The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-05

hFltppt
He said She's sleeping on the door.
She's been as good as she could cheep;
Just hnsnt bothered me at all;
The little tike's just full Of play"
She tintoed In and saw It all,
And then she tainted dead away.
~
THE REAL CAUSE.
In the old mansion which Is serving rs a
temporary White House one room is set
aside as a billiard room. and as tenn
porary repository FOR the presidents collec-
tion Of arms
It Is not generally known that the presl-
dent is collector Of ancient and modera
arms, but he possesses collection of war.
Ike weapons whose value is estimated as
being close upon a million Of dollars. This
collection comprises weapons from all parts
Of the worll: curious and obsolete weapons
from the Nile regions Turkish scimitars;
Malay kreeses and yatuhgans; blowplpes
With deadly poisonous darts, such as are
used by the natives along the Amazon;
bolcs from the Philippines; and bolas from
the steppes Of South America: mixes that
were nsed in France IN the time of the
reign Of terror. and many other weapons
Of ofrense and defense too numerous to
mention
This collection lies so close to the presl.
dents heart that he practically spends all
Of his leisure inspecting, 0dmiring, rear-
ranging and Classifying It; md on the day
which secs an addition > this collection
the president practically shuts himself
away from tho balancNhf the world aud
ferns himself into an admiration society
Of one
As guardian of the temporary White
House IS an old Irlshman known as Dennis,
whose duty st is 70 make regular half hour
rounds during the night and see that all
IN the old mansion is well and remains so,
Coupled with sense OF loyalty and love
for the president, there Is strong vein
Of superstition iii the old fellows make
IN Which sometime bosets his path with
fairies and ghosts, and fahiy makes his
nights hideous. 1'he other night as Dennis
was sitting out on the broad front steps
chewing tobacco, and the cud Of reflection,
lis mind dwelt on the recent death of Cen
eral Franz sisel and he repeated to HIM
self the words Of the song ~ Fights Nit
Sigc,;" and in imagination he could see the
NeH known hgure Of the old man as he
had seen him so many times limping about
tie streets Of the nations capital
AS Dennis arose TO make his next round
me yNcmory OF the old hero was still with
him, aNd as he stepped into the billiard
room AK saw a white clad form limpIng
toward hiN In the dim light Of the single
subduod gas jet he thought that the SOU
Of the departed hero had returned TO earth
and, stumbling back against the wall, he
crossed himself and mum9led prayer to
his patron saint. AS he braeed himself
against the wall his trembling fingers came
In contact with the ready nozzle OF a Orc
hose, aud with the contact o. the cod
brass there returned a nloiiSum of mis-
courage. and ne recollected that he was
there to guard the premises against ghosts
or humans: so with one more hurried
prayer he pointed the nozzle at the grsy
figure limplng toward him aud turned the
water on full fierce. The streaA struck
the apparatlon fairly amldship. and before
the lrlshmaR's frightened vision the wrath
disappeared Immediately upon the water'
coming into contact With It. The fright
eued but yictorius Dennis. throwing on the
electric switch, flooded the room with bril-
liant light and started upon a voyage OF
exploration. Following a gurgling and
spluttering noise he looked beneath the
billiard table and saw-the president
Mr.. Roosevelt had that day received Z
consignment OF arms from the polar REGION
and the superstition is that, being restless
he had gotten up and stepped across th'
han to once more Inspect his newly ac
CURED treasures OF course he was prompt
IL stripped OF his cllnglug nightshirt, rub
bed down and put to bed, but some VIII
know OF the occurrence attribute the neees
sity Tor the second operation on his strenu
Gus leg to the exposure suffered on tina
night,
As fer Denuls--Nell, bis name is stu
Dennis.
Now balls, aud teas, and social routs,
Convince that summers down:
But spite OF other kiuds Of balls,
The moth-ball holds It's own.