The Washington herald., 1907-04-21
WOMAN ABOUT TOWN
Stories of Washington Life.

Its all doubled up with misery in it's
uaw' be said. IT'S "a kickin' am, "a boI-
lerin' fit to Kill / reckon it's "a sIfferin.
with here hc lesitated for a word to
express his anatomical ideas-"siffarif'
with. he said-"with that thing that's
made 20 stop grape seeds" he finished.
iriumphantly.
Mrs. Blank, Of Chevy Chase. has cook
whose eyesight is not Of The best one
Gay last week, having been directed TO
open a Jar Of marmaIade for breakfast
she opened instead a gar Of mushrooms
very frankly she confessed her error.
4 opened them by mistake" she said
but amt a-goin' % let them sDoil
j ID set them on the stove ana let them
SCI Het through, and then III salt thcm.
Itiat u petrety them. and they'll keep
The lady who has been In Paris finds
Washington cab service very unsatisfsc-
tory.
why they charge you perfectly fear
tai prices here" she says. In Paris We
TOOK cab every time we went out and
tHey were Just as cheap as can be- But
'here' regrettuilyi they were taxider-
mist cabs, and you don't find them in
America"
daresay # was a surprise TO many Of
Us TO learn that the late james II. .Eckkls
was born so long ago as 1855. His hoyisb
appearance was subject of constant
comment durins his term as Comptroller
OF the Currency, and when / last saw
him. in January. he seemed not TO have
aged a day since he left Washington He
looked little tired, and possibly. a little
Trailer than Washington remembers him.
but one would have said that he was still
on the sunny side of thirty-five Mr.
Eckeis was man who concealed a great
deal Of determination under a retiring and
somewhat shy manner. When his ap-
pointment as Comptroller came to him.
recall that he was surprised that he had
been selected for the office It did not
seem to him "a place that a lawyer could
FIJI. He confessed TO an Intimate friend
that ne did not know what a Con1ptrol-
ler's duties We're. Banking, he said, was
a thing he knew little about. However.
he armed himself with documentary in
lorna ion on the matter. and retired TO
his room at a hotel Later the same
day he told the same friend that me had
looked the thing up and saw that a Comp
troller was appointed primarily 10 execute
the laws concerning banks Ii was a DO
sIdOn. he said. not for q practical banker.
but for a lawyer. and he felt that he
could fill it to his own satisfaction and
that OF the public.
If l did not believe ] could" said he,
Il wouldn't run the risk of making d fool
of myself by taking IT,
It was only a few months later that
Representative Belden, of New York.
took issue with Mr. Eckels in the matter
Of a ruling the Comptroller had made. (
felt that a call from him would convince /
Mr.. ECigels Of his error. He came away J
from his call to admit that he was in the /
wrong.
THAT young fellow knows more about 4
1t than I do he said. I was wrong, ana /
he's All right
1t was no secret thereafter that Mr.. /
Eckels was offered, not without Mr.. Bel /
denis influence, a position of extreme inn /
portance In the financial world, which he /.
declined. Retaining till the end OF the /
the position to which Mr. 1
Cleveland had appointed him was a part |
Of his idea of being "all right
I never saw Miss Susan B. Anthony at /
a loss for something 70 say but once, and 1
that was on the occasion Of her first visit /
to the Comptr0ller's Office. Mr.. Eckels /
was talking with a couple Of newspaper
folk when she came in, but at sight OF
her he stepped toward her
ifT want % see Mr. g7eire1g % she said
7 am BIr Eckels," he returned.
ooh. yes, said she, smiling, but I want
10 see your father. the Comptroller
After Mr.. Eckels' reply IL that, Miss
Anthony gave a positive gasp.
We'll. I declare" was all she could +
think of 20 SOY. 9