Evening star., 1901-11-16
A TRIBUTE TO GREATNESS

A very sumptuous individual strolled Ian
guidly around the rotunda of one of Wash
ipgton's sumptuous hotels the other even
ing. He was all of four feet six inches in
perpendicularity. His face was weazened
and precocious. yet, even at that, this spien-
diferous parsonage did not appear to be
much above fourteen years of age-which
Is, in fact, his age. A very fine raglan
with .velvet cuffs, hung baggily on his
sawed-oH shape. Underneath the raglan he
had fine silk-faced tuxedo coat, and hrs
evening trousers had broad satin stripe
down the sides therof. Three blue-wflite
gems. each of about two carats, blazed in
has aggressively spotless shirt front. On
his little fiaxen head he had an alpine hat
black, and of an ultra foreignish pattern
On the third and little fingers of his left
hand were large diamond rings, and the
gorgeous individual seemed to be at partic-
aiaf pains to spread these on the record
and to keep them in evidence, for he con-
stantly removed and replaced the long,
piack cigar, unlighted, on which he was
chewing His patent leather shoes were
amazingly glossy, and the yellow gloves
which he carried in his hand had obviously
Just been taken out of the box, for they
had never been worn.
The little jockey-one of the stars of the
lot down here for the Benning meeting
strutted about the hotel corridor with an
old-mannish air that was source of vast
amusement to the non-racing folk who were
sitting about in the chairs enjoying their
after-dinner cigars. But the racing people
who passed to and fro in the corridor ap-
peared to take the midget jock very Sc
riously, indeed, and the middle-aged men
among them actually flushed with pleasure
when the tiny horseman bestowed an in
different sort of nod upon them, as they
passed by him. Every once in while some
man, of the races racy by his exterior,
would walk up to the mite of a boy thus
gorgeously diked out in purple and fine
linen, and address question or so to him.
and then the jockey would incline his head
to listen with the manner of cabinet min
ister who is stopped in the hall of his de-
partment and tackled by a group of news
paper men. Then he would shake his head
solemnly or bob 1t up and down approving
ly, and all the time he would be removing
ana replacing the long, black cigar with the
qua nd-bedecked fingers and looking pre-
ternaturally wise.
All In all. he was about as impressive a
piece OF work for his years and his stature
as mas been seen around these parts since
well, since the last Benning meeting
Unto this ornate little man came a
slouchy-looking telegraph messenger boy
or about his same age. The messenger
poys uniform pantaloonS were spattered
with mud from his bicycle, and his hair
showed unkempt under his cap, and his
coatsleeves We're much too short for his
arms, and his hands were big and red and
raw. But in his eyes there was an ex-
preston of reverence as he bore down upon
the gorgeous mite of a jockey who ha D.
pened to be standing alone at that mo-
ment.
Are youse Mr.. ---?" inquired the mes
senger of the jockey. his voice husky with
the awe that held him almost in a SPELL
Yep replied the jockey taking the ex-
tended telegram in bored kind of way and
opening it. He read it with more or less
difhculty. his lips moving as he slowly spelt
out the words. and then he looked up at
the messenger.
mo answer he said, reaching into his
trousers pocket and pulling out half dol
lar. which he f1icked at the messenger, who
deftiy caught it.
But the messenger hesitated as if he
hadn't fully performed his mission. He
cleared his throat, and then stood on one
leg ciumsfy, only to shift Immediately to
the other, and all the time he gazed upon
the Jockey, as if the latter were Deadwood
DICK or Billy the Kid in the actual flesh
Ihey amt no answer, kid repeated the
jockey. ~
''All right, SIR" said the messenger re-
spectfully. And then he blushed very red
and plunged ahead desperately:
Say he whispered hoarsey to the
Jockey, Eouse don't need t. gimme dis half
If youse'n gimme Cat smoke youse is chew
in on f'r soov'nir.'' -r--F e.
oh, all right, kid said the jockey, good
naturedly, and he pulled the gnawed long
black cigar out Of his mouth and handed
1t over to the messenger, who stretched oiIt
his grimy paw for it with delight printed
all over his features And keep tn half
git yourself new pair O. shoes with it,
added the mite of a jockey, banteriHgly
T Tanks-tank ye, SIR rapturously ex-
claimed the messenger removins, his can
and carefully placing the cigar in it,
Won't de odder kids be crazy jealous o.
me, dat's air. andthen he fled out through
the hotel storm door, as if afraid that the
jockey might change his mind about the
cigar and ask for it's return.
Then the jockey turned to racing man
who was standing near. There was a grin
on his weazened face he produced an
other long black cigar, stuck it in one cor
ner of his mouth, and remarked 7'#'
Well man feels like bein on tn level
with tn kids-I used t hump tn walk as
TELEGRAPH messenger meselfn'