The Washington times., 1904-08-04
LITTLE STORIES OF WASHINGTON LIFE
A GHOST ON THE MALL
(The Engineers Story.l

been built The country is surely not 50
poor" He gazed YEARLY up al the
towers Of the Smithsonian How many
souls are here now. monsieur"
Three hundred thousand. / believe
I answered stupidity.
I'VE looked for eight hundred tbous-
and. Washington and I. But he could
not see the city Of my dreams Only /
/ saw il. and IL has never changed.
The old fellows lifted face in the
moonlight wore a devout look, Ike a
prophets.
The others worked Cor the money ana
for fame" he went on in lower tone.
"Bonani. Franzoni. Capellano. Causicl.
Valeperti-he drowned himself. poor
young fellow. for love OF a girl They
can love, those Italians. and they can
paint and carve. But CapeIlano and
Causici never saw the Indian as I saw
him when I was with d Estaing in the
South-smooth and 1.-the and supple as
a woman. They made him like a burIy
peasant. with great knobs OF muscle
here, and herein the wrong place.
Hamilton and / laughed over those IN
dams. at supper at his home a week be-
fore the duel
We had reached an open grassy space
where. Ike Robin Hoods band in the
story-books, several ragamufin figures
were grouped under a giant tree.
AHA, me bhoyr' cried the Image OF
one Of rhackeray's broken-down afors,
with wooden leg and fiery side whis-
kers. and who's this we've picked up?
One Of ours?''
NO; not of ours returned the old
Frenchman ia a musing zone, and they
all pressed closer about me. The air
was growing chill with the drop Of tenn
rerature that comes suddenly toward
morning.
Where did you pick him up. I'm
fant?' asked a tall man with dark curl
ing hair and a cloak thrown Electrically
over his shoulder.
The Old Frenchman did not answer.
He was looking at me intently. Pres
entity he murmured, 1T was mere that I
once met the beautiful Mad noiselle
Peggy Douglas. Her coach hac broken
down. and il was my good fortune 10 be
at hand for her assistance 1 dreamed
then that it should be the haunt OF
beauty and bravery ana men OF great
name-this park I cannot understand
why they do not But these friends
OF mine are brave fellows. and good
company. I assure you, monsieur
Peggy Douglas was my great great
grandmother" l cried out impulslYeIy.
I remember she married one OF La
fayette's officers" The old Frenchman
was smiling. You should have been
kin OF mine" he added gently. If ever
you long for freedom Ny God. how
I used to walk in the garden Of my good
friend Digges. and long feI the end 20
comel When one is old and Is no.
wanted by others. and is forgotten by
the land one has striven hard 10 serve.
then one is glad OF the end
They even forgot my Hamlet, put
in the tan man in the cloak.
Remember, thee while men,
DRY holds a seat
IN this distracted globe.
"Ah. they say So" he added, shaking
his head sadly. but they never do;
they never do"
What's the oddsg' growIed a voice
from the shadow. where a man lounged
in the remains of a British uniform. Il
served through the SIutiny and look ct
me-" His voice rose in a shril snatch
OF song.
''Ho! stand TO your glasses steady.
This world is a world Of lies:
A cup 20 the dead already
And hurrah for the next that dios"'
The voices Joined quaverirgly in the
chorus. and the grisly courage Of the
words somehow stirred ne. 1 am the
last OF my family. and there are rea-
sons why 1 haven't been. Of late, much
III love with life-except for my pro-
fession. L'Enfant was still gazing at
me with that curious intent look. when
the group faded like a mist Then
big policeman was shaking me and haul
ing me up off the grass. As luck would
have it he knew me. and 1 didn't get
pinched.
1 don't know what it all meant
NV chum. Richard Poisson, died OF
typhoid fever three weeks after this
manuscript was written He talked d
lot in his delirium about his last job.
and about some city he'd seen in
dream. I can't make head or tail OF il,
but perhaps you can