The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-30
PULITZER AND THE PEACoCKs.
AnnOyances to Which the Editor Was
Subjected.

Florence Hayward, in st. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat.
Mr. Pulitzer. with his usual array Of
restlessness and secretaries, has been IN
London for some weeks He is not now,
and thereby hangs a tale. 1t seems that
he suffers much from insomnia, and is very
sensitive to noise. Now. although London
GASES of silent spots. When you least ex-
pect 1T, you come upon a good-sized PARK
located in the middle of everything cititied.
but holding within itself serene possibilities
Of silence and tranquility. kensington Car
den is one such place, and on its border Mr..
Pulitzer found and took a nice, big house.
and thereto he retired, accompanied py
John Dillon-you remember John Dillon. Ii
would have been all that Mr.. Pulitzer want
ed and hoped for in the way of silence and
English army and pair OF peacocks'
Knightsbridge barracks were close at hand,
and just as Mr.. Pulitzer would quiet down
and relax his auditory nerves and general
nervous system an inconsiderate bugler man
would trumpet forth TO whom IL might con-
Germ that it was now time for the horses TO
be curried, or for boots and saddles TO be
cleaned, or for somebody TO go and drill
somewhere, or for somebody else to go and
inspect something. Il believe that there are
about forty-two bugle calls day in cavalry
barracks, and Mr.. Pulitzer soon realized
that no sooner was the bugler man done
blowing off one call than II was about time
to begin another. The only hope for him
lay in the fact that the English army goes
to bed-oficially and technically-at 9:45, or
that, though his days were blasted with
bugle blasts, he might reasonably hope Tor
quiet, If wakeful, nights.
But he reckoned without his peacocks. IT
was threatening rain, and the peacocks
came out and said so At the tops Of their
voices. II sounded like an afternoon tea In
certain parts of the United States, and Mr..
Pulitzer had not come to London fer the
express purpose of hearing an exagyeration
of the American female voice at IL p m.
and intervals thereafter. About midnight
he arose and took a pistol TO those pea
cocks, but he did not even succeed in hit
ting the policeman who came to see what
was going on, and who did nothing beyond
to Injie for to shoot peacocks, but this ere
one didn't; e just pelted away in the
gardings, e did," No one minded the pelt-
ing away, least of all the peacocks, and
finally, at 3 a. m, Mr.. Pulitzer reused up
Mr.. Dillon to come take a walk with him
in the growing daylight. Up one, down an
other of the silent walks of the park the
two passed, Mr.. Dillon gradually becoming
less and less the semi-SOmnabuliSt, and Mr..
Pulitzer by degrees losing the nervousness
and sensitiveness growing out Of his sleep
less night: Upon my word" he said. this
is delightful; this pearl-colored light, this
fragrance and freshness of the new day
this tranquil stiffness" 'Ker-row, .
shrieked the peacock from the nearest
bush. Wow! WOW! owl and from another
bush on the left the other peacock yelled
an answer.
Mr.. Pulitzer is now living at a place
called Sunningdale, a place not remarkable
for much except that 1t is 2612 miles distant
from the nearest cavalry barracks, and is
| moreover, absolutely lacking in peacocks.