Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-02-06
AN AWFUL
TEST OF
GRATITUDE
BY JobD RI. Rafferty,.

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The friendship between Senator Har-
bine and old Newt Stuart was for twen-
ty years one of the many anomalies
and one of the few edifying conditions
that distinguished the social life of the
capital Newton Stuart was a news
paper rcorrespondent-nobo knew how
old, but the dean of the press gallery,
beloved and undisputed. Senator Har
bine held Il similar position in that ex-
elusive, clublike organization known as
the United States senate. Old Newt
hailed from Louisiana, and his senatori-
al friend was from Ohio, so that as far
as an exchange Of official favors might
go there was no apparent reason for
their unfaltering affection for each 9th
er. Newt couldn't 'boost" Harbine if
he wanted to and had never stopped to
accept patronage of any kind from the
Louisiana legislators who had come
and gone during his long career as
| Washington correspondent.
So far as any outsider knew, there
were only three grounds for the mu-
tual admiration between Newt and the
old senator-viZ, fishing, terrapin and
| mint julcp. Outside of Washington
such paltry matters will probably never
be regarded as adequate motives for
| great and lasting friendship, but in
| Washington the three delights named
! are sometimes of yaSter moment than
| the making of treaties or the establish
ment of national policies. Newt was
the champion terrapin chef of Wash
| ington for a generation. Harbine's mint
| juleps were the wonder and envy of all
comers. Bartenders made their repu-
tations by advertising 'the Harbine
| julep," and restaurants, cafes and ho
tells won patronage by announcing "ter
| rapin Ia Newt Stuart"
| But when it came to fishing neither
| the senator nor the reporter would
| yield the palm. For dozen years they
had gone fishing together. AS many
| times had they come home in raging
debate as to which had caught the
greatest weight of fish, which had cast
| fly or bait the f:rthest or which was
most dexterous in playing line. Fish
| ing was the one rock upon which they
| split necessarily, and once the subject
came up between them they would
| rail and boast at one another till blows
seemed the only argument left. One
| day Newt and the senator, sitting in a
| circle of most potent, grave and wor-
| thy lawmakers at the Shoreham, chal-
lenged one another to a final test of
their prowess as bait casters. The idea
| tickled the audience, though it was
midwinter. Cases of wine and boxes
of cigars were freely wagered, and
finally each contestant went for rod
and tackle, and the whole party trudg-
ed through the snow across to Lafa-
yette square for the duel.
The distances were measured off. A
dangling pine cone was selected as the
object to cast at, and each contestant, |
using his own rod and reel, was to |
have five chances, the decision to go to |
the caster who missed the least. 1t |
was a walkover for the senator, for he |
whipped his fly across the cone five |
times successfully, while poor old |
Newt missed his second shot and cast |
wide on the last He paid the wager |
and swoSe that it was the reel that |
beat hiE.
81 bet fifty can beat you right now
with that there gosh burned Meek reel |
O. yourn" sputtered Newt.
But the senator said it was time for |
a julep, wagged his head in triumph |
and led the party back to the hotel
81 can beat you at bait casting with |
any kind of a reel" Newt used to boast
after that, ''but that there Meek sizzler |
you've got amt reel at all; it's a liv-
in, breathin', conscious piece O. witch
craftw
1t was about two months after this
that Newt intrenched himself forever
In old Senator Harbine's loving heart.
The latter's son was the scourge of his
life. He had been expelled from West
Point, discharged from half a dozen
government positions and arrested a
dozen times. Finally letter from Mrs.
Harbine came from Cincinnati an.
nouncing that Dick had broke loose
there on a wild debauch that threat
ened to end disastrously for the young
man himself and for the fair name Of
his fathers family.
Senator Harbine handed the letter to
old Newt.
Newt, you like my boy, know" he
growled. 'He thinks more o. you than
he does @ his own father. If you'll run
down to Cincinnati and stop him, I'll
give or get you anything in reason.
I'm rich, and I'm strong with the ad-
ministration. Honest, now, Newt,
know you never cared for money, and
you have no family, but if you'll stop
this Cincinnati jag o. Dicks I'll give
you a house and lot or-or-anything
you want"
Newt started for Cincinnati that
night. Nobody ever knew just what he
said or did to Dick Harbine, but in a
week they came back, Newt silent and
satisfied and the senator's son pale,
repentant and following old Newt
around like whipped dog. Old Har
bine actually grew younger and gayer
as the days grew into weeks and the
weeks into months and his boy showed
no signs of a relapse.
"By Jehosaphat, Newtr' he swore at
his friend one night. I'm blowed if
don't believe you've cured the whelp.
You got to take something just to give
me a chance to show how l appreciate
what you've done. Why, mother was
breaking her heart over Dick l never
showed how his doings hurt me, but
they were just killing me. You're
poor, Newt, and you're getting old
don't deny it-you'll have TO quit this
blessed newspaper business pretty
soon, and I'll bet you haven't saved a
hundred dollars. Come, Newt be fair
with me. Let me loan you at least a
few thousand? Eh? Or say, better
yet, take that house and lot up in n
street. l don't want it, and it'll net
you two thousand per. What d'you
sayY'
But Newt would only abuse old Har
bine for h S pains and turn the talk
into n string of 'ioshing." The senator
however, was so serious in his deter
mination to do something for Newt
that the dispute between them grew
acute and almost bitter. Newt was