Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-07-17
DAILY SHORT STORY
Behind Scenes With Legislator
lOriginal.1

our time in the senate chamber and
house of representatives. 1 was much
impressed with the dignity of the SEN
ators, and some of the representatives
seemed to me to be very bright men.
The last day we were in Washington
! found me quite fatigued. l had been
at the hall of representatives all day,
where a discussion on the tariff was
going on, and l was converted from
one side to the other a dozen times.
About o'clock in the afternoon we
went to the hotel. and Frank left me
that l might take rest before dinner
In the evening we were to visit some
place of amusement Frank had
scarcely gone out before l heard
the lock next door. Some one entered
the room, and as there was a door be-
tween the two rooms l could hear very
plainly. a mans voice said:
Belinda, get up. DO you propose to
keep your bed all day? Are you not
aware that in political life n wife has
a part to play as well as the husband?
Here / am pestered all day by con-
stituents, every one Of whom has an
AK to grind while you are dreaming
the happy hours away. Get up, l say,
and sew on this button"
Then n woman's voice:
''Jethro, you're a brute. Didn't 1
slave the life out of me when you were
running for congress, cookin' for the
whole county? Wasn't you always
R.VT- -, 4
didn't have not only to cook for 'em,
but play sweet on EN-? And what do
1 git for it? Shet up here in this lone
some hotel while you strut about in
the lobby buttonholed by female con-
stituents, who play sweet on you to
get you to introduce bills for their re
lief And you fool enough to think
they love you"
There was no reply to this. The man
had evidently been convinced of his
injustice and kept quiet. l heard wa
ter running I'm the stationary basin and
some one washing.
oh, dear! Are Frank and I ever
coming TO speak to one another like
this? And what n fraud political life
must be, after all!
"Belindar'
1t was the man next door again.
wished they would 20 out. 1 had no
hope of getting a nap and would be
tired in the evening.
"Shet upr' .
Come out Of that closet"
I'm dressin'."
''Dressin', ole gall Do you mean
you've got TO go into a closet to put on
your stockings when there's no one
present but your lawful lord and mas
teri"
The woman was evidently in the
closet. for her voice was muffied, but l
could hear ii distinctly.
you my lord and master! You'd
make a beautiful lord. and as for
master, you're n slave-a slave to your
constituents. You wouldn't dare com
plain to one of 'em If he raped you
over the head"
I'll rap you over the head, you ole
Jezebel. If you say that again"
you're no sort of lord, and you're
slave-worse'n n slave, you're a.
heard one blow and cry and COW
cred my head with the bedclothes. 1
lay thinking what horrid couple they
were and what low people represent us
in congress. When 1 took the clothes
away from my ears the man was hum
ming a tune. Every now and again
there came n sob from the woman, but
he paid no attention to ii, and she
seemed to be crying herself asleep.
l could not realize that the gentle
men had seen during the day at the
capitol sitting in their seats and speak
ing. many of them so learnedly, num-
bered among them even one who was a
wife heater. But here was perfect
evidence of il. Just think! In this
advanced twentieth century among our
legislators is practlced what is extinct
among the lower classes.
The brute went out presently and
when he did so locked his wife in the
room l listened, but heard nothing.
She was doubtless asleep and had for
gotten his horrid treatment. Frank
came in, and when told him about it
he was not surprised. But Frank is
always talking about the low type Of
people engaged In politics. l dressed
for dinner, and we went downstairs.
In the evening we strolled out to
find some place of amusement. We
passed a variety hall, and, since as a
| girl l had been denied such places,
begged Frank to take me in. We
| listened to women sing songs and men
| sing songs and people dance and saw
trained animals. Then a man came
out and threw down some little dummy
| figures And what do you suppose
was the first word he said?
Belinda, get up"
Good gracious! He was the brute 1
had been listening to during the after
noon. He repeated the conversation l
had overheard, which he had been
| doubtless rehearsing, and ended by
beating one of the dummies, his wife.
who sobbed as naturally as she did
during the afternoon.
At the first word Frank and l looked
at each other Then Frank burst out
laughing. And during the rest of the
ventriloquists performance we hid our
| faces in our handkerchiefs to conceal