The Washington times., 1904-07-19
LITTLE STORIES OF WASHINGTON LIFE
IN THE INTERESTS OF THE PARTY

81 can't drop them; II wouldn't be
right. You don't want me To cut cid
friends. DO you2"
why. not If you meet them any
where. but you needn't call on Jhem
all the time. We ought to make the
most Of our opportunities, IN the inter-
ests Of the party"
That made Thomas Lyons f.el like a
traitor. for TO him the Interests of the
party were only less sacred than the in
terests Of the family hearth. and here
were the two tied up together. Still. ne
might have stopped TO spe~k TO Miss
Finetta and Miss Lorena that day IL
Harriet had not been with him. At the
Idea OF introducing her, he quailed-
II was an election year and an on
year Tor the Republican party. The
democracy CHANGED TO have a head like
Dattering ram. and things looked
doubtful. Miss Finetta and Miss Lorena
scrlnped on their butchers bill and sub
steps and discussed the electiOn-with
each other, not with the neighbors, Of
course-out II was more comfortable on
the steps In the hot summer evenings.
1hefe, IN late September, a stranger
came up TO them. ike a ghost from
memory land-a broWn-haired. 1.-THE,
Stralght-hmbedg host-the image Of their
brother Lee who had ridden away when
they Were IN pinafores. TO join Stone
wall Jackson.
Aunt FiEetta?" queried the stranger.
ana THIS must be Aunt isJrena,
reckon I'm Lee Meriwether, your Sis
ter Dixie's boy. from Indiana
For the good Lords sakei" gasped
Miss F'inetta; Il thought you died OF
measles when you We're small.
The young man laughed. That was
somebody else; I'm no hant as they
call EN- IN Tennessee"
In time the startled ladies regained
comparative calm, only TO be amazed
anew by the discovery that Lee Meri-
wether was Tich-richer than any OF
their family had been since the war
and that he had some hopes of coming
to Congress In time he took them
next day to see a comfortable little
house on a shady street, which he said
would be his Washington home, and he
took their breath away by telling them
to furnish 1t TO their liking and he
would pay the bills
I'VE must have a hOusewarming, :"
said Miss Finetta when it was all done.
ITO be sure" assented Miss LOFena-
But who'll we ask?''
II wish we could ask Mr.. Lyons" said
Miss Finetta a trifie wistful!y, for her,
when the invitation list was complete.
1t wouldn't do. said Miss Lorena,
What's that?" asked Lee. and they
Next day he found time to drop in on
the assistant secretary, and the assis-
tant secretarys father was there
You see," said Lee, my aunts feel
that II won't be really complete unless
you are there-you stood tzeir friend
so long-and I've ventured 10 ask you
without their knowledge-in the interests
of the party" he added with a laugh.
II shall be most happy" said old Mr..
Lyons.
my wife will be glad to see the ladies'
at any time" said the assistant secre-
tar.
John" said Harriet Lyons, when he
told her what he had done, II that Ism
just like mani Do you know who those
two woman are%
Yes" said her husband calmly.
they're the nearest living relatives OF
Lee Meriwether, Of Benton, ind. who
swings the delegation from that district,
and II seems 10 me, my dear, that the
war is over, and IL would really be well
to be civil TO them-in the interests of
the party"