The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-12-10
Washington Special to The New YOrl

 sense that Theodore Hook and Sydney Smith were wits as MT. Reed. His casual epigrams were telegraphed all over the country as matters of news, and just as the casual sayings of Hook, Smith and Charles Lamb are classics long continue to be remembered. His last known ut terance of this kind was made here in Washington on last Monday. just before he was stricken with his last illness. It summed up the antitrust agitation from his standpoint. He was talking with one of the houseleaders about the antitrust programme and the leader asked him what he thought was to be done.
 You have a golden opportunity" re- piled MT. Reed in his worst drawl. An indefinable something is to be done in way nobody knows how and at a time nobody knows when. That. as I under stand it, is the programme against the trusts. The opportunity is so broad should think you could not miss it."
 Not long ago MT. Reed came to Wash ington to appear before the Supreme court. He arrived before the court did
  many other onlookers and lawyers in the same predieament and some of them be- gan to manifest impatience. Finally one of them, who knew MT. Reed, leaned over to him and said:
 MT. Speaker, can't you count a quo rum?D
 A look of offended surprise came over the ex-speaker's round face. sir" said he in tones of stern rebuke. you forget that when I counted a quorum there al- ways was a quorum"
 One of MT. Reeds visits to Washing ton was made just aftec the withdrawal of his successor, Speaker Henderson, from the congressional race in Iowa. A newspaper correspondent espied MT. Reed standing on the opposite side of the street contemplating the sky. The cor respondent knew that it would be diff flcult matter to induce MT. Reed to talk about his successor, so instead of accost- ing the ex-speaker at once he walked up and down the block for five minutes, framing an appeal which should touch the Maine mans heart.
 Having composed an artful. skillful ad- dress, he crossed the street to where Mir. Reed was still standing. It was his in- tention to prevent MT. Reed from inter rupting by pouring out his entire argu- ment explaining the reasons why it was a patriotic duty for MT. Reed to talk, before the latter could get in a word.
 He carried out his shceme successfully. It took three minutes to deliver the ad- dress, and MT. Reed did not get chance to interrupt. It was such a convincing argument that the correspondent did not see how MT. Reed could refuse to talk MT. Reed seemed moved. Instead of abruptly refusing to talk, as had at first been his evident intention he looked up at the sky and began to think. The cor respondent knew enough not to disturb the current of MT. Reeds thoughts. For three or four minutes the ex-speaker gazed at the sky with meditative air. At last he slowly brought his gaze to earth, cleared his throat, and spoke.
 "That cloud" said he, indicates that we are going to have rain.
 MT. Reeds last visit to Washington, which terminated in so sorrowful way, was made just after the army and navy football game, which he attended. As he came through the gate to take the train from the football game to Washing ton he found himself jostling Representa- tiye-elect Charles Landis of Indiana, whom he knew well. They shook hands and boarded the train together, going into the smoking car. When they set tied themselves in their seats and pulled out their cigars MT. Landis said:
 q thought when you bumped into me that you were as big as ever, but you have fallen off. think you weigh thir- ty pounds less than you used to-"
 "Well," replied MT. Reed. glancing down at his big frame with look of bride. maybe I have, but 1t has not lessened the matchless symmetry of my form"
 He joked about his physical condition and seemed to be in a happy and cheer full state of mind. At Baltimore he got off. believing that he would have diffi- culty in getting hotel accommoda- lions in Washington, and MT. Landis never saw him again.
 In the summer of 1891 MT. Reed went abroad, and while in London sat Tor ms nortrait to the famous painter, John Sargent. During the winter following the finished portrait was sent to Wash ington and duly hung in the lobby Of the house. His colleagues looked at 1t ana shook their heads silently Visitors to the capitol were taken around by the guides and shown the last addition to the gallery of portraits of ex-speakers and expressed their opinions also
 Mir. Reed was seen one day to go out into the lobby and stand for several min utes before his portrait and then return to his seat. A newspaper man, who had observed this, took occasion to see him later and ask him what he thought of the portrait.
 well" he replied, in his well-known drawl. q may have done so poorly here as to deserve to be remembered by that picture, but I am taking a good deal of consolation from the thought that every body says 1t Is a fine portrait but very bad likeness"
 During Mr. Reeds last years in the house there was a keen demand from publishers of magazines for his manu- script. The offers for his ideas on almost any public question were sometimes phe- nomensl, and if he had been a more strenuous individual in his literary hab- its he might have added large sums to his income. On one occasion news came that the state of Colorado was likely to be represented in part in the house by woman. An enterprising publisher saw in this circumstance topic for an arti- cle from Mr. Reed. and instructed his representative in Washington to see the gentleman from Maine and persuade him to write on, the possibilities opened up