The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-07
Copyright. 1910. by Emsrzon HouSh
|. By
 EMERSON HOUGH

immediate by the administration at Washington-the organization of new political party born of the unrest over the slavery question-had spent it's force and. temporarily. long since nut tered away in the distance, leaving scarce a trace behind it on the political sky. The strained compromise held. Neither war nor new party came as yet. disunion was not yet openly at- tempted. Moreover. there was a delib- crate intent upon an era of good feek ing. Whig and Democrat alike forced themselves to settle down into the be- lief that peace had come. If men were slaves. why. let them be slaves.
 In this era of arrested activities the energies of a restless people turned oth- erwhere for interest. To relieve the monotony of political stagnation. popu- lar attention was now turned 3Oward the affairs of Hungary instant inter est attached to the news that Hun garian committee of inquiry had )and- ed upon our shores. with the purpose of Investigating a possible inv itation from our republic to the Hungarian patriot. . Kossuth then in exile in Turkey.
 l The leader of this mission was Gen ! eral Zewlinski. an officer of the patriot army of Hungary, who brought with
 him a suit of some dozen persons. These, late in the winter of 1S50-51, ar- rived at Washington and found quar- i ters of somewhat magnificent sort in one of the more prominent hotels of i the national capital.
 l The first formal action of the Hun garian committee took the shape of
 return reception, to be held In the hotel parlors. The invitations. Liberal as they were. were sought for quite in excess of the supply. The administration, for which MT. Webster. our secretary of state, had not, hesitafed to write in, most determined fashion to the attache Hulsemann regarding the presu mptu- ous Austrian demands upon our gov ernment. none the less was much in a funk regarding European obliga tons." Not wishing to offend the popular fancy i and not daring to take decisive stand. | the usual compromise was made. A i long suffering officer of the navy. with i his wife and one or two other ladies. 1 was dispatched quasi officially to lend color to the occasion | Such splendor as could be arranged had been provided for the setting of this event Hungarian orchestra. brought with these commissioners. discoursed it's peculiar music beyond a l the great parlors had been prepared i for those of the young who could not resist the temptation to dance. At the head of the little line of these visitors. i now themselves in effect hosts. stood l the old Hungarian general. ZewllnskI. ! an officer over six feet in height, with white hair and wide white mustaches. 1 8 distinguished figure in the brilliant l Hungarian uniform. Those of his staff near by added additional vividness to 1 the picture. The ladies of the party.
 half of whom spoke English. were costumed quite in keeping. and en- deavored by the graciousness of their
 manner to add to the good impression
 already. formed of their more brilliant companions. The doors had not been opened for half hour before the
 rooms were packed with a struggling mass of humanity, all eager to grasp %he hand of the representative of Hun- gary and of the members of his com pany. Patriotism. liberty. brotherly
 love were in the speech of all.
 It was at about this time that there entered at the doof near the head of the receiving line young woman. for the time apparently quite unattended
 She was brilliantly rohed. with jewels
 flashing at neck and wrists, clad like |
 There were many in Washington
 social circles who knew by sight or by
 reputation Josephine. Countess St.
 Auban, no longer than six months ago pronounced by one journal of the
 capital to be the most beautiful and
 the most dangerous woman in. Wash ington. Yet even the most hostile of i these suddenly suspended judgment as | they saw her advance met now by that
 of the old Hungarian general himself l "Countess-my dear child-at last you are here.'' he exclaimed Taking her
 by the hand he led her back to the line
 of his official company. voleying rapid
 exclamations in his native tongue 1 'You left us"' at length exclaimed
 the old general. politely speaking in his
 best English. since others were bound
 to hear "Where you had gone we did
 not know. If was as though the heay- 1 ems had opened. See then. Sir-he i addressed the naval officer who stood i near at hand-"the Countess St. Auban i was one of the most important mem | bers of our little company-she was to | rome in advance of us. who also are in 1 advance of a greater number. For time we heard from her. then all was 1 silent, She had disappeared: But now, at last. my dear countess. you are here"' l Political. social and Journalistic | Washington then and there begged a sudden though silent pardon of the 1 Countess St. Auban. A few journal l ists left the ro@m quickly. An attache l of the Austrian legation also hurriedIy i took his leave.
 s-'I have been visiting some of the 1 more remote parts of this country re
 piled she in even tones.
 l 50. them you have not forgotten our
 mission from Hungary. We'll, now we | shall surely have the invitation for our l Kossrith to come? Is it not true?' "Assuredly, my dear general ve,