Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10
.HlNGS
HEARD *
x@ndSEENl M

that they were as lacking in the matter of
observance the men in the patent Of
f1ce. L have spoken to some friends who
at my. request, have made similar inquiries
in other offices and departments and they
FOUND as L did that not more than 1 per
cent Of the men ever exercised the powers
of observation in this respect, or could re-
member except in a general way really how
they reached their office in the morning
VI eighteen ladies in the office of the ad-
Jutant general. sixteen not only could re-
member the streets they walked on but
eleven also remembered all the lady friends
they met on their way to the office and
no" they We're dressed. lady clerk in
tne same office also accurately described
the hat worn by each lady of these eigh-
teen. VI seven gentlemen clerks who tried
TO remember the kind of hats their fellow
male clerks wore, not one of them could
uescripe any nat except his own"
x X
L was at Key West when Amos Cum
mlnss, together with a party of congress-
men, reached there in the early part of
March, 1898, on his way to Cuba to per-
sonally see the horrible conditions existing
among the reconcentradoes,' said a Wash
ington newspaper man yesterday
The congressional party made the trip
on private yacht and had encountered a
rough voyage around Hatteras None of
them had had very much sleep. 1 had
just arrived from Havana on a dispatch
tug AS | sauntered up the steps of the
Hotel Key West, here was Cummings clad
in neglige dress and wearing yachting
cap.
II am glad to see you. old fellow he
said. thrusting out his hand and giving
mine warm grasp.
Say he continued everything is full
here, and it seems as if / would give half
of my life for a place to sleep tonight 7
fhOnpht of aoly
bunk in the yacht
I'll tell you what I'll DOL said. 4
will share my bed with YOU
Il had a room at the Hotel Key West
and also one at the Hotel Inglaterra in
Havana. as 1 was back and forth, carry
Ing press dispatches and had to have a
place to sleep at either end.
won't stand for that" said Cum
m1ngs. You have to work mighty hard
and l wouldn't deprive you of the little
rest YOU absolutely need
Well l said, if you don't want to do
that, 1 will have Mr.. Cilley. the manager.
put cot in my room. You can take the
bed and 1 will take the cot
No. won't do that. You are working
and you need the bed
But. l said, you an older man,
Mr.. Cummings: the bed will do YOU piIo
of good and the cot will afford me Just as
much rest
We talked it over in the meantime en-
joying cooling beverage at the bar. and
ne nnally consented to accept my PROPOSE
ton.
Il never saw man so pleased He could
hardly wait to get up to the room and
beneath the coverlids The following
morning he was up bright and early. and
we took a drive about the island Again
and again he thanked me for what he call
ed saving his life
I'VE had met before in New York and
Washington. but our acquaintnce was only
casual From that time on he was a dear
friend l never met him that he did no:
recall the circumstance. He insisted thas
| must come up and spend connie of
weeks hshlng with him at his summer
home on the Susauehanna river / assured
MIN that l would. but never got around to
do it. | know l should have had the pleas
ATTEST time of my life if | had accented"
x x X ::
Many senators and representatives have
troubles of which the world generally
knows little. OF course, every one knows
that the delivery of many speeches is in
order to secure the franking privileges
which cover the distribution of the Con-
gressional Record parts of it. 1t being
desired to place a certain line of argument
or facts before voters, some one under
takes to present them in a speech delivered
in the Senate or House. All goes along
merriy until some insstent senator or rep
resentative rises to ask a question The
irony Of the whole proceeding of asking
questions is IN the fact that not one time in
a thousand does any one ask a question for
information The question is asked to con-
tradict something that has been said or to
inject in that particular place of speech
some fact or idea that tends to nulIify it's
effect. These questions are frequently 50
many blotS on the printed pages 1t fire.
quently happens that the speakers replies
to these questions will be SO apt and con-
elusive that the questioner feels like the
parrot that realizes that it had talked too
much. He would gladly withdraw the
question if he could do so. but it is there
as part of that speech making it
stronger in the parts he intended to
weaken.
did you ever hear of a mouse indica tor?"
ked a prominent official of the NAVY
Department of Star reporter mo? Well
such indicators have been used in the navy
and in their way they were very valuable
When the navy first began experimenting
with submarine boats it became neces-
sary to devise means to protect the men
who went down into the interior of the
boats from the strong gases. Finally a
naval officer hit upon the plan of plac-
ing mouse in a cage, and having the
men who went below keep the cage close
by. We reckoned the respective strength
of man and mouse, and when the escap-
ing gases had Overpowered the little crea-
turc the men would know 1t was about
time to ascend