Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1896-05-08

who was religious, put it on high moral
grounds. She said she didn't know
what she worid do If VIII came home
drunk which was true; she didn't as
the following narrative will show.
The first winter they were married
company X arranged for big military
ball and invited the governor. As an
extra inducement they got an appro-
priation from somewhere or other and
bought a carload Of champagne. The
evening OF the dance the governor was
present with his entire suite and they
converted one of the ante-rooms into
sort OF champagne shower bath. But
after the governor, wiio was very
tall and thin man OF ccod old Puritan
stock, had led the grand march with
the wife Of the captain, who was a
very short, fat and red-faced woman
OF middie-age and unn,;stakable Irish
descent, to the admiration Of all, and
the fat prompter had barfed all the
skin off the back Of his throat and
nearly gone into apoplexy and every
body had gone home, it was discovered
that the company in its extreme gener-
osity had oyerestimated the capacity of
the invited guests. So, as a last resort
and sort OF gentle bid for the golden
opinions OF the press, the newspaper
men were invited in.
And after the first edition had gone
down as many men as possible ad-
journed TO the city hall and sat down at
long table il the ante-rooni, with the
governor at the head. OF course. the
governor could not under the circum-
stances refrain from letting his full
heart. run over in speech. In it he
said he never could adequately express
his great appreciation Of the honor OF
sitting at the table with the repre-
sentatives of that glorious and power
ful instrument OF cirilization-the
press. He himself had aiways had the
most profound confideEee in newspaper
men and he was proud % say they had
almost unanimously slceWn confidence
In him He was also proud to say a
great many nice things about the press
and its influence for good. A few
minutes after these remarks the gov
ernor left for his hotel, having a press
ing appointment at $50 the next morn
ing and having felt during the evening
unmistakable symptoms CT the return
of the diphtheria CT spinal meningitis
or something Of the sort he had con-
tracted during the ardGous labors of the
last campaign, SO he left the adjutant-
general to represent hsm.
The adjutant genera, who was fat
and red-faeed man, having represented
governors at champagne suppers for a
great many years, was very able
representative indeed, and when the
governor went away much of the cere-
mony OF the occasion went with him
and it became quite informal, every
inducement to informally being offered
by the management. Whenever you
began to talk 70 your neighbor your
glass was flied UP by the colored
waiter at your eirow with such natural
ness that not even the most accom-
plished could get an approximate idea
Of how much he had drunk until he
regained consciousness.
One of the chief diversions of the oc-
casion was arranged to be furnished by
Billy Meekins. He had been induced
to attend under more or less false pre-
lenses, and when once in the hall was
placed by special arrangement next to
the adjutant- general. The adjutant-
general was to do the rest. Billy
wasn't inclined TO drink at first, till the