The Sunday globe., 1901-05-19


While the applicant presented endorse
ments galore, II was understood the ap.
pointment was finally made at the in
stance of Hon. Alexander II. Stevens.
Now, Grimes had for many moons been
a carpet bagger in Georgia, with all the
characteristics belonging thereto, and
was thoroughly detested in the land of
the Ocmulgee and the Oconee. When
Mr. Stevens arrived at his home a dele
CATION was in waiting, With heightened
vsage they ranged themselves around
the wall of the reception room. Noticing
the serious countenances of each, Mr..
Stevens asked; Anything wrong, gen.
tlemen2'
One old planter elbowed his way to
the front.
Yes, Mr.. Stevens; there is something
radically wrong. Didn't you know that
Grimes was the blankest, blank. blankH'
He held up his hand. Yes, | knew all
that and more,
Then what in the world did you
recommend his appointment for2' We'll,
wouldn't you rather have Grimes in
China than Grimes in Georgian You
note the simile2 Our ambitious youth
finally lands in one of the Departments.
He is shelved; dropped. He finds his
position far from the rose-tinted dream
he had pictured. In six weeks, maybe
six months; maybe six years-it takes
some people longer to wake up than
others-he finds he has, as Bob Burdette
So aptly puts it, been climbing some other
man stair. Outside of his office hours
he takes course of law at one of the
universities, hands in his resignation, and
forthwith hangs out his shingle. Mean
time some Washington girl has captured
a,husband and new associations areformed.
Such thing as returning to his native
town never once enters his mind. He is
in another atmosphere now. But does
he practice lawH Not bit Of it. He
becomes an agent. They generally style
themselves pension agents, but then the
bottom dropped out of the pension busi-
ness some years ago; they are claim
agents, handling anything from mining
to revolutionary; land agents, Indian
agents, real estate agents, collection
agents-any and everything except at
tOrneys."
81 have yet to be inoculated with the
office holding virus, as John ]. Ingalls,
called it, but were to put in an appear
ance in Washington some sunny morn
ing you need not be surprised
SHOULD you do so, look me up. You
will have little difficulty in finding the
Capitol, in the basement Of which is
located the House post office. Hand the
clerk letter or paper directed to me and
note the number of the box he puts it in.
The boxes are of glass, and the mail
in full view of the public. The contents
OF the box will be key to my where
abouts. Should the box be empty or
nearly, | am somewhere around the
place, the first move l make on my
arrival being to call for or send for my
mail. Should the mail be undisturbed,
you will understand have not reached
the Capitol building Ii | can throw a
chicken over your back fence, as Brick
Pomer puts it, rest assured l will do
so.
''Ihank you ever so much And on
my part you can rest assured | will
look you up. And now, Judge, l must
really be going home.'
"Why, | entertained the idea-I don't
exactly know for what reason-that you
occupied apartments at the New Grand. y
NO; live about three blocks up
street.
"With your permission"
nodded.
In less time than it takes to tell it, we
were walking up street, in the direction
of my domicile.
Now, Mrs Roland, would like to have
you do something for me, In the Office,
while at your work each day, you may
overhear bits Of conversation, and l may
come in for a share of the discussion. /
would like to have You put down the
names of those who may speak dis
paringly of me or my efforts. Don't
enter the names Of any of them who may
be for me. Tell me whose agin me;' the
other fellow will take care of himself.
Here, reaching into an inside
pocket and producing small blank
book, make your list in this, and on my
return hand it to me, and he gaveme the
book.
By this time we had reached the gate
of the residence where | had boarded
since the death of my husband. lie re-
NAMED only long enough to say, 81 have
to thank you for a very pleasant evening"
hat tip and he was gone.
l entered the house and climbed the
stairs to my room. | found the light
burning low My pFattler was sound
asleep Very kind of Mrs. Graves to
undress and tuck the little one in bed
in the absence of the mother. stood by
the couch and noiselessly leaned forward
A tear drop glisbened on the long lash.
Had cried itself to sleep; wept for the
mothers caress. And then the convic-
tion struck me- This was the first night
in the little girl 5 uneventiul lite she had
gone to bed without the mother lullaby
song. without the mothers prayer.
moved over by the window and gazed
out into the shadows of the night. The
parting words of the Judge were in my
ears, Il have to thank you for a very
pleasant evening" Then pet phrase
of Tony Lentz came into my mind, 81
wonder If he was guying mef' He did
the major portion of the talking, Per
haps my series of cross-q questioning had
tendency to bring him out. Cold
reasoning taught me that the talented
conYersatiOnalist must need have his or
her foil, Just as the artist has his model,
the poet his inspiration, or the sculptor
his source of soul Mayhap, with good
coach at my elbow and having seen bit
more of this world Of ours, may develop
into a talker of no mean order. fail to
subscribe to the proposition that ideas
are propagated in isolation.
Then | bethought myself of his request
to make list of those individuals who
in my hearing declared against him.
Where was my bookl Oh, yes; laid II
on the dresser when came in, together
with magazine was carrying in my
hand. turned up the lamp and thumbed
the pages of the book, to find them
bank, il being the counterpart of the one
in which the Judge had made the memo
randum AT the supper table. No about
one.third of the way down on one Of the
pages is written in the scrawny, familiar
hand OF the Judge, the line:
''The world were brighter with Yioletta."