Speaker 1: This is section thirty of The Gilded Age. This LibriVox
Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. The Gilded Age, A
Speaker 1: Tale of to Day by Mark Twain and Seed Warner,
Speaker 1: Chapter thirty. Once more, Louise had good news from her
Speaker 1: Washington Senator Dilworthy was going to sell the Tennessee land
Speaker 1: to the government. Louise told Laura in confidence. She had
Speaker 1: told her parents too, and also several Bosom friends. But
Speaker 1: all of these people had simply looked sad when they
Speaker 1: heard the news, except Laura. Laura's face suddenly brightened under
Speaker 1: it only for an instant, it is true, but poor
Speaker 1: Louise was grateful for even that fleeting ray of encouragement.
Speaker 1: When next Laura was alone, she fell into a train
Speaker 1: of thought something like this, if the Senator has really
Speaker 1: taken hold of this matter, I may look for that
Speaker 1: invitation to his house at any moment I am perishing
Speaker 1: to go. I do long to know whether I am
Speaker 1: only simply a large size pigmy among these pigmies here
Speaker 1: who tumble over so easily when one strikes them, or
Speaker 1: whether I am really Her thoughts drifted into other channels
Speaker 1: for a season. Then she continued. He said, I could
Speaker 1: be useful in the great cause of philanthropy and help
Speaker 1: in the blessed work of uplifting the poor and the ignorant.
Speaker 1: If he found it feasible to take hold of our land, Well,
Speaker 1: that is neither here nor there. What I want is
Speaker 1: to go to Washington and find out what I am.
Speaker 1: I want money too, And if one may judge by
Speaker 1: what she hears, there are chances there for a for
Speaker 1: a fascinating woman. She was going to say, perhaps, but
Speaker 1: she did not. Along in the fall, the invitation came
Speaker 1: sure enough. It came officially through brother Washington, the Private Secretary,
Speaker 1: who appended a PostScript that was brimming with delight over
Speaker 1: the prospect of seeing the Duchess again. He said, it
Speaker 1: would be happiness enough to look upon her face once more.
Speaker 1: It would be almost too much happiness when to it
Speaker 1: was added the fact that she would bring messages with
Speaker 1: her that were fresh from Louise's lips. In Washington's letter
Speaker 1: were several important enclosures. For instance, there was the senator's
Speaker 1: check for two thousand dollars to buy suitable clothing in
Speaker 1: New York. With it was alone to be refunded when
Speaker 1: the land was sold. Two thousand. This was fine. Indeed,
Speaker 1: Louise's father was called rich, but Laura doubted if Louise
Speaker 1: had ever had four hundred dollars worth of new clothing
Speaker 1: at one time in her life. With a check came
Speaker 1: too through tickets good on the railroad from Hawkeye to
Speaker 1: Washington via New York. And they were dead head tickets too,
Speaker 1: which had been given to Senator Dilworthy by the railway companies.
Speaker 1: Senators and representatives were paid thousands of dollars by the
Speaker 1: government for traveling expenses, but they always traveled deadhead both
Speaker 1: ways and then did as any honesulnerable high minded men
Speaker 1: would naturally do, declined to receive the mileage tendered them
Speaker 1: by the government. The Senator had plenty of railway passes
Speaker 1: and could easily spare two to Laura, one for herself
Speaker 1: and one for a male escort. Washington suggested that she
Speaker 1: get some old friend of the family to come with her,
Speaker 1: and said the Senator would dead head him home again
Speaker 1: as soon as he had grown tired of the sights
Speaker 1: of the capital. Laura thought the thing over. At first,
Speaker 1: she was pleased with the idea, but presently she began
Speaker 1: to feel differently about it. Finally, she said, no, our staid,
Speaker 1: steady going Hawkeye. Friends notions and mine differ about some things.
Speaker 1: They respect me now, and I respect them. Better leave
Speaker 1: it so I will go alone. I am not afraid
Speaker 1: to travel by myself. And so, communing with herself, she
Speaker 1: left the house for an afternoon walk. Almost at the door,
Speaker 1: she met Colonel Sellers. She told him about her invitation
Speaker 1: to Washington. Bless me, said the colonel. I have about
Speaker 1: made up my mind to go there myself. You see,
Speaker 1: we've got to get another appropriation through, and the company
Speaker 1: want me to come east and put it through Congress.
Speaker 1: Harry's there, and he'll do what he can, of course,
Speaker 1: And Harry's a good fellow and always does the very
Speaker 1: best he knows, how But then he's young, rather young
Speaker 1: for some parts of such work, you know. And besides
Speaker 1: he talks too much, talks a good deal too much.
Speaker 1: And sometimes he appears to be a little bit visionary too.
Speaker 1: I think the worst thing in the world for a
Speaker 1: business man, a man like that always exposes his card
Speaker 1: sooner or later. This sort of thing wants an old, quiet,
Speaker 1: steady hand, wants an old cool head, you know, that
Speaker 1: knows men through and through and is used to large operations.
Speaker 1: I'm expecting my salary and also some dividends from the company,
Speaker 1: and if they get along in time, I'll go along
Speaker 1: with you, Laura, take you under my wing. You mustn't
Speaker 1: travel alone. Lord, I wish I had the money right now,
Speaker 1: but there'll be plenty soon, plenty. Laura reasoned with herself
Speaker 1: that if the kindly, simple hearted colonel was going anyhow,
Speaker 1: what could she gain by traveling alone and throwing away
Speaker 1: his company? So she told him she accepted his offer gladly. Gratefully.
Speaker 1: She said it would be the greatest of favors if
Speaker 1: he would go with her and protect her, not at
Speaker 1: his own expense as far as railway fares were concerned.
Speaker 1: Of course, she could not expect him to put himself
Speaker 1: to so much trouble for her and pay his fare. Besides,
Speaker 1: but he wouldn't hear of her paying his fare. It
Speaker 1: would be only a pleasure to him to serve her.
Speaker 1: Laura insisted on furnishing the tickets, and finally, when argument failed,
Speaker 1: she said the tickets cost neither her nor any one
Speaker 1: else assent. She had two of them, she needed but one,
Speaker 1: and if he would not take the other one she
Speaker 1: would not go with him. That settled the matter. He
Speaker 1: took the ticket. Laura was glad that she had the
Speaker 1: check for new clothing, for she felt very certain of
Speaker 1: being able to get the Colonel to borrow a little
Speaker 1: of the money to pay hotel bills with here and there,
Speaker 1: she wrote Washington to look for her and Colonel Sellers.
Speaker 1: Toward the end of November and about the time sat
Speaker 1: the two travelers arrived safe in the capital of the nation,
Speaker 1: sure enough, end of Chapter thirty