The Gilded Age


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officer was nodding; here and there little knots of members stood in the  
aisles, whispering together; all about the House others sat in all the  
various attitudes that express weariness; some, tilted back, had one or  
more legs disposed upon their desks; some sharpened pencils indolently;  
some scribbled aimlessly; some yawned and stretched; a great many lay  
upon their breasts upon the desks, sound asleep and gently snoring.  
The flooding gaslight from the fancifully wrought roof poured down upon  
the tranquil scene. Hardly a sound disturbed the stillness, save the  
monotonous eloquence of the gentleman who occupied the floor. Now and  
then a warrior of the opposition broke down under the pressure, gave it  
up, and went home.  
Mr. Buckstone began to think it might be safe, now, to "proceed to  
business." He consulted with Trollop and one or two others. Senator  
Dilworthy descended to the floor of the House and they went to meet him.  
After a brief comparison of notes, the Congressmen sought their seats and  
sent pages about the House with messages to friends. These latter  
instantly roused up, yawned, and began to look alert. The moment the  
floor was unoccupied, Mr. Buckstone rose, with an injured look, and said  
it was evident that the opponents of the bill were merely talking against  
time, hoping in this unbecoming way to tire out the friends of the  
measure and so defeat it. Such conduct might be respectable enough in a  
village debating society, but it was trivial among statesmen, it was out  
of place in so august an assemblage as the House of Representatives of  
the United States. The friends of the bill had been not only willing  
that its opponents should express their opinions, but had strongly  
480  


Page
478 479 480 481 482

Quick Jump
1 170 341 511 681