The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-07
SEMi-POIfTfcAL GHOST

not
elected president When the Democratic
nominee was showed under by RepubIi-
can ballots Hiram Grinell kept his VOW
He did rot reflect that zeal without dis
erection was as disastrous as courage with
out conviction. he was what irreyerent
yc ung people called a holy show" when
his hair began to descend over his coat
cellar and his whiskers blotted out his
features as effectuaily as a mask
Looks for all the world like an owl
peeking out OF bramble bush,' was his
sisters outspoken verdict
He might as well be Nebuchadnezza-
and done with it, said his wife: ne s
Only 1t for side show in a circus"
Or Samson in a Sunday school tab
F.. lesu.' responded Aunt Hetty
''Oh. for Delilah who would dare TO
shear him, commented Mrs. Grinell. hop
ing BY ridicule to bring him to q real
ling sense Of his ridiculous appearance.
At first Hiram put bold front on. and
flequented as formerly the haunts of men
who met 70 exchange political or business
views. but he soon found that his pres
tige had failed. His opinions We're not
. asked freely as in the days preceding
election. and some comments, including
the word crank reached his ears
Some old friends professed not to know
him when they met and one old chum
sake, man, go and get haircut-you look
Ike mermaid Ridicule is a powerful
weapon, and between the public and his
own family. Grinells life was made bur
zen, with no relief in sight.
The minister of his particular denomi-
nation had called TO demonstrate with
him, and he tried 10 make it clear that
foolish VOW is better broken than kept
He pointed out to him political as well
of..l H.. I
wise course.
For answer Hiram propounded a ques-
ton; Isn't this a free country? Hasn't
man the right to wear his hair and
beard as he pleases?'S
No" said the minister, sturdily, mo
man liveth to himself alone When we
are in Rome we must conform 10 the Gus
toms of Rome. You have no right 10 in
fiict such an indignity upon your family.
Besides. you make a public spectacle Of
yourself, which is not improving or up
lifting, but, on ,-.e contrary. demoraliz-
ing"
When everybody else turned against
Grineli his wife, with true womanly in
consistency, began to pet him and gently
attempted TO lead him back TO sanity
for the good woman believed that her
Hiram, through overexertion in the cleo
ton campaign, had suffered some kind of
mental sunstroke
The minister made one more call on his
hayward member not 10 demonstrate
with him this time, or try to make him
see his duty, but 90 ask him in plain,
terse language to abstain from his church.
going altogether until such time as he
should see the folly of his appearance
or the election of a Democrat 10 the
presidential chair should release him from
his VOW and permit him again to resemble
a human being. Hiram meehy agreed
u stay away from church, where he was
a regular attendant. but he felt the blow
Then he resigned from religion and pol
itics and staid at home to the detriment
of his business. Mrs. Grinell hoped much
from this enforced confinement, which he
hated, but he settled himself in a sort
of hopeless apathy by his own fireside
where his wife ministered 20 him as to an
invalid. After he hao seen a description
Of himself, with life-like portrait in the
newspapers, he ceased to read them but
break his VOW he would not. and his poor
wife was at her wits end when Mrs
Deliiah came. But-pardon me for OBJ
truding the name OF that historical Wo-
man here-her second appearance was as
a ghost.
Yes, Mr.. Grinen who had never been
even slightly interested in metaphysical
subtleties was seeing ghosts His wife
could hardly believe her own ears when
he called her TO him one morning and
asked:
Who is that woman standing there by
the Window Why doesn't she sit down?
Give her chair. Cynthia"
That woman? RS. Grinen prickec
Up her ears and followed the direction
of her husbands gesture. There isn't
any woman there. f1iram''
s+MaVua I'm Hind or rrof,,c- ora ~
eested Hiram, ut if there wasn't a
little woman in a white gown standing
there moment since eat my hat
Hiram Grinell. / believe you've beer
drinking" snapped sister. "or else all
that hair on your face has gone to
your brain. and you don't know a woman
from n wooden post If you'd see n bar
Der you wouldn't be seeing ghosts" and
Aunt Hetty picked up her work and
flounced out Of the room
Days passed and the woman in white
grew upon the vision of the Iong-haired
politician until he began TO think he didn't
care a continental whether the country
went Democratic or Republican IL this
haunting figure would only vanish from
mis- mental horizon. He feared now that
he really might be mentally unbalanced
since ghosts did not appear to those who
were in normal condition. DO what he
would he could not impart the vision 10
Cynthia. That common-sense woman was
trying 10 turn the incident TO account
She was not pleased TO have her Hiram
haunted by woman ghost She was
quite equal 10 taking care OF him her
self
Il don't propose to have any woman-in
the flesh or out of it-trapesing around
after my husband" she said. and II you
ever owed any boarding house keeper. or
washer-woman. and failed to pay up or
Tilted any girl
Mercy interrupted the wretched man
shaking In his shoes. they wouldn't have
waited until this time 10 come and haunt
me
And how they car pluck up courage 20
haunt YOU now Is more than can IN
derstand- how long is It since you saw
yourself as others see you7 Won't you
lcok in the glass, Hiram
NO. / won't, Cynthia. and he fright
cred his family into fits BIS putting on his
hat and going down the street Az hour
later he walked 81 with r close haircut
and a smooth shave.
THERE" he exclaimed. as his Wife and
sister congratulated him. y hope voa
my party ana my principles. ali 70 please
you.
But he was evidently pleased with him
self. and he sat down and looked around
the room with an air q rcsiaf thai
changed 70 one OF CONSERVATION as he
said. hrokealy
She's there yet. Cyntiis
Mrs Gri1ell examined her hashana's
G. untenance WiJh critical attention She
studied il at 8 distance ard at close rang
Then she found pair u tweezers and
went 90 work Oh his broTs and lashes.
which were p-cfuss and beetf.ng
ouch ouch. ouch" hs grunted as sire
snapped ont three eFeEinkers frana m.
heavy bisciz fringe Thee she laid IN rs
hand They were as white ss s1ow. fhe
only white hairs il his hirs1fe outfit RI