The San Francisco call., 1896-11-28

cooling Delliah. who afterward betrayed
him into the hands of the enemy.
Then a change came over the spirit of
his dreams. Great Scotti He dreamed
ne was Harvey Scott, editor of the Port
land Oregonian. whose facile pen was re-
Gently dipped in slush mixed with gall
and shaken over the fair name and fame
OF California.
By the statue of Twin Peaksi' shrieked
the good doctor as he tossed restlessly
about, ''Pm neither Samson nor Harvey
Scott What mean these strange hal
lucinations?"
With mighty effort he rose in bed and
insiinctively his right hand went to his
head and drifted down to his face. Alas!
it was only too true. Slowly the dawn of
memory entered his puzzled brain and he
recalled that the day before he had per-
mitted his tonsorial artist to remove that
beautiful Vandyke beard so familiar to
constituents in the Seventh Ward and
urchins who made collections of election
cards.
With many a heart-burning the sue
cesssul candidate viewed his boyish face
in the mirror as he adjusted his cardinal
necktie and mused o'er the past. How
many weary, dreary months, even years,
had he watched the growth of that
beautiful beard. But there was balm in
the consolation that when duty called he
would not falter. Had not the citizens of
the Seventh chosen him as their cham
pIon? Had they not expressed desire
for reform in every department of the
city government? Was it not his duty to
begin this reform in his own personal ap-
pearance? Never mind what the Popu-
lists might say; he would risk their right
eous anger.
With these good resolutions the re-
former OF the Seventh completed his
morning toilet and sauntered forth to give
thanks in any way that might seem good
to him. He had rot reckoned, however.
on the surprise of his friends. At his
drugstore his clerk eyed him coldIy when
he issued the usual morning instructions,
and the doctor was compelled to produce
card in mis- attempt to identity himself
as the proprietor Of the establishments.
A few minutes later he accosted a group
of friends with "Hello, boysl" They
looked at him suspiciously and one asked,
"Who is the impudent fellow2'' Again
the Supervisor-elect was compelled to
eStaD MS Identity.
''And why, doctor, have you decided to
masquerade on Thanksgiving day ?" asked
one of the friends after the doctor had
liked" it with the Assem- blage at the bar.
Indeed" replied the reformer, 'ft is
not a masquerade at all. 1t is done in the
interest of reform. It's long story, but
I'll shorten it. You must all remember
that based my canvass for Supervisor of
the Seventh ward principally upon the
promise of reforming the many and gIar-
ing evils OF this great City and -"
"Well," interrupted one of the friends
land what has reform to do with the loss
ofyour beardY'
"a great deal. indeed" resumed the
druggist-doctor. "Who ever heard of a
man entering upon such a Herculean task
without first making his countenance as
stern as his purpose. My fellow-citizens.
when l realize the terrible responsibility
resting -"
Lets have another" said one of the as.
emblage, and the remainder of the doc
tors peroration was drowned by the
clinkins of glasses.
And so 1t went throughout the day.
Over and over again the good Supervisor
elect was compelled TO establish his iden-
tity and explain the purposes of his dar-
ing transformation.
Finally the story reached the press and
some OF the reporters suggested that the
doctor was ambitious to become journal
ist. Some of the oid-timers remembered
how fond the doctor was of the newspaper
business and how he had masqueraded as
reporter at the entrance of masquerade
balls.
Be all these stories as they may. the
hard fact remains that the doctor is beard
less, and rumor has it t. at the refo rmer is
in danger of Popocrat boycott.