St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-04-27
A TRUE STORY
By c. W. Hartley.

IN disgrace, out tn4t TACT QlQ not
seem to deter the hosts of young and
cid who asked their congressman TO
them to the presidcn.
for appointment. In fact, in less
than a week the whole town seemed
10 be afflicted with sort ,f mad
ness-an unappeased hungering for
Office bordering ON frenzy.
The first move of the bondsmen was
TO install one of their number acting
postmaster until the vacancy could be
filled. He was q rotund, rosy-cheeked
farmer with a slight inclination toward
politics. He had not learned the de-
livery boxes until he became saturated
with consuming desire to remain.
There was something fascinating about
It; something infectious. He contract
ed a dangerously severe case Of desiring
Office at the very outset.
In the meantime down the ravines
and lanes came trooping, fguratively
speaking, large portion of pu.sating,
anxiously throbbing Pamunkey to line
up in front of the post Office building
and gaze wistfully at the structure.
The acting postmaster did not live
within 16 miles Of the post Office un-
der consideration, but distance in his
case seemed to lend enchantment to the
view. Between handling the mails and
rustling for signatures in his petition.
with an occasional dash into the coun-
try to keep his wife informed as to his
progress, he was kept pretty busy.
The G. A. r. element had a candidate;
Spanish-American soldiers thought
they ought to be recognized; the Irish
wanted to know what was the matter
with them; the young politicians want
ed to have something to say in the mat
ter, and the ladies, bless their innocent
Souls, thought they knew something
about handling reluctant congressman
and mail matters.
Although mails went out of Pamun-
key on fast flying trains, they were
not swift enough for applicants. The
aid Of the electric current, as subserved
by the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany, was invoked for greater speed.
The second day after the vacancy was
announced the desk of the congress
man for that district was piled high
with telegraphic applications, which
were followed in the next mail by more
lengthy messages at lighter tolls.
The congressman moved slowly in
the matter, Is his denomination and
election was close at hand. He did
not desire to make mistake just at
that critical juncture.
The Nicaragua canal was mere
trifle to handle in comparison to the
Pamunkey post Office. He could fear
lessly vote to refuse to seat fellow
member of congress with plurality
of wives, but the good people of Pa
munkey presented a problem difficult
of solution.
About the time he had his mind
made up in favor of one candidate,
along would come voluminous bunch
of papers in support of another candi'
date, which sent him to sea again
One candidate was denounced as an
outsider. another had never done any,
thing for the party, third was a
very recent convert to the party prin-
ciples the congressman represented
and therefore needed proving. and So
on. Each candidate had his friends
and each had his enemies, and the
enemies seemed more ready to speal
and more persistent than the friends
At one time the congressman had
reached such dire state of distress
that he had about made up his mino
to have his private secretary write
the names Of all the candidates OF
elire of paper, place them in a hat
shake them up, close his eyes and pull
ont a name, hit or miss, and take hi.
chances on the result, relying on hi!
Guardian angel to guide his hand tt
the right piece of paper. he mus
rave doubted the constant attendance
of that invisible presence, for on sec
ond thought he abandoned the whole
scheme OF settling the troublesome
Question and attempted to put thu
matter aside for q new inspiration.
That inspiration came sooner thar
va. expected. The congressman. WHIT
a QenCIdl III NAS 6s~"s ~e''A ''~AN
brushed aside the papers with an I'm
natient hand and went out for stroll
;n the bracing air which came in th'
form OF gentle breeze down over thu
Bull Run battlefield, Withholding tn
soothing odor of fields and farms as j
rolled up Pennsylvania avenue. Th'
general shifted the refreshing atmos
nhere IS he involuntarily quickenet
his pace. It will probably never b
Known what turned his thoughts II
other days when shot and shell raine'
about him and he advanced rapid.
from the ranks to the position OF cap
tain, then major and colonel, comm!
home wearing the straps OF genera
an his advancements being achieved .!
lesxery. II may have been tbsse mem