“My daughter,” said the Senator, with a grave look, “I trust there was nothing free in his manner?”
“Free?” repeated Laura, with indignation in her face. “With me!”
“There, there, child. I meant nothing, Balloon talks a little freely sometimes, with men. But he is right at heart. His term expires next year and I fear we shall lose him.”
“He seemed to be packing the day I was there. His rooms were full of dry goods boxes, into which his servant was crowding all manner of old clothes and stuff: I suppose he will paint ‘Pub. Docs’ on them and frank them home. That’s good economy, isn’t it?”
“Yes, yes, but child, all Congressmen do that. It may not be strictly honest, indeed it is not unless he had some public documents mixed in with the clothes.”
“It’s a funny world. Goodbye, uncle. I’m going to see that chairman.”
And humming a cheery opera air, she departed to her room to dress for going out. Before she did that, however, she took out her note book and was soon deep in its contents; marking, dashing, erasing, figuring, and talking to herself.
“Free! I wonder what Dilworthy does think of me anyway? One … two … eight … seventeen … twenty-one … ‘m’m … it takes a heap for a majority. Wouldn’t Dilworthy open his eyes if he knew some of the things Balloon did say to me. There … . Hopperson’s influence ought to count twenty … the sanctimonious old curmudgeon. Son-in-law … sinecure in the negro institution… . That about gauges him… . The three committeemen … sons-in-law. Nothing like a son-in-law here in Washington or a brother-in-law… . And everybody has ‘em… .Let’s see: … sixty-one… . with places … twenty-five … persuaded — it is getting on; … . we’ll have two-thirds of Congress in time … Dilworthy must surely know I understand him. Uncle Dilworthy … . Uncle Balloon! — Tells very amusing stories … when ladies are not present … I should think so … .’m … ‘m. Eighty-five. There. I must find that chairman. Queer… . Buckstone acts… . Seemed to be in love … . . I was sure of it. He promised to come here … and he hasn’t… . Strange. Very strange … . I must chance to meet him to-day.”
Laura dressed and went out, thinking she was perhaps too early for Mr. Buckstone to come from the house, but as he lodged near the bookstore she would drop in there and keep a look out for him.
While Laura is on her errand to find Mr. Buckstone, it may not be out of the way to remark that she knew quite as much of Washington life as Senator Dilworthy gave her credit for, and more than she thought proper to tell him. She was acquainted by this time with a good many of the young fellows of Newspaper Row; and exchanged gossip with them to their mutual advantage.
They were always talking in the Row, everlastingly gossiping, bantering and sarcastically praising things, and going on in a style which was a curious commingling of earnest and persiflage. Col. Sellers liked this talk amazingly, though he was sometimes a little at sea in it — and perhaps that didn’t lessen the relish of the conversation to the correspondents.
It seems that they had got hold of the drygoods box packing story about Balloon, one day, and were talking it over when the Colonel came in. The Colonel wanted to know all about it, and Hicks told him. And then Hicks went on, with a serious air,
“Colonel, if you register a letter, it means that it is of value, doesn’t it? And if you pay fifteen cents for registering it, the government will have to take extra care of it and even pay you back its full value if it is lost. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes. I suppose it’s so.”.
“Well Senator Balloon put fifteen cents worth of stamps on each of those seven huge boxes of old clothes, and shipped that ton of secondhand rubbish, old boots and pantaloons and what not through the mails as registered matter! It was an ingenious thing and it had a genuine touch of humor about it, too. I think there is more real talent among our public men of to-day than there was among those of old times — a far more fertile fancy, a much happier ingenuity. Now, Colonel, can you picture Jefferson, or Washington or John Adams franking their wardrobes through the mails and adding the facetious idea of making the government responsible for the cargo for the sum of one dollar and five cents? Statesmen were dull creatures in those days. I have a much greater admiration for Senator Balloon.”
“Yes, Balloon is a man of parts, there is no denying it”
“I think so. He is spoken of for the post of Minister to China, or Austria, and I hope will be appointed. What we want abroad is good examples of the national character.
“John Jay and Benjamin Franklin were well enough in their day, but the nation has made progress since then. Balloon is a man we know and can depend on to be true to himself.”
“Yes, and Balloon has had a good deal of public experience. He is an old friend of mine. He was governor of one of the territories a while, and was very satisfactory.”
“Indeed he was. He was ex-officio Indian agent, too. Many a man would have taken the Indian appropriation and devoted the money to feeding and clothing the helpless savages, whose land had been taken from them by the white man in the interests of civilization; but Balloon knew their needs better. He built a government sawmill on the reservation with the money, and the lumber sold for enormous prices — a relative of his did all the work free of charge — that is to say he charged nothing more than the lumber would bring.” “But the poor Injuns — not that I care much for Injuns — what did he do for them?”
“Gave them the outside slabs to fence in the reservation with. Governor Balloon was nothing less than a father to the poor Indians. But Balloon is not alone, we have many truly noble statesmen in our country’s service like Balloon. The Senate is full of them. Don’t you think so Colonel?”
“Well, I dunno. I honor my country’s public servants as much as any one can. I meet them, Sir, every day, and the more I see of them the more I esteem them and the more grateful I am that our institutions give us the opportunity of securing their services. Few lands are so blest.”
“That is true, Colonel. To be sure you can buy now and then a Senator or a Representative but they do not know it is wrong, and so they are not ashamed of it. They are gentle, and confiding and childlike, and in my opinion these are qualities that ennoble them far more than any amount of sinful sagacity could. I quite agree with you, Col. Sellers.”
“Well” — hesitated the Colonel — ”I am afraid some of them do buy their seats — yes, I am afraid they do — but as Senator Dilworthy himself said to me, it is sinful, — it is very wrong — it is shameful; Heaven protect me from such a charge. That is what Dilworthy said. And yet when you come to look at it you cannot deny that we would have to go without the services of some of our ablest men, sir, if the country were opposed to — to — bribery. It is a harsh term. I do not like to use it.”
The Colonel interrupted himself at this point to meet an engagement with the Austrian minister, and took his leave with his usual courtly bow.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
In due time Laura alighted at the book store, and began to look at the titles of the handsome array of books on the counter. A dapper clerk of perhaps nineteen or twenty years, with hair accurately parted and surprisingly slick, came bustling up and leaned over with a pretty smile and an affable —
“Can I — was there any particular book you wished to see?”
“Have you Taine’s England?”
“Beg pardon?”
“Taine’s Notes on England.”
The