Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1892 — A GOVERNMENT CLERK. [ARTICLE]

A GOVERNMENT CLERK.

BY GAILLARD HUNT.

Henry Hamilton is a natural product of the peculiar conditions of Washington life. Although he is a Government clerk he is not of the plain, plodding type that one sees and hears so little of after the hour when the deparments close; on the contrary, his real life begins at four o’clock in {he afternoon. There are few more popular men in Washington. Wellmannered, cultivated, good-looking, of exceptionally good antecedents, he is wglcome in every drawing room wortk entering. That he is poor and has no prospects in life fuo {acts which nobody <sare§ about; that he is, perliaps ; throwing a life away that might liave had some achievements in another sphere is not nearly so important in the circle in which he moves as the evident fact that he is a most invitable man. Besides all this he is a born leader—of the german. Last year, early in the season, he led the german at the Japanese Legation, and it was there that Marie Forrest first made her appearance in society in Washington. Hamilton had known and admired her two years before, just before she went to Europe, and when she had not yet made her debut; and he chose to make it his business to see that her first Washington party was a success. He introduced all the men to her; and he bade the younger ones, his imitators and slaves, take her out and give her favors. She had a “perfectly lovely timeand she went home with her arms full of favors, and gave the leader a sweet bow and smile as she left. As for him, he saw himself in the glass as he entered his room after the party. His face was heated, and he looked tired; his collar tottered to its fall, and his coat was covered with tinsel decorations, as though he was a much honored foreign prince, and, although he was so popular and had been much petted at the german, I do not envy him his thoughts as he sat in solitude. He is one of the class of men who, at the time of life when they should study a profession, accept the tempting offer of a Government clerkship. When he became a clerk the spirit of enjo3ment was strong in him, his gifts were brilliant in society, and the holiday city of Washington offered him a 'fine field for pleasure; the Government paid him a salary sufficient for his needs, and, almost before he knew it, he found himself too old to begin life over again. The taint which falls upon a Government employe fastened upon him, and he became weak and dependent as Government clerks usually are. As he grew older his life became more and more a miserable and futile effort at self-forgetfulness—by a persistent mingling in society. As the season in Washington began about the time of the ball at the Japanese Legation, it was only natural that Hamilton and Miss Forrest should be thrown together pretty constantly, and their meetings were manifestly agreeable to both. She was a girl not altogether frivolous, and she had enthusiasm beyond anticipations of future parties or recollections of past ones. She awoke in him a desire to show her his best side, and he was a man of more than usual information and intelligence, for his hours at his office were not infrequently spent in reading and in labors which were of no value to the Government, but were most improving to him. It was inevitable that Miss Forrest should see in him a superiority to his contemporaries. She found him a trifler, it is true, often cynical, sometimes even bitter and misanthropical, but he had a charming, frank boyishness of nature and a generosity of heart which caused most people to like him and some even to love him. As for Miss Forrest, I think she must have been naturally a flirt; for she took to it as a bird does to flying, with slight " fluttering and very little preliminary training. There was little Polonisi, the Secretary of the Italian Legation; Major Lockwood, a gallant officer in the pay corps of the Army; Jones and Smith, young fellows, clerks in the State Department ; old Count de la Rose, an impoverished French nobleman, attache of the Legation. All were her constant attendants and formed her bodyguard, sometimes on duty together and sometimes by turns. Major Lockwood was the persistent. He came of an old and distinguished family. He was not without intellect; but he expended it ail in the perfection of his gentility. Although he clothed his handsome person in sober tints, there was, nevertheless, an appearance of much thought in his trousers, and his cravats snowed considerable power of mental concentration. He -was not a bad fellow, however; and Miss Forest liked him, because he was good looking and a fine specimen of a “swell.” It is not infrequently the case, too, that a person with a stupendously good opinion of himself succeeds in communicating a part of this opinion to others. There was such a voluminous self-esteem emanating from Major Lockwood that most people concluded it must have its origin in some spark of genuine merit.

n. To sic in a parlor, tete-a-tete with a pretty girl who is not averse to being made love to is dangerous; to walk with her when she is addicted to perfect hats is still more so; but to ride horseback with her when the air is balmy and the blood is warm with the delightful exercise is apt to be fatal. Through the generosity of a rich aunt, Hamilton was the fortunate possessor of a fine horse; and when the weather permitted and Miss Forrest was willing, the two used to take long rides in the beautiful country around Washington. On these occasions they would cast all conventionalities to the winds; sometimes singing together, , laughing from very exuberance of spirits, like a couple of children, happy in the sunshine and the sympathy of each other’s company. “Mr. Hamilton,” said the lady, on one

of these rides, “do you really think that your horse can beat Major Lockwood’s?” “I don’t know anything about it;" he replied bluntly; “I only know that I do adore you.” “What!” she said, half laughing, but thoroughly pleased. “What do you say, Mr. Hamilton?” “I think I am in love with you.” She clicked to her horse and dashed along the road. He kept at her side, her horse was no match for his; but it was impossible to manage the horse and pursue the subject of conversation. “It is a great advantage of a horseback conversation,” she said, pleasantly, “that you can interrupt it so nicely.” “The interruption is not without consequences. What was I saying, Miss Forrest, when you started off so suddenly?” “I am sure I don’t remember,” she answered. “I was saying that I thought my nag could beat Lockwood’s, and that I would be supremely happy if you would wear violet and white when we have our race next week.” . In truth, Hamilton was not yet fully in earnest. He was so accustomed to being a trifler that he seldom was in earnest. But Miss Forrest was becoming more of a flirt every day, and it was interesting to observe what would be the result of this encounter of Greek with Greek.

Everybody who was invited went out to see the race between Hamilton and Lockwood. Both men looked like ruffians in their jockey costumes, but the ladies said they were picturesque. Conspicuous on the judge’s stand with several favored individuals was Marie Forrest, and she wore upon her breast two ribbon bows—one of violet and blue ana tke other of crimson, Lockwood and Ham\)t;on saw each other’s colors with considerable chagrin. The steepleckdfe course at Ivy City is, I suppose, no worse than most courses; but it is a villainous run, nevertheless, and bears the imprint of the combined ingenuity of the surgeon and undertaker. It was more good fortune than anything else that prevented an accident befalling Hamilton or Lockwood in‘their race; but it was owing entirely to the superiority of his horse that Hamilton won bv half a length. As he rode up to the stand to catch the judge’s eye and receive the gesture assuring him of his victory, he remarked that Marie had taken his colors from her breast and held them in the air in triumph. Covered with dirt, the perspiration streaming down his face, panting and ready to fall with exhaustion and excitement, he stood upon the weighing scales a few moments later. Among the throng around him, again he noticed Miss Forrest; and he was pleased to see that Lockwood’s colors had been removed and were no longer to be seen. At a reception the evening after the race, Hamilton saw Miss Forrest again. “I told you I could beat that fellow,” he said.

“Oh, it was glorious!” said the girl; “dear Suzette acquitted herself grandly. Do you know, when you rose for the water leap together, my heart stopped beating, I was so frightened.” “For which of us did it cease to beat, Miss Forest? I noticed with much pleasure your impartial wearing of colors. ” He spoke a little scornfully.' Was the trifler getting serious. She laughed. “I knew you would notice it; but Major LockwoiSd was in a fury. He was almost rude, and said he believed I was trifling with you. He is a funny man, Major Lockwood—what do you think of him?” “I think if you trifled with him, it would do him good.” “But I must not trifle with you, is that it? Mr. Henry Hamilton is not to be ranked with men of such inferiority as officers of the pay corps of the army. ” Hamilton winced a little. “You are severe,” he said. “It is true I am only a Government clerk; but then, you see, I don’t take any credit to myself because of my occupation. ” “And why are you only a Government clerk?” she said, her manner changing suddenly. ‘ ‘Really, your are worthy of a better career than that. Why don’t you do something? You are clever enough. You are very different from the other men I see.”

“Well,” he said, lazily, “perhaps I shall some day; but, really, what does it matter? I am alone in the world, and my indolence hurts no one but mvself.” He was leaning back on the divan, luxuriating amid a soft nest of sofa pillows, and she was bending forward slightly with her head turned toward him. “Mr. Hamilton,” she said, “suppose there were some one whom your indolence and wasted life hurt seriously, and who would be very, very glad if you would exert yourself and show the world what you really are; suppose there were such a one—a woman—would you rouse yourself?” He started up. “Yes, oh, yes; may I hope that you will tell me there is suck a person?” “Who knows?” she said: “perhaps I may.” She turned her face away from him ag she spoke, and immediately Lockwood and her other vassals came dutifully about her; and Hamilton, yielding up his place, went home to think. When he called at her house the next evening he saw only Mrs. Forrest, her daughter being indisposed; but before he left the maid handed him a little

bunch of violets which, she said, Miss Marie bad charged her to deliver to him. m. The rivalry between Hamilton and Lockwood was beginning to excite interest. If she could, Miss Forrest saw them separately; but Vhen it was unavoidable that she should see them at the same time, she kept them on tolerably good terms. It was a great convenience to her that the paymaster had more leisure than the clerk; she could spend an hour or two with the former early in the afternoon, and later she could meet Hamilton. As for him, what had begun as a mere liking had ripened into an infatuation, and was now fast mellow ing into a genuine passion. To the friends who watched him closely a certain brooding somberness of character became evident. Receptions and balls and dinners—his world, in fact—he appeared to enjoy only if Marie were there; and, indeed, he was never voluntarily out of her presence. He was incapable of sustained energy; but he was evidently seriously in love with her. And thus this Rttle drama went on. Lent came and it still continued, and the balmy days of spring were upon us, and no one could guess what the closing act would be. It was on a beautiful warm day early in April that Mrs. Forrest gave a picnic at the Great Falls on the Potomac; and that she was a woman of resources was evidenced by the success she was able to make of an all-day excursion. She carried plenty of servants with her and the arrangements for luncheon were quite complete. When time appeared to pass slowly, a new salad, or a delicious invention in sandwiches wai sure to be forth-

coming. But perhaps the pleasantest sight of the day was to see Hamilton and Lockwood smiling good-humoredly at each other. They were thus employed when Miss Forrest passed by on her way to a further investigation of the rocks, and they followed her. It was an edifying sight to see. First went Marie jumping from rock to rock as lightly as a chamois, the water dashing and boiling around her, for she soon got well out toward the middle of the stream; next came Lockwood, striding heavily along, his arms outstretched to balance himself, rather ridiculous and out of place, and looking anything but, happy. Behind him Hamilton skipped along, pretty gracefully, for he was of slender build and. light on his feet from much dancing, but serious as though his life depended upon each step. Marie soon paused for an instant between two uneven rocks. Her position was really a dangerous one; a slip might send her into the water, and the torrent was running swift. She looked behind her for an instant, and laughed to see the two hearty cavaliers making toward her; then, lightly as a gazelle, she bounded on. But when Lockwoad reached the rock which she had just vacated, he crouched there helplessly, holding on to the rugged surface with his hands and knees—a ludicrous picture of a paymaster in distress. In an instant Hamilton had leaped past him, and stood upon the further rock by Marie’s side. There was just room for the two. Even if Lockwood had been able to make the leap, he saw that it could not be done now. With great straining of muscle, and not without some splashing, he made his way back to the rest of the party, and awkwardly attempted to laugh the matter off. The conversation between Hamilton and Marie on the rock was carried on at a disadvanSMj because of the thundering roar of 5 waters. “Isn’t this glorious?” shrieked Marie. “What’s become of Lockwood? Ha! ha 1” howled Hamilton.

“What?” yelled the lady. “I can’t hear a word you say,” bellowed the man. But I dare it was a satisfaction to him to be near her. I hope so, at any rate; for it was the only satisfaction he received from her that day. For some capricious reason or other she chose to snub him vigorously on the homeward journey; and he was forced to attach himself to a girl who was engaged and spoke to him very little, merely remarking, truthfully enough, that the gentle movement of the boat on the placid canal was “very restful.” The snubbing administered on this day was not the first that Hamilton had experienced from Miss Forrest, but it was the most keenly felt; and he resolved that he would stay away from her in future, and he actually did not see her for five whole days, nor had he any reason for supposing that he would meet her when he went out to tea on Sunday night. But she was there more radiant than ever, and the glance that she shot across the table at him was charged with beseeching sadness. Fortunately, the guests were numerous enough to make general conversation after supper unnecessary. “I have not seen you for a long time, Mr. Hamilton,” said Marie, when lie took his stand beside her.

“Yes,” he said, gloomily; “five whole days—an eternity, in fact.” “I am sorry. I wished to see you, I I have becopie accustomed to seeing you. ” She looked up at him for an instant softly. “Shall we ride together to-morrow?” He was afraid to say anything more. In the revulsion of his feelings, he wanted to go down on his knees and grovel before her—to do anything such was his adoration of her. “Yes,” she said, in a low, caressing voice, ‘ ‘if you care to go with me. ” What did he remember of his snubbing now? He had the side the next day, and everything was heavenly; but on the following day, as he was about to walk up the Forrests’ steps to pay the visit which he knew was expected of him, he saw Major Lockwood coming out with such a smile of happiness upon his countenance that Hamilton changed his mind and walked away. Yet it was entirely an accident. Miss Forrest had calculated correctly, but, unfortunately, her parlor clock was fifteen minutes slow, and Lockwood had, as a consequence, overstayed his time. When Hamilton saw her at a party in the evening she asked him why he had not come. “I was afraid you might be fatigued from the visit that Major Lockwood had been paying you,” he answered shortly. “Oh, no; Major Lockwood doesn’t fatigue me. There are others Who do, though —with their suspicion* " She was vexed because her plans had miscarried. Henry Hamilton bowed to her and left. But Marie Forrest rejected Major Lockwood when he proposed, which he did the day before she went to New York on her way to Newport.

Hamilton heard, early last winter, that the Forrests would spend the season in New York, but it was not without a pang that he received the news later that Miss Forrest was engaged to Maturin Delano. He did not know Delano, save by reputation, as a man of large estates and small intellect. He was certainly not as interesting to Marie as Hamilton had been, but he was obliging and goodnatured, and she liked him very well. When the list of people in Washington whom she intended asking to her wedding was made out, Delano, in looking it over, asked: “Who is Henry Hamilton, whose name you have at the head of the list, Marie?” “I knew him quite well in Washington,” she answered “He is only a Government clerk. ”-*-[lndependent.