This is section thirty five of The Gilded Age. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The Gilded Age, A Tale of to Day by Mark Twain and C. D. Warner, Chapter thirty five. Laura went downstairs, knocked at the study door, and entered, scarcely waiting for the response. Senator Dilworthy was alone with an open Bible in his hand upside down. Laura smiled and said, forgetting her acquired correctness of speech, it is only me ah, come in, sit down, and
the Senator closed the book and laid it down. I wanted to see you time to report progress from the Committee of the Whole, and the Senator beamed with his own congressional wit. In the Committee of the Whole, things are working very well. We have made ever so much progress in a week. I believe that you and I together could run this government beautifully. Uncle, the Senator beamed again. He liked to be called uncle by this beautiful woman.
Did you see Hopperson last night after the Congressional Print meeting. Yes, he came. He's kind of ey. He is one of my friends, Laura. He's a fine man, a very fine man. I don't know any man in Congress, I'd sooner go to for help in any Christian work. What did he say? Oh? He beat around a little. He said he should like to help the Negro. His heart went out to the Negro and all that. Plenty of them say that. But he was a little afraid of the Tennessee Land Bill.
If Senator Dilworthy wasn't in it, he should suspect there was a fraud on the government. He said that, did he yes? And he said he felt he couldn't vote for it. He was shy, not shy, child, cautious. He's a very cautious man. I have been with him a great deal on conference committees. He wants reasons, good ones. Didn't you show him he was in error about the bill? I did. I went over the whole thing. I had to tell him some of the side arrangements, some of
the you didn't mention me. Oh no, I told him you were daft about the Negro and the philanthropy part of it. As you are, daft is a little strong, Laura, But you know that I wouldn't touch this bill if it were not for the public good and for the good of the colored race. Much as I am interested in the airs of this property and would like to have them succeed. Laura looked a little incredulous, and the
Senator proceeded, don't misunderstand me. I don't deny that it is for the interest of all of us that this bill should go through, and it will. I have no concealments from you, but I have one principle in my public life which I should like you to keep in mind. It has always been my guide. I never push a private interest if it is not justified and ennobled by
some larger public good. I doubt if a Christian would be justified in working for his own salvation if it was not to aid in the salvation of his fellow men. The senator spoke with feeling and then added, I hope you showed Hopperson that our motives were pure. Yes, and he seemed to have a new light on the measure. I think he will vote for it. I hope so
his name will give tone and strength to it. I knew you would only have to show him that it was just and pure in order to secure his cordial support. I think I convinced him. Yes, I am perfectly sure he will vote right now. That's good that's good, said the Senator, smiling and rubbing his hands. Is there anything more? You'll find some changes in that, I guess. Handing the Senator a printed list of names, those checked off are all right? Ah hum. Running his eye down the list,
that's encouraging. What is the C before some of the names? And the B B? Those are my private marks. That C stands for convinced with argument. The B B is a general sign for a relative. You see. It stands before three of the honorable Committee. I expect to see the chairman of the Committee to day, mister Buckstone, so you must he ought to be seen without any delay. Buckstone is a worldly sort of a fellow, but he has charitable impulses. If we secure him, we shall have
a favorable report by the Committee. And it will be a great thing to be able to state that fact quietly where it will do good. Oh, I saw Senator Balloon. He will help us. I suppose Balloon is a wholehearted fellow. I can't help loving that man. For all his drollery and waggishness. He puts on an air of levity sometimes, But there ain't a man in the Senate knows the scripture as he does. He did not make any objections, not exactly he said. Shall I tell you what he said,
asked Laura, glancing furtively at him. Certainly, he said, he had no doubt it was a good thing. If Senator Dilworthy was in it, it would pay to look into it. The Senator laughed, but rather feebly, and said, Balloon is always full of his jokes. I explained it to him. He said it was all right. He only wanted a word with you, continued Laura. He is a handsome old gentleman, and he is gallant for an old man, 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 docks on them and frank them home. That's good economy, isn't it? Yes? Yes, but child, all congress men do that. It may not be st honest. Indeed it is not unless he had some public documents mixed in with the clothes. Isn't it 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 mm 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 gages him the three committee men, sons in law. Nothing like a son in law here in Washington or a brother in law, and everybody has him. 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, hm hm eighty five. There I must find that Chairman Queer Buckstone acts seems 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 mister Buckstone to come from the house, but as he lodged near the book store, she would drop him there and keep a look out
for him. While Laura is on her errand to find mister 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. Colonel 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 dry goods 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 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 center to 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 he 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 Injins, not that I care much for engines, 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 Senator is full of them, don't you think so, Colonel Well, I don't know, honor my country's public servants as much as anyone 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 blessed well, 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, Colonel 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 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. End of Chapter thirty five,