The Washington herald., 1909-03-28

out a word or a smile he picked up a
cigar shipped OF the entire end in the
old accustomed manner ana set to smok-
Ing with great satisfaction and no audi
bic comment.
| Once these two were angling FOR a very
large bass which had been seen several
times lurking near a certain rock The
professor suddenly got him on his hook,
but lost him. Naturally" said the other
/ fisherman, addressing the bass, you
didn't care to be caught by a mere ANA
teur, you were Just waiting for the master
hand. and presently. sure enough, the
same big fellow got on Mr.. Cleveland s
hook. What Gid I tell you?" he re-
marked. carefully playing the FISH. HE
was just waiting for the master" but
at that point the bass wriggled on again
Mr.. Cleveland gazed thoughtfully st the
water for moment, then shot a twink
ling glance at his companion. straight
way turned his face away again and
| proceeded 10 fish IN silence
At the formal opening OF the ST. Louis
/ Exposition In 1903. where the ex-President
and the President made addresses, they
were both guests at a dinner given by
/ Gov. Francis TO twenty-four distin-
guished persOnages. The President sat
on the hosts right and the ex-President
on his left The one talked Interestingly
and the other listened interestedly and
for the most part in silence, untn toward
the end Of the dinner. turning TO the
vigorous young President, for whom he
| cherished a eonsiderate regard. despite
radical differences IN temperament and
/ opinion. he remarked, Young man. do
you realize that I'm old enough to be
your father%' and he added in the same
quietly jocose manner, DO you realize
that after you get through being Presi-
dent you've got to come back and take
your place in the ranks with the rest OF
us?"
The Presidents attitude toward his pre-
| ldecessor, it should be added, was always
! that OF hlial respect You know al
ways feel toward your husband" he once
whispered TO Mrs. Cleveland. when they
met at a football game, "as freshman
toward a senior"
After the first surprise at finding him
genial and approachable, the abiding i'm
preston Of this mans personality was
his plain honesty. OF this trait. 10 be
sure. everyone was aware, but the de-
gree 20 which his sense OF truth was
developed seems abnormal.
He was the honestest man I ever
knew" as a certain distinguished lawyer
said who had known Mr.. Cleveland long
and intimately. II seemed 70 be an In
nate quality and manifested Itself early
In life, not an acquired characteristic as
with many children who turn out TO be
good men after all It was the only
precOcious thing about him as a child.
He could hardly have been more than
four or FIVE years old when one day he
was found crying bitterly because a ped
der who had visited the house had acci-
dentaliy dropped a pair OF suspenders
and was now too far down the road for
the little fellow 10 catch up with him and
return them
| The story OF the neighborly hen who
| persisted in laying eggs in the Rev Mr
/ Cleveland's yard has already been told.
/ The boy. Grover. soberly carried them
back 10 the neighbor's house each day.
and finally made such a fuss about It
that the hen had to be suppressed
Truth was q passion with him, almost
mania. One of his friends tells q story
to the point Mr.. Cleveland had been
! relating his first experience in killing
! salmon; the guide had given him the
usual admonition that when a fish struck
he must keep his thumb of the reel until
the fish swallowed the hook. Presently
a beautiful fish struck. and struck hard.
but Topped OF.
I told you to keep your thumb or the
reel said the guide.
Il didn't have my thumb on the reel"
was the reply
/ But" he added In relating the story.
Il oughtn't 10 have said that: I'm afraid
my thumb grazed the reel I've thought
| Of it again and again; It wasn't right for
me to contradict him The guide couldn't
answer back" and he actually looked as
/ troubled about ii as II Il had happened
/ that morning instead Of years ago. No
further reference was made to the story
by either OF them until suddenly, a couple
/ OF days later. Mr.. Cleveland said I'd
like 10 show you Just how my thumb was
with reference to that reel" ans he t.
lustrated with his rod.
We'll. if that was the position" said
/ his friend 1T didn't tighten the line IN
the least and you were all right"
/ The other thought II over a moment.
We'll, I hope so, he said, 'T hope 81. -
Once while in Washington" TO use the
| ex-President's phrase for being Presi-
/ dent. he brought home a number OF Wild
swans he had shot down South. and sent
one as a compliment to each member Of
his Cabinet and 10 some OF his other as
sociates. We'll, all the boys thanked me
politely for remembering them, but none
OF them seemed 10 have much To say
about how they enjoyed the birds. Car
Isle. I found, had his cooked on a night
when he was dining out Another, when
1 asked him, said he hoped I wouldn't
mind but he had sent IL home to his old
mother. Thurber didn't mention his bird
at all for two days. Finally I asked him
| about il. 'Thurber. did you get that
swan all right?
Yes, sir, oh. yes. got the swan all
right, thank you and he bent over his
desk snd seemed very busy.
Fine bird 1 said.
Yes. sir, fine bird and went on
working
Enjoy eating him, Thurber?
He waited a minute, then he said,