The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-01

aHu dteT COHuuCteu ny MS OTOtneT anu
successor
THAT was real ball playing" OBJ
servedsMcMadden, reminiscently. There
was fat money made by them over in
Floods Lots. In Greenpoint, when
Charley managed the team"
We found the Senate thronged. In
the centre Of the place sat man. a
mere mass Of unwieldy flesh, his cheeks
streaked with red lines from the con-
gested blood vessels OF his swollen skin.
from this bloated face.
At the other tables about him were
tradesmen Of the neighborhood, keepers
OF cheap resorts and small politicians,
who listened to the central figure with
an air OF homage and adulation. the key
note Of the grcgarious life Of the dis
trict In the good old days.
Congressman I want you to meet my
friend" said McMadden. who loved to do
the honors Of an occasion. And he
turned to whisper to me that the Com
gresham was remarkable man, whose
acquaintance was a good asset to any
body's life-the youngest member who
had ever sat in Congress. where he had
made his maiden speech which was still
the talk OF the district; an educated
man too. who had once been public
school teacher and an Assistant District
Attorney and was now great coun-
sellor and q labor union lawyer.
Beside this statesman sat a little deaf
mute boy, who accompanied him wher-
ever he went
The Congressman, who was evidently
now going fast to ruin through drink
and debauchery. played the good fellow
and invited all to partake OF his hospi-
tality. especially pressing everybody to
smoke one Of Murphy's Fight to the
Finish" cigars. He leaned forward. and
patting the little deaf mute on the back,
he observed: There's one thing about
this little pal o. mine. He won't tell
what he sees me do or where l GO" At
this he laughed hugely, as though there
were an immense Joke hiddenSbehind the
words, and all the parasites chimed def
erentially in the laughter.
One person seated at an adjoining
table turned to whisper some hidden
matter to the Congressman. There were
blood red stripes on his cuffs and shirt
front. He smiled, and the blood reced-
ing from his face. viciously pinched the
tip Of his nose. and his lips. assuming a
whitish hue. gave him look Of unusual
ferocity.
Look at him. look at him." muttered
McMadden. That's Whispering Jerry
Ham. the police collector. oh. il those
fellows wanted to talk what stories
couldn't they tell us" but he inter.
rupted himself at this juncture to note
the appearance Of n new arrival. Here
comes Windy Ginley," he said to me in
an aside. Now look out for trouble
Windy Glnley. a garrulous person. as
his name implied. though evidently in
offensive, approached McMadden in a
hesitating way and began to conflde to
him a long story.
There's a friend OF mine In sore
trouble, Mack" he said plaintively.
Hes Steeplejack, me brother-in- law
house goin' through the scuttle. But
there's nothin' to st. He was only goin'
down to put line up for a widow
woman"
'Too bad" remarked McMadden. with
interest.
Couldn't the Commissioner do some
thing for me?" asked the other anx-
iously.
Speak to the Congressman" whls-
pered McMadden. There's your chance
right now. Go to It,"
Thus urged. Windy advanced in an
embarrassed way: Congressman. II
want to ask you to do favor for a
friend Of NINE"
YES" replied the Congressman. re-
garding him with wavering attention. as
ne looked about him with an air Of
superiority. He resembled nothing so
much as a rank. fat weed furnishing In
a foul human field, spreading Its stems.
swollen with an evil sap.
Windy became hoarsely confidential:
"You see. this poor lad. Steeplejack, he's
got in bad. They find him goin' into
the wrong fiat. but he don't know nothin'
about that. He's line up man. and he
was there just by mistake, to fix a
line up for widow woman" That last
phrase was his quod erat demonstran-
dunn.
"Uh-huh!" grunted the other. be-
coming momentarily less attentive.
This here's real charity. Congress
man." continued Windy anxiously. THE
poor lads got two sick kids and the
wife's in the hospital. He's one OF your
Congressman. He's all
right. He's a good fellow"
The Congressman suddenly became
very deaf and turned to whisper to
Jerry Ham.
But Windy, driven on by the need Of
the occasion, continued TREMENDOUSLY: |
II want you to help out this friend Of
mine. professionally. or the other way
say half professionally and half the
other way"
The counsellor pricked up his ears. |
There's no half way about It," he said
grufiy. II either do It as a lawyer or
do It as a favor for a friend"
The auditors nodded their approval Of
this delicate distinction. But even then |
the Congressman remained noncom-
initial. maintaining an air Of drunken
while Windy. with the eyes OF
all the others upon him, appeared to
make little Roadway with his plea.
The door Of the Senate opened Just
then and In there came a quiet looking
person accompanied by a dog. a mag.
nificent animal. oversha downing his mas
ter In importance OF bearings Great
Dane: muddy gray in color. who looked
about him with expressive and intelli.
gent eyes.
For some reason his entrance created
sensation. Several Of the men In the
immediate vicinity eyinced n species ~