The Irish standard., 1904-07-23
begins to Cypress, that minute i
should be hit upon the head"


nounced that lie intended to ride over
the two hundred and fifty miles of
wilderness through which the new
Coal and Coke railroad is being built,
his secretary suggested that it would
be hard to find a carriage that would
stand the journey.
"Carriage!" exclaimed the silver
haired man of action. "Who said any
thing about carriage: Bring round
Billie. the saddle horse. and have the
camp outfit packed up" Half an hour
later Senator Davis, his secretary. the
engineers and servants, mounted on
the best horses in the Graceland
stables set out through the forests to
sketch out the line of the proposed
railway. They made fifty miles,
across country the first day. and ut
night the senator himself pitched the
tent and schooled his dapper young
secretary in the mysteries of frying
trout over camp fire and splitting Il
partridge over the embers. He was
up for his plunge in the mountain
streams before breakfast, and ate with
IN appetite that made the New York
civil engineers look like candidates
for the intirmary. The two hundred
and fifty miles to Charleston and
back were covered in five days and
fbn eli ,yorn mazda
An whin they come ridin into
town." said Uncle Pat King. proprietor
of the West Virginia hotel at Elkins,
senator Davis looked like he'd been
resting for Il month, an livery other
man in the gang WIZ that tagged he
was a-holdin' to the horn of his saddle
tor keep from fallin' off,
One of the characters at Graceland
is Abraham Turner. the old colorcd
gardener, who is a BLACK Republican,
an mighty glad O it, sab. Deed is."
lIc was one of the first to hobhlc
down to the railway station on that
Sunday morning after the st. Louis
nomination of Mr. Davis broke like Il
thundcrbolt upon the quiet little town.
1t was he who begged the brass band,
with tears in his eyes, to play Dixie"
as the train hauling Senator Davis's
car drew in. 1t was he who broke out
into maryland, My Maryland" when
the senator, With lump in his throat
and tears in his eyes, came out on the
rear platform to speak to his towns
people. And it was Old Abraham who
gave Senator Stephen 3. Elkins, Mr..
Davis's son-in-law, the most embar
raised twenty minutes of his life by
yelling like mad for a speech from the
Republican senator ut this Democratic
Publication. The old darby kept up
the cheering, and Senator Davis cry
ing, "Make him come out, boys! to
encourage it, till Mr.. Elllins finally APP
peared and made first-rate Republic
can welcoming-hom speech to the
Democratic candidate for vicepresi-
dent.
Old Abraham was out in the field
long before daylight Friday morning
opening the haycocks and spreading
them out so that the first warm rays
Of the sun should strike them. Half
an hour after he had fallen from the
hay wagon and dislocated shoulder
and sprained his back. Little Katha-
rine Brown, who is Senator Davis's
favorite granddaughter because her
mother is dead. and who was help
ing Senator Elkins's granddaughter,
Elizabeth Oliphant, and Nellie Hard
man, daughter of the gameEeeper, to
tread hay on the wagon, ran up to the
house to carry the news. Senator
Davis heard it with alarm, and hitch
ing horse to n blackboard drove down
TO the field and himself lifted his
faithful old servant into the carriage
and carried him to the hospital.
don make no Difference who 'tis,"
said the old negro, "Massa Davis jes'
good when anybody gifts hurt!"
Inside the gates of Graceland there
is little village of children, and
these young folks have democracy
all their own. The pretty grandchil-
dren Of Senator Davis and Senator
Elkins, though heiresses, play with
the children Of the gamekeeper and
the farm-hands, and up in the great
deer park the stays and mild-eyed does
come down at night and noon and eat
from their hands and play tag with
them.
The children and grandchildren of
Mr.. Davis make large family. This
summer there are at the house Com
mander r. NJ. G.. Brown, husband Of
the late Mrs. Kate Davis Brown; Mrs.
Halle Davis Ellins, Mr.. and Mrs.
John Davis, Mrs. Davis having been
Miss Bessie Armstead, of Brooklyn;
Mrs. Grace Davis Lee and her hr
band, Arthur Lee, and the grandchil-
dren Of Senator Davis, Halle Elkins
Davis, Henry G.. Davis Jr, aged two:
Ellen Bruce Lee. Henry Davis Lee.
Katharine Brown and the children and
grandchildren of Senator Elkins.
OVER THE NORTHWEST.