Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-03

4 satisfied. hut Through a street'-never
| Such are some of the evils Of war. our
| sweet poetess has been sincere In her
| suggestions but like many other oards.
| she has unconsciousiy assigned the easier,
] duties to herself and left us soldiers 10
| hold the cat in the bag. Now, II the
| rhymsters. male and female, VINO nave
menaced Spain for so many weeks WIN
their bellgerent verses, will volunteer 10
iii some OF the heroes graves so feeiingy
mentioned. we who will have to DO Inc
actual fighting will declare for war u
once.
IL was n day of anxiety and excite
ment-a day when rich and poor, wise
and stupid. young and old, all talked or
war. on every corner they buttonholed
one another Dry-goods clerks were APP
pealed TO for their views. and even the
street-car conductors were besought 10
express opinions on the crisis. Men VINO
didn't know the difference between
magistrate and an appellata court shout-
ed their ideas of international law ana
unhesitatingly criticised the admlnlSlfa-
ton. II was Cuba, Cuba, Cuba, and spain,
Spain Spain. and war TO the knife, ana
no compromise, and everything else thdt
indicates a belligerent spirit. Ana SO;
when the individual with the melleu
chalk solution approached the Dig Duiie-
tin-board and prepared to proclaim III
burning letters Of white the latest News
they fiocked around him, after the man
ner OF Virginians who are never too busy
IN nause a few minutes. He did not hur-
ry-this man with the chalk solution-tor
he knew the crowd would wait. Ana
neither did the multitude murmur-yea'
they exhibited the most laudable patience,
for the suspense of expectancy was dell
cious. Slowly and with superb deliDeratloh
did the news-mongcr write the words on
the bulletin; swiftly and with cVer-lh-
creasing numbers did the crowd multiply
Not a sound was heard save the swish
Of the brush and the excited breathing OF
the onloOkers.
"The news Of the Presidents action was
received with intense excitement In Ha-
bana." wrote the scribe, whereupon he
paused and calmly surveyed the myriads
who watched his every movement.
Everywhere it was discussed on the |
streets" continued he, and then there |
was another pause and more excited
breathing. and an occasional shutting or |
restless feet.
But look! the man with the brush re-
sumes Drink in his every word as IL !
drips from the bristles Of his unique |
stylus. General Lee, when shown the |
report Of the nations Executive, smiling
w remarked -" and here the de- /
liberate news-monger lost himself IN /
thought and in forgetfulness Of those /
who hung their glances on his every |
Awaking at last from his comatose |
state, the individual with the brush re-
sumed his work. To the words General
Lee. when shown the report Of the ma
TONS Executive, smilinsly remarked /
-" he added the following Il see
they are selling the best five-cent cigar IN
Richmond at the x. Y. r. store And
the crowd drew a long. united, consoi-
dated breath, and sucked in hundreds OF
cubic feet of air. and saying not WORD,
each man silently withdrew, and as they
meekly shufied OFF. they one and all re-
called the fact that important business
awaited them. And no man smiled, for
al had bitten at the bait The big, stout
party. who never gets seasick, and never
had a practical joke played on him In
MS long and useful life, merely remarked: