The National tribune., 1901-12-05

/ IN, Judge, exclaimed a tail, slender, MD
dleaged woman, who had just entered the
vcstibule, and noticed the Deacon's dis
inclination to go in. It's SO pleasant to
meet the yeomanry of the country
~ eomanryt' thought the Deacon.
| Who're they? Some new sect, s'pose
No, ma'am," he spoke out promptly
and decisively. I'm a regular BAPTIST
close communion, total immersion
20, dear, how very frank and natural,
gurgled Mrs. Powhatan Cudger. The
very breezncss of the soil. You must
come in. | want to talk with yOu.'
Yes, YOU must come in, Deacon
urged Judge Cebbett. The Governor eX-
! poets you; Dr. Campbell wants to CON
suit with you, and You will meet more
leading men than you can anywhere else
i'll the State
The Deacon blinked rs he entered the
| broad. brightiy-ightcd hail, and followed
| Judge Goblet upstairs, to where the men
were laying oil their OyercGats and hats.
Mrs. Powhatan Cudger SEEMS to have
! taken quite fancy to you. beacon sad
Judge Cobbctt. rs they stood for a mo-
mcnt before going down. shes char
acter, | tell you. Very smart. but not
half so smart rs she thinks she is
Seen whole families afflicted that
way" remarked the Deacon.
Yes, it is rather common. You might
call it an epidemic, and they seem to have
it worse in indianapolis than any other
part of the State. Luckily it isn't fatal,
or the mortality would be dreadful"
I'm fact, none of us'd be safe Il day.
| interjected the Deacon, with rueful re
membrance of a recent experience with a
man selling Il seif-openin% farm gate.
Mrs. POwhatan Cudger thinks her
genius lies in political manuycrs and con
sTiracies," said the Judge, returning to
the fair subject. Her husband. Z. y.
CudGer, sober, steady. plodding fellow,
whom VIC used to call Pony Cudger,' was
put awfully i'll the hole by his partners
i'll the panic of 81 with wet and windy
sweep of swamp land in Chicago. They
got away with all the cash and stock Of
any value, and left him some square
miles of crawtish holes. which nobody
would have as a gift. Even the Sheriff
couldn't sell it. and the firms creditors
wouldn't touch it, for fear of having to
pay taxes. So Pony Cudger had to hold
on to it and watch his muslrats and craw-
fish increase and multiply. Just before
the panic, after he had been doing 50
well as q head clerk that he was given
an interest in the firm, he married this
woman, who was the daughter of a run
down +. Il. V, employed as a clerk in
the Chicago Custom House You know
we used to call the Chicago Custom House
and Postofiice the Virginia pOor-hUuseS,
from the number of seedy sons of the
IliSl L Utilities ILeJ were Ildtt 10 sup
pnit. The family made some talk about
PocahOntas coming down by marrying
such Il common fellow as Pony Cudge2
but even as a clerk he was n good deal
better husband than any Of her sisters
got. I'll do her the credit, too, of say
nS that she stuck Loyalty to Cudgcr when
the calamity came, and there was n long
time when they didn't know where their
next meal was coming from, and Pony
would have been glad to get u steady
job even at sweeping out and taking down
the shutters. Finally he got in the way
Of making n fair living again. and then
came the boom which struck Chicago Just
after The war. settled down TO a regular
thing. One day the march of improve
llept made an unexpected flank move
nsnt, and the next day struck Pony Cud
gers IIuskrat and craWfish reservation.
ard 4 week later he was a rich man. IOu
should have seen Mrs. Cudger bloom out
She made Pony take to writing his name
Powhatan.' ] never knew what the i.
" stood fOr-and to passing himself off
for one of the L. Il. VS.. | don't know
as lie was ever in Virginia in his life.
She moved from Chicago to indianapolis
to he rid of people who remembered her,
and get into a place where old Virginia
blood counted for more. She has the
common idea of Nirginians that they are
heayen-born rulers of the country, and
she takes to politics as duck does 10
water"
She's out-and-out for the Union, of
course" remarked the Deacon.
Not for minute. Pony Cudger's for
the Union, as long as it helps the real es-
tate market and don't make taxes too
high, but his wife's as rank rebel as
there is on the banks of the James. She
thinks all the aristOcracy is on the side
Of the rebellion, and therefore she is n
rebel to her marrow. And all the squash
blossom aristoeacy of Indianapolis are
with her. They pretend that it is vul
gar and common to be on the side of the
Union, and sniff at the Union Generals
and lenders as cheap ordinary fellows,
who have come up suddenly, like drift
wood in n freshet."
What in the world is she doing here?"
We'll. she has various reasons. First.
is bravado, at entering the cHemy's camp,
and being the center of attention. Next,
She is on a scout to find ont what is go
ing on. Lastly, she is vain enough to
think that she may win over some i'm
poitant allies She is always ON the look
out for men whom she can bring over by
her fascinations and eiOquence.'
But why does Gov. Morton tolerate
hcr?"
20, he has as many reasons as she has.
ard better ones. as Oliver usually has \
dog that will carry will fetch, and he
manages TO get more out of her than she
carries away. There's whore she isn't as
smart as She thinks she is. She will take
away Q lot of news from here tonight,
and be tickled to death at the budget she
carries to Bright, Milligan, Herscy,
Bowlcs, Voorhees,, and that ik, who meet
at her house But it won't be much but
what we expect to be known, anyhow,
while she'll let out lot about their do
ngs and contrivings that will be Of value
to us to know"
"Well," said the Deacon, not quite sat
isfed with the explanation, the Govern
or's heap smarter man II | am, but |
never want none of another mans stock
on my place"
"All the same, she's here, and she's
clearly singled you out for her prey. You
must 20 with her when she invites you,
listen carefully to all that she says, and
tell her in return as much as you have a
guile you out of many valuable secrets,
but I'd recommend that you be not too
radical in your Union talk. Give her the
impression that you're open to conviction.
Don't tell her that you have son in the
army. Let her do most of the talking,
and only put in when it is necessary, and
then don't commit yourself"
Il don't like playing the hypocrite at
ALL" objected the Deacon.
mo need Of your playing the hypocrite
at all All you have to do is to remem-
ber that only children and fools speak
the truth at all times. Let her do the
talking. She's willing enough to-. You
just be the plain, simple farmer from a
back County, come up to Indianapolis to
see the sights and hear the news"
I'm plain enough, goodness knows, and
since that self-opening-gate man got away