habeas corpus, and a stay of proceedings, and a supersedeas, and a new

trial and a nolle prosequi, and there you are! That's the routine, and

it's no trick at all to a New York lawyer. That's the regular routine

--everything's red tape and routine in the law, you see; it's all Greek

to you, of course, but to a man who is acquainted with those things it's

mere--I'll explain it to you sometime. Everything's going to glide right

along easy and comfortable now. You'll see, Washington, you'll see how

it will be. And then, let me think ..... Dilwortby will be elected

to-day, and by day, after to-morrow night he will be in New York ready to

put in his shovel--and you haven't lived in Washington all this time not

to know that the people who walk right by a Senator whose term is up

without hardly seeing him will be down at the deepo to say 'Welcome back

and God bless you; Senator, I'm glad to see you, sir!' when he comes

along back re-elected, you know. Well, you see, his influence was

naturally running low when he left here, but now he has got a new

six-years' start, and his suggestions will simply just weigh a couple of

tons a-piece day after tomorrow. Lord bless you he could rattle through

that habeas corpus and supersedeas and all those things for Laura all by

himself if he wanted to, when he gets back."

"I hadn't thought of that," said Washington, brightening, "but it is so.

A newly-elected Senator is a power, I know that."

"Yes indeed he is.--Why it, is just human nature. Look at me. When we

first came here, I was Mr. Sellers, and Major Sellers, Captain Sellers,

but nobody could ever get it right, somehow; but the minute our bill

609

The Gilded Age