 1t come"
What she meant by Let 1t comet" is
something that must be left to the solu-
biOii VI tilb IeuutEt bub tuo ItblRIlGu LDn8
In which she uttered that dictum implied
that as nothing worse than meeting the
commonest people in the state could come
to her ID was as well to let IL como then
as any time.
The parental Brownies lived in plain,
yellow frame house, colonial in style In that
1t shot upward On four sides like a big
box, but without any ornate adornments
under the oaves and without even ve-
randa, except a small ono that afforded a
view of the cabbage patch and pigsty
in the farther perspective at the back of
the house.
Brownlce's mother smoked a corncob
pipe and had whiskers. Brownlee's father
alto his supper in his shirt sleeves and wore
cowhide boots outside of his pants while
he was eating 1t. The wonder is that he
didn't go to bed with them. The furni-
turo was scant, and they rented the house
that is, they rented 1t, but Browplee
NJ. O., paid the rent.
The greeting that the Brownies, first
edition, extended to tho Brownies, Sec
ond edition, was cordial to demonstratiye-
ness. The maternal Brownlee was some
thing of cook and soon had repast
steaming on tho table.
Itwasn'ta bad supper but Mrs. Brown
with her, and her slight headache had
grown worse, and she asked to be shown
to her room.
Tho room had no comforts except a
patched carpet, pine bedstead and an
upright packing box with curtain drawn
around 1t for washstand and portable
mirror Of the species often seen at cheap
auction stores
And this was what her Lake Como illu-
sion had shrunk tol
When she arose the next morning, her
headache had not abated. The smell of
fried pork and coffee that struck her olfac-
tories while she was dressing was too
much for her delicate nerves, and she
never wished herself farther away from
the house of her husband parents than at
that moment. She slipped little coffee
and then withdrew again to her room,
just to BIO alone. When Brownlee, M. c.,
entered, she was lying on the bed fully
dressed, weeping.
What passed between them In the inter-
view that took place is matter of conjec-
ture. The result became evident when the
bus drove up to the Brownlee mansion
that evening, and Mr.. and Mrs. Brownlee,
the younger, got in and rode to the depot.
Brownlee saw his wife safely aboard the
Pullman car and then stood on the plat
form and watched the train disappear in
the distance. The same set of ruftian con-
stituents who greeted him on his arrival
were occupying their accustomed place on
the platform and INDUCED in their favor
lite pastimo of heaving fossilized jokes at
their represen Ntlve in congress. Brownlee
swallowed It all In good part and then
turned his back to the station and saun-
tered toward the parental mansion with
tho weary step of a man who has q load
on his conscience. ..
But that did not deter Brownlee from
getting out and hustllng. II he had
worked like Trojan the FIRST time for his
nomination. he threw the energy of dou-
Bile dose of Trojan devotion into his efforts
now. All the voters In the district did
not know what the loafers at the station
knew and what Brownlee himself knew
that he came of the commonest stock of
white blood In the state. They perhaps
didn't care. BrOwnlee had been good
member, and he could talk like thrash
ing machine, and his genial manners car
rled the day, and the result OF 1t all was
that ho was renominated and elected and
went back to Washington to finish his
unexpired term of service in the house.
His wife sat in the gallery ono day I'M
seen by him when great debate was on.
Brownlee had prepared himself for tho
master effort of his llfe He had got the
consent of the leaders on his side to make
speech. He attracted little attention as
he arose, and with his genial smile glanced
over tho house. drew a deep breath and
launched forth. But by and by no warmed
to his subject, and here and there menu
Der on the other side interrupted him.
Then suddenly Brownlee's genius flashed
forth In all its originality Several men,
bers who had tried to trip him up found
themselves mereilessly impaled upon tho
fiery shafts of Brownlce's sharp rotorts
and held up to the ridiculo of the house,
while Brownlce smiled in that fetching
way of his that made him resemble an ex-
pert conjurer when he eontcmplates the
establishment of the deluded victims Of
his craftiness.
Before he sat down Brownlee had scored
triumph that insured him place on ono
of tho big committees In tho house when
the next congress should organize.
Ono OF the doOrkGepers handed him
note. He was receiving tho congratula-
tons of his side of the house, and he did
not open 1t for several minutes, holding it
almost forgotten in his closed hand When
he opened 1t, he read:
DEAR ALIY-I am ready TO beg your pardon
now-any time. Come. Am hcartbrolicn.
DAISY.
Washington Post
Roll That Rennirca .Toh,s p,,i.n,o