The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-12

| he thought he could read it. and he did
read it,. and that day one of the evening
| papers here had a story about Tom John
! son being a French scholar.
| Now, | did not intend to say anything
about that said the mayor when asked
but 1t is true enough that I did begin
studying French two years and half
ago and have kept it up ever since
1 began with the idea l would learn to
speak 1t before learned to read it. and
did. The result is that | can understand
1t a good deal better than / can speak it.
and can speak it a good deal better
than 1 can write it. But l keep pegging
away at it all the time 1 never miss nv
daily French lesson. Even during IT,
thlckest OF the last campaign L did not
miss my lesson. / have a Frenchman in
my employ and I study with him. He
does little secretary work for me-
dictate letters to him in French and after
ne has put them into real French for me
they are first rate. Still, 1 get along
pretty well with it. The last time / was
over in France made my own way with
out an interpreter, and that was some
SSatisfaction; L have not got to reading
French books, though, as yet.
AS to getting through my work 1
don't let it bother me for one thing. ana
don { take j. home with me at night for
whole thing off. 1 belong to my Family
then. | do not get down to New York
very often now, but shall De there more
after awhile. when 1 get things going
That Mayor Johnson is not without a
touch of family pride is shown by the
groups of ancestral portraies which adorn
the wide and very handsome reception
nail OF his house. There is one portrait
IN particular which at once catches the
eye OF every visitor 1t is that of a rosy
checked: strong-faced old gentleman in a
soft hat OF the kind worn mora in the
south in ante-bellura days than it is even
now. No one has any doubt at first glance
that 1t is portrait OF Mr.. Johnson's ia
ther; for the resemblance is sufficiently
marked But. as a matter of fact ii is
a portrait of Mrs. Johnson's father. whose
name, by the way. was Miss Johnson be-
iore she became Mrs. Johnson by marry
ing the present mayor of Cleveland about
the time he had finished with mathe-
maticS up to and including calculus and
mad got start in the street car business
-that is to say. when he was about 20
years OF age. Through several genera
ttons both Mr.. and Mrs johnson go back
TO a common ancestor, and this might
account for the. curious cropping out of
a family resemblance between Mrs Tohu
sons father and her husband. The fam
lly, tor that matter, is one that goes back
INTO the colonial days through generations
IN which its men and its women were
persons of forceful character who made
their mark In their day and hour. Rich
ard NJ. johnson. from whom Mrs John
son Is descended, was the ninth vice pres
ident of the United States.
rom Johnson, in spite of the hard
knocks he has had and the fisree. az
gressive battle for wealth he has made
has youthful, almost boyish look, par
ticularly in his moments of jovial out
bursts, which are frequent His hair is
dark brown and curly Just a touch of
gray beginning to maze it's appearance:
his eyes are large and gentle. without
hint of the grim resolution of purpose
there is behind them; his neck is so short
his head rests. well down on his broad
ShoulderS-a thick-set rather punchy man
who weighs 225 or go pounds His dress
is as plain as his manners are amiable |
and easy. Black is. just now. at least |
his favorite color. even 10 his derby hat
The only attempt at gaiety in his attire
is in the rather dingy dabs of color in !
the cravat he wears with his turndown |
collar.
There is one thing you notice and that |
IS that when you take his hand it is not |
the strong, blunt-fingered hand that yol !
naturally associate with the type of man |
ne Is. On the contrary. it is rather a |
small and delicate hand, with fingers that
are tapering and almost sIendeT-a soft !
and just a little flabby hand and one that /
the palmlstS say means SentirnentaIisrn
and the artists temperament. whatever |
that may be. But when YOU get down to /
the substantial square-toed boots which /
cover the feet and are not strangers to |
the tops of the desks when his honor site
down, you find nothing to suggest senti-
mental sloppinesS there They are booas /
70 KICK their way straight through an /
.he average run of obstacles that a man
-lnds In his path In the journey through /
lle-ooots that at all events have kicked