Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-12
r MADE HIM THINK

United States senator from a. far western
state, man OF great wealth. met one OF
his constituents on the street-a young
married man, who came to Washington and
took clefkship in one Of the departments
q few months ago.
The senator had known the young man
from his boyhood, and he had ridden the
young man wife on his knee, all the way
to Banbury town, when she was little
pig-tailed girl. SO they stood on the street
and talked about folks and affairs back
home.
SON." said the senator then. a'you and
Emma are keeping house. aren't your?
The young man replied in the affirmative.
Well" said the senator. II surely do
take 1t powerful hard that you and Emma
don't invite me around to your place ano
give me something to eat-I surely do
The young man started to make some
reply, but the senator who lives IN a
superb suite in one of Washingtons finest
hotels. went on:
I'm getting mighty tired of hotel and
cafe grub. l can't get any taste or good
out of ft--all tastes alike. II you and
Emma only knew how I've been laundering
shoulder and green's, I'll bet 9 box of
matches that you'd have taken pity on me
long ago and asked me to your house 70
have some. Ever have shoulder and greens?
Nothing In the world like shoulder and
greens. after all, is therew
Senator" said the young man, the wifo
and l have talked time and again about
asking you to take dinner with US; but
you know what these dinky little three
rooms-and-a-bath flats in Washington are:
and Emma and had sort Of an idea that
- well, to be frank. after all, Of the splen-
dor that you've been used to all OF THESE
years. well, 1t might mako you feel sort
uEcom-oh, It's just q plain little plant, you
know, and We thought that maybe IL "ouio
-er-"
Look here. boy" interrupted the sena-
tor, gazing at the young man reproachfui
ly, will you and Emma give me some
say. at 6 o'clock?'
"You know that we'd be delighted to have
you" replied the young man.
''An right-Ill be there" said the senator,
starting to move away.
He had only taken about half dozen
strides when he called back to the young
man:
Jim" he said, you'd better warn
Emma about the low-aown. onery, SIM
mering habits of greens. 1t takes a lot o
green's to make a proper mess OF en- A
pretty whopping basket of greens-weli.
I've seen q bushel Of greens, almost, Die
down to almost nothing" and then, with
a laugh and parting gesture, the senator
went his way.
The f1ne-looking, rudy, bluff old senator
was at the young couples neat ana taste
fully furnished, If somewhat small. nat
promptly on the minute.
Sure you've got plenty of greens?' he
said with mock anxiety to the pretty young
wife as he shed his overcoat in the hall.
I've been worrying over that good deal
today"
p "Oh, stacks and stack of green's she re-
Piled and added: But If there shouldn't
be enough, why. 1 could exc out by boiling
down the rubber plant, you know"
And 80 the dinner began merrily enough
The shoulder was sweet piece Of mast-fed
meat from old Virginia, and after the
senator had tucked his napkin under his
chin in the old-fashioned way and gone at
it. he came pretty close to looking like a
thoroughly satisfied old gentleman.
"D'you children know" he said. as he
passed his plate over for the second help
ing, that I've been in training for this
for two days? Faett I've hardly eaten
sir ce you invited me. And it's
worth the fasting
After the dinner the senator fixed him
self in big arm chair in the tiny cozy
corner, got well-seasoned briar pipe be-
lol ging to his young host agoing. "A cigar
after shoulder 5Rd greensv' he had ex-
claimed, contemptuopsly, when the young
man had pushed the cigar box his way, and
himself to the rapture Of d.
gestion and the joy OF indoor warmth on a
c:s Mighty Ssen'a tidy brace you've got here. he
said refiectively. waving his pipe about in
general sort of way. slick as a crick eel.
Plumb luxuriouse In cfact,", and a vague
gray eyes Il guess Martha andiI wouldn't
have lookedII.up this az heaven back
ycnder in, the tangle- of years, when we
were struggling along best way we knew
how"
The young matron had been picking out
chords on the piano. but she crossed over
and sat down by her husbandna4
Didn't have any such things as coy
corners when Martha and made our first
went on, crossing his legs. leaning back
and putting away at. the briar, eNot many
fxtngs Of any kind, for the
matter O that. Fact Is, it was shack.
Built It myself, after working hours, and
cut the scrub spruce and fir and pine to
build It. too. Was, a timberman then in q
new silver mine, thirty miles from the rail-
much. counting how costly 1t was to live.
well. after ! got the shack built I went
down to Pocatello and asked Martha-she
was teaching school there-had come out
from the east Martha was agreeable
we'd been beaus since first we met, a year
before. although after I went to work IN
the new mine + didn't have much chance
to see her. But Martha was ready. and
so we got married In Pocateilo. and I took
her to the shack. Wonderful days, thoseE
both of us young. you see, and not caring
much about anything, nor minding any sort
OF Inconvenience SO long as we were close
enough to each other SOS I could boiler
across the gIich on: my way to work and
On my way home And 1t was home,
plumb and properLnever have had any
such home since. =. ii
Il made the stove myself, too, out of an
Did rusty two-hOrse power boiler that I
ribbed from the mine engine house Made
most OF the furniture, too including the
'ed, spare times 1t was mountain coun-
ry. of course, and fretghting was costly
md beds and gear Hike that, ready made
,cst a heap of money out there In those
lays. anyhow-they were way beyond me-
Had a rag carpet on the floor that Mar
had been making herself after school
hours. for a year. Dishes were mostly
xoodenI was pretty handy with a Jack
cnife in those days, Had calico curtains
n the one window--Martha had an artistic
.ye, and the way she draped those calico
curtains was something beautiful. I got
ha water from the criek, about four hun |
ired yards back of the shack Used to MI |
ID the two big barrels once week. and let
he water. which was frequently roily. set
lie. Didn't have any fresh meat unless I
hot 1t O. Sundays-freighters used to fetch
he salt meat in twice a week over the
rail. Canned vegetables. too, and scandal
,usly high they were. I'd have started a |
ruck patch. but the soil was hard and bar
en- At that Martha got hold of some
lower seen-subscrfbed to q dollar-a-year
weekly, I believe. and got the seeds az a
prize-and she had the pref
lest little openIa4r Conservatory in front !
II the shack you eyefG saw She used to sit !
n that little flower garden Of summer even
ngs and play ONT the little old ten-strfnged |
.ither, fixed out fwfth'fnumbers, that I got
or her down iyfg PCfta all colnn-