s
and P. Martin Smythe from visitin' her.

Miss Curzon is a real handsome woman, and always wuz when she was a
neighborin' girl, as you may say, in Chicago, but the high position
she's in now has gin nobility to her mean, and the mantilly of dignity
she wears sets well on her.

She seemed real glad to see me; she had hearn on me, so she said, and
she said she had laughed some when she read my books, and had cried
too, and I sez, "I hope you didn't cry because you felt obleeged to
read 'em, or somebody made you."

And she sez, "No," and she went on furder to say how they had soothed
the trials of a relative, aged ninety, and had been a stay and solace
to one of her pa's great aunts.

And a bystander standin' by come up and introduced himself and said
how much my books had done for some relations of his mother-in-law who
had read 'em in Sing Sing and the Tombs. And after considerable such
interestin' and agreeable conversation Miss Curzon branched off and
asked me if there wuz any new news at home.

And I sez, "No; things are goin' in the same old way. Your pa's folks
are in good health so fur as I know, and the rest of the four hundred
are so as to git about, for I hear on 'em to horse shows and huntin'
foxes acrost the country and playin' tee or tee he."

She said, "Yes, golf wuz gettin' to be very popular in America." And I
went on with what little news I could about the most important folks.
Sez I:

"Mr. and Miss Roosvelt are well, and well thought on. He is a manly
man and a gentle gentleman. The sample of goodness, loyalty and common
sense they are workin' out there in the White House ort to be copied
by all married men and their wives. If they did the divorce lawyers
would starve to death--or go into some other business.

"I set store by 'em both. Theodore tries to quell the big monopolies
and look out for the people. I've advised him and he has follered my
advice more or less. But you can't do everything in a minute, and the
political bosses and the Liquor Power are rulin' things about the same
as ever. Big trusts are flourishin', Capital covered with gold and
diamonds is settin' on the bent back of Labor, drivin' the poor
critter where they want to, and the Man with the Hoe is hoein' away
jest as usual and don't get the pay for it he'd ort to." And here
Arvilly broke in (she had been introduced), and sez she, "Uncle Sam is
girdin' up his lions and stands with a chip on his shoulder ready to
step up and