ed kick for conscience's
sake, I suppose,--but it is just a matter of form, and nobody gets
excited over it. They are trifles lighter than air, yet--

"'Small things should not unheeded be,
Nor atoms due attention lack,
We all know well the miseree
Occasioned by an unseen tack!'

"And again:

"'Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand
Make contractors' mortar
That is used throughout the land.'"

"Well," said Sammy Ridley, drawing a deep breath when the Colonel was
through, "I may be a damn fool, but I am no poet!"

VII

REPRESENTATIVE VAN RENSSELAER UNFOLDS A STRANGE TALE

"And now, Van Rensselaer," said Colonel Manysnifters, "it's around to
you. I reckon you have something up your sleeve that will surprise us,
eh?" The debonair Congressman from the Empire State was quite equal to
the occasion. He seemed primed and ready, and needed no further urging.
There was another hiss of soda, the clink of glasses, and with a
prolonged sigh of satisfaction he began.

"This is a true tale, and unfolded now for the first time. Harken unto
the evidence.

"It was a lovely afternoon in early spring, and 'The Avenue' was alive
with a leisurely moving throng--for no one hurries in Washington. I
strolled along, thoroughly enjoying the balmy weather, the crowds, and
the charm of it all. About four o'clock hundreds of government clerks
streamed out sluggishly from the side streets. At the crossings fakirs
were busy, their customers good-naturedly elbowing each other in their
eagerness to be swindled. And violets everywhere! The air was filled
with the scent of them. Men, women, and children with trays piled high
with the tiny purple and white flowers were doing a tremendous business;
their customers ranging from dignified statesmen to the loudly dressed
Afro-American gayly swinging along. Out of the fashionable Northwest
came many carriages, passing from the grim shadow of the Treasury into
the sunlit way beyond. The trend of movement was eastward--always
eastward--toward the great white dome on the hill. Congress was in
session, and history was making there. The war debate was on in all its
fury, with the whole world listening breathlessly. Pictures of the
ill-fated _Maine_ were much in evidence, and maps of Cuba in the shop
windows were closely scanned. The probability of war with Spain was
loudly and boastfully discussed by seedy looking men in front of the
cheaper hotels and res