The San Francisco call., 1896-11-01

sn hour before the start, and were obliged
to hire wagons to replenish their stock
from time to time during the remainder
of the afternoon.
Women displayed the Mckinley coiors,
the colors OF the honest dollar Tor the
honest working man, with pride They
wore the big flowers as corsage bouq lets
and a large proportion carried two and
three and four of the fairest blooms OF the
gardens OF Japan, albeit the smallest
chrysanthemum in the lot was large
enough to serve Tor matinee bonnet
Here and there in the turbulent sea OF
yellow could be seen lone white flower
of the same variety, a poor little piece OF
fotsam from the Bryan wreck. They were
so few that whenever encountered they at
once invited the attention because of
their scarcity.
The invasion for the popular hue was
not confined to the vegetable kingdom,
for IL appeared in neckties, ribbons, hat
bands and feathers. Ii, as has been
charged by that whimsical and erratic
organ of the Democracy, the Examiner,
thers was any coercion in the parade,
there certainly could not have been any
on the sidewalks among the non-paraders,
men and women, who wore the sound
money and protection colors as literally
as these were worn in the procession. The
adherents OF Bryan seemed to have lost
heart and the silver badges were so rare
as to be the subject Of general comment.
A cool, damp. cloudy morning, whetting
the desire of the bibulous for hot punch
with plenty of alcohol in it, was not a
very propitious forerunner Cor a big turn
out. All the visible indications were for
ram, and oYercoats, umbrellas and rubber
overshoes were generally in demand. On
that account the early hours of the fore
noon were fraught with anxiety. Should
it rain, the procession would be limp.
bedraggled failure. disguised even with
itself, and as San Francisco's inhabitants
are credited with that quantity and quail
ity of common-sense which impels them
to 60 indoors when it rains, there would
be. in all probability, no spectators of the
grand pageant, and that would be a
calamity hard to bear.
Major Mclaughlin looked out of the big
bay-window of the Central COMMITTEES
headquarters in the Palace Hotel. looked
up at the sky and groaned, alas! not in
prayer. He seemed 10 behold the crown
ing glory of the work OF the State Com
mittee for the last five months. sodden
with the rain, and all the gliding and YER
million paint washed out of it. If he had
the power to shed vermilion tears at that
moment he would have done so, but being
merely human he followed the example
OF the sons of Thor at the feast of King
Olaf ''apd muttered, and muttered and
muttered their =" not prayers.
None OF all who gazed upon the scene of
splendid patriotism enjoyed it more than
Speaker Reed and party, consisting of Miss
Kitty Reed, Congressman and Mrs. Aid
rich of Illinois and DR.. James BURY of
Chicago. The ladies of the party have
greatly enjoyed their visit in California,
and have made friends everywhere by their
gracious ways.
Colonel Higgins found it hard to be
comforted. In vain his eyes searched the
invisible mask of Jake Steppacher in the
attempt to discern some consolation there,
but Jake's tace was as unreadable as the
SCARED front OF Mount Tamalpais. Colonel
Stone, who has the steady nerve of a
veteran soldier, and who does not hang
his emotions on a clothesllne to dry,
looked just trife nervous, and Colonel
Sumner was ill ct ease. but glad smiles
came when the gray veil of the threaten
ing heavens was ripped asunder by the
shafts of the sun and the clear blue oi
California's sky appeared in patches here
and there. Then the clouds of dirty hue
melted away and left in their stead 6
feathery mackerel skyscape.
Thirty-fve thousand men marching il
the street and a hundred thousand men,
women and children standing on the side