The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-05-26

ARP and His Wife Get Glimpse Of
Famous Man.
philosopher Does Not Like standing
in q CFOwd for over Three Hours
-AEFs. ARP Wants to shout
-Home Again.

ran into the Dewey reception at Sa-
vannah. 1t had not occurred to us
that this was any of our business, out
at Waycross and Jesup and all along
the line men and women were boarding
the car like there was a carnival on
hand and by the time we arrived we
could hardly get into the depot for the
people. In the course of time we got
the leavings of a dinner and took a car
for the Central depot, which was to be
our headquarters until nine p. m. From
there we radiated down toward the
DeSoto, following the crowds that were
gravitasing that way. Seeing how they
were u.assing on the broad sidewalk
just opposite the hotel, my wife said:
Let us stop here by this telegraph
pole" 1t was a fortunate selection.
for with the big pole behind her and
the curbstone before her she couldn't
be crowded to any extent. In half an
hour the crowd was immense and
would have moved her from her moor
ings but for the pole. 1 braced her
on n side with two solid feet and a
firm c~orporosity. Expansion was the
word, and I expanded.
All sorts and sizes and colors
swarmed around us, but my wife stood
solid to her post. Another half hour
passed, but still there was no Dewey
sign and I began to feel a little tiredin
my legs and to draw a long breath once
OF twice in awhile. Sometimes would
bend one knee a little for a rest and
then change to the other. The street
was kept clear by the mounted police,
so that the military could have dis
lance to march in platoons, but the
military did not appear. Another half
hour passed and we heard the solemn
beats of a drum far away, so 1 braced
up my knees for another effort, In the
meantime fine carriages adorned with
flags and bunting and beautiful ladies
and swell gentlemen passed and re-
passed, but no soldiers. 1 was nearly
ready to drop to the marble fagstone
on which we stood, but my wife stood
as firm to the telegraph pole as Cassa-
blanca did to the mast.
About this time a little heather
Chinee appeared at the big plate.glass
bay window, and the small bows
cheered him, for he was Dewey's pet
that he brought from Manila-a lad
about IL years old and as g~oodIooking
as a Chinee ever gets to be-. My wife
said that was a sign, a ~forerunner,
and sure enough Mrs. Dewey soon D
peared and parted the lace curtain
and gazed upon the crowd and smiled.
l was not looking that way, and my
wife nudged me with her elbow and
said there she is, but she had disap-
peared and I saw another lady in an
other window drinking a cup of tea,
and remarked she is older than I
thought she was and more thirsty.
and was then informed that I was
looking at the wrong window.
Still there was no sign that the show
was about to begin, and I drew another
long breath and sighed. Cant you
stand it a little longer?" said she.
II am almost dead" saidI. ct would
give ten dollars to be out Of this and
sit down somewhere" 1t was then five
o'clock, and we had stood there three
solid hours. My wife endeavored to
distract my attention from myself to
the flags andto the small boys who haG
climbed to the copings of the windows
and up in the trees, but 1 felt like I
was at a funeral and I was the corpse
in the coffin.
At last, at last, Mrs. Dewey came
again to the window and removed the
lace curtains, and the admiral came
with her and waved his hand to the
outside multitude, and everybody
shouted. The important crisis which
were to have arriven had arroven.
There was the great admiral in full re-
gala and there was his wife, radiant.
and smiling-dressed in a silver satin
waist that was modestly low cut in the
breastworks, and my wife could see
diamonds sparkling and jewels shining
from her hair to her waist, but I
couldn't, for the window was not raised
and all that we saw was through a
glass darkly, and my eyes were never
shined much by diamonds. The ad-
miral was sick and the doctors said
the air must not blow on him.
About this time the thrilling notes
of the brass band came over the east
wind and cheered the multitude, and
my wife nudged me again and said:
isn't that beautiful"
"~Tolerable," said I, for my knees
were in a tremble and I was consider
ing how I could stand up any longer.
I had not realized the difference in
our ages until then, nor how It was
possible for her to outstand me, but
she never faltered for a moment, nor
complained Of anything. She came
thereto see, and she saw.
Well, the military followed the
band, and that took another half an
hour, for there were 80 companies, in
GLIDING infantry and the marines and
the cadets and the. artillery and the
cavalry and so forth. I suppose the
artillery are the fellows what made
the punch that made the admiral
so sick. The artillery was drawn by
the biggest mules I ever say, and on
each mule was a big darkey and the
guns were little long things about as
big as my arm-loQked like toys COM
pared with the guns we had in the
civil war. / still do not understand
- I'll --T - L.