Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25
HER IDOLS. SHATTERED

ouo was girl from SalrO, III. Tx Aef
| wide eyes was the >far-away expression as
| of one who dreams at high noon. This
was her first Visit 70 the great white Capt.
| toll. With one of her male relatives-an
elderly manRhe was seated at a table in
| the House restaurant
THE applause of listening senates to
command''-she MD have been uncon-
sciously repeating this line to herself, for
her lips moved, ana she was seminary
girl. Her elderly male relative watched
her without indicating the amusement he
felt. She was wrapt. He was bored. He
perceived that herimental exaltation was
almost. too great for speech. Her Ameri-
can history was yet green in her mind, he
rejected. Here she was, under the shadow
or the beautiful dome, surrounded by the
custodlans of the nation. Here she was, in
haling incense from the sacred flames of
Liberty-capitai l. The fixed, pallid coun-
tenances of Declaration signers; Webster
ian periods; voices hoarsened by the rage
OF patriotism; fiery sparks from the clash
or inteHects; air-sawing arms, deriving the
world, right or wrong; the brows OF states
men hectic-1usfed with love OF country
the mind of the girl from Cairo, ILL.,, was
a-jumble Her coffee grew cold.
And If they do, I'll soak EN-! Yes,
sir, I'll soak 'em Grown COMPOUNDED self
righteous all of a sudden, haven't they? /
three of EN-
The Cairo girl suddenly came to and
looked around. The man with her smiled
complasantly.
TRY to bamboozle me out of this,
after I've worked on it for four years?
Not much, they can't! The things going
through! It's got to go through! III make
1t so sultry for those fellows
The Cairo girls memory was CROPPING
among the files of cartoons she had seen.
"Oh, now l know who he is! she finally
said, and she mentioned a name to the
man with her. He nodded.
why" she said, she is always repre-
scented in a frock coat, with his right hand
between the two first buttons, ana so dig
nifed! Can 1t be possible
And I'll just casually happen to men
ton on the floor that little scheme OF theirs
back in 81 and see how they like 1T! Huh
ragged by SUCH
When the two statesmen passed out,
arm-in-arm, the Cairo girls face was a
study. She sighed.
'Wait a minute. and then look over
there" said the man with her She looked
The benign-looking old gentleman with the
smooth-shaven upper lip and the whlte
chin beard had a Welsh rabbit and bot
up straight in her chair.
Gracious! what knife"' she exclaimed,
in whisper.
"Glarce over to that corner" said the
man with her. yawning behind his hand.
Her glance took In a man whose portrait
she had seen in the papers since her earliest
childhood. Opposite him at his table sat
an elderly lady. There was a long black
cigar in the statesman's teeth. and the ell
derby lady was enveloped in a blue haze of
smoke. The statesman was contentedly
putting away.
ooh, it can't be", said the girl
A smooth-looking committee clerk, with a
pen behind his ear sailed in with half a
dozen letters in his hand. He went UP to
the table at which the chairman of his
committee sat.
said the clerk "old Frenzy's kicking up a
potherr in the Legislature over your delay
MY boy:go Rwaya go anyway. You write
EN-. You know what to say. Tell 'em-oh,
go AWAY. I'll see you after while"
Why, don't they write all their own let
ters?' inquired the girl from Cairo. II
.WSondeer II thosa letters that papa got with
senate and House at the top Of them
weren't written by the statesmen them
selves? Papa thinks so, anyhow, and SO do
"Ah, Congressman Umptara, how dive
do; how dye do? You air looking well,
congressman. 1. got your little note.
Obliged to You. L knew you'd help me
along ..I with your Endorsement to get that
Certainly, SIR; certainly. What are we
mere Tor, except to help our constituents ?
You have only to ask, sir, and the thing S
done, or will be. A source of peculiar
peasufe 10 De aDie 70 obhge YOU. How re
the little oness Good! Wen, good day
good day, my dear. sir CIan passes out
flushing with gratif1cation). Gentlemen.
there's man that call nuisance. Comes
here at this late day and wants me to get
MIN a-well, as was saying, 1 had three
skies and the man that opened it proba bly,
had threes himself before the draw. for
he only took two cards, and
why exclaimed the Cairo girl, che
visited our seminary when I first went
there, and he made oh! the noblest address
to the girls! And just TO think
DIE hear himt reverberate through his
cravat this afternoon? No? Well, YOU
| missed 1t! OF all the Observation-Disclosures!
| had to leave the floor. But he'll learn.
he'll learn. The public interest imperative
ly demands, said he-the numbskulIi Wait
till my turn comes on that bill--Ill pound
him! I'll hammer him, gentlemen, and
YOU" 7
How perfectly dreadful" said the Cairo
girl.
ponderous man, with an enormous
watch chain, dragooned in.
"One of the heap muches of the lot I"
said the man with the Cairo GIRL mention
ing a name.
er, have 'em fix me up one OF those pork
chops, done brown: and bring me a glass
of brntermiik, Joe. and
She was the picture of a disenchanted
young woman. The idols wrought in Cairo
Were shattered.
Shall we go?" she asked. The man with
| her nodded.
Makes me think of the first time 7 ever
| saw a rehearsal Of a Shakespearean pIay
that I dreamed over after having seen it
| as lad" unused the man as he passed
out with his young charge from Cairo, Ill.
Pneumatic ThimbIes