Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The SearchlightHolt, Mathew Joseph
General
Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight
Holt, Mathew Joseph
Fiction
Two years after his marriage Caleb was made a member of the Democratic
State Central Committee and a member of the Campaign Committee from his
district in a close race for Governor. Taking the advice of his wife,
which was becoming a habit, he made a liberal contribution, sending it
directly to the candidate, and rendered very efficient and valuable
service. He made two very good speeches, which were written by his wife,
who also drilled him in preparation for their delivery. She long since
had spread the information throughout the State that his mountain idioms
and ungrammatical lapses were affectations to catch the uneducated
voter.
The Governor, shortly after qualification, appointed Saylor as a Colonel
on his staff, and he and his wife were entertained at the mansion. His
wife was named as among those to receive at a reception given by the
Governor to the newly inducted State officials and the General Assembly.
About this time a very wealthy man who owned a farm near Lexington died.
The State became involved in litigation, seeking to recover inheritance
and ad valorem taxes from his estate, claiming he had died a resident
of Kentucky. Similar litigation was pending in the State of New York.
Upon the recommendation of the Attorney General that special counsel was
needed, the Governor appointed Colonel Caleb Saylor and ex-Chief Justice
Dobson to represent the State. Without a great deal of trouble they
collected eight hundred thousand dollars and were paid a fee of fifty
thousand dollars for their services, thirty-five thousand of which by
contract went to Colonel Saylor as senior counsel.
He and his wife had spent a pleasant week in New York while he made his
investigation and compromised the State's claim. The day before they
returned home they visited Tiffany's. Mrs. Saylor's love and respect for
her husband were in no sense lessened when he invested three thousand
dollars in two rings, which, though they were flawless gems, could
scarcely be said to adorn his wife's tapering fingers and patrician
hands.
His friends noticed that now, instead of singing his own praises, he
could never say too much in laudation of his wife; and she clung to his
arm and whispered sweet speeches into his ear as a bride of eighteen
might do.
It was noticeable that the Colonel had grown to be adept at showering
compliments upon his superiors and always had pretty speeches for their
wives. On county court day he went out to the cattle market and shook
hands all round with the farmers.
* * * * *
In the spring of 1899, about seven years before Colonel Saylor's
marriage, Cornwall received an invitation to the commencement exercises
of Wellesley and noticed that Mary was named as salutatorian of her
class.
He sent her a set of "The American Poets," gilt-edged in white leather
bindings, and received a note of thanks and an invitation to visit the
Saylor home any time he found it convenient during the summer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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