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Show j SARATOGA'S HANDSOMEST j MAN This morning I thought I would talk with John Luck, m lu .td waiter of the Sutex, and uuiveisully acknowledged ac-knowledged to be the handsomest man in the hotel. Nut a beau has appeared in Saratoga this summer who can compare w i Lh John Lucas. 11:b form is commanding, face dell cutely molded, eyes bright, and teeth pearly white. Mr. Lucas dress- s with scrupulous uoatnesB, mid when he walks down the diuing room many a rich old maid'f heart beats quicker an she thinks how much she would give if John Lucas was wh.te, for, alasl all this manly beauty is hid behind a face au hUck as midnight. For an hour today I talked with Johu Lurtio and tried to make him ths hbio ol something. "It w li read so nicely, John," I said, "if we can only make it oui that you lout lit with old John Brown at durpeiV Ferry or killed a rebel master fihtiOi; your wuy into the ! Union hues. C.ui'l we hatch up! eumi'l hir.g brave or sentimental, John!'' 1 asked tapping my thumb nail witn my lead pencil. "No, salt, it won't work," said John. "Hut why not? The world likes tn read ahout great achievements, John. IjOoIi iu Governor Waruioth at the Grand Union. He killed his man. Ue.'r. a yiel beau now a hero; all the girts ruu alter him. Now, Bui falo Bill never did any real killing, Johu, no more tnan you have. But he wacu'l over modest, and Ned Bunl'iue got hold ol bim and lied him into a great hero; and now Jim Ben netl aud the Grand Duke go clear to LlUgn BlHUU OU tUB A.ail(MIB XNUIUV to hunt with him. Let me say something some-thing gre.it about you, John, aud your fortune'1 made." "No, s tli, it won't do. I never did uuffiii but he ul wt tin' business I'ae a peacible cullad man. I " "But you used to be with the Keyes Phil Barlon Kuy, iu Washing ion, didn't you?" "Ves, but I come away befo' the aboolin befo Mr. Phil got to foohn' with Mrs. Sickles. And I'm glad I left, too. Wuy, I might have done killed mysell au' wbar'd I been theu?" "But you might have become celebrated, cele-brated, John," i suggested, "It dou't take much to make a man celebrated nowadays. There's Matt Ward he made himself famous by just kiiliug a schoolmaster; Brooks made a national reputation by cau ing Summer; Tweed made bimsell famous by simple stealing; General Butler by writing pruclamattons Fitz John Porter by marching slow; .Mrs. Wood null by living with two husbands at once; General Sen e nek by playing poker; George Francis 'lraiu lor being cruzy; aud Mullen, the architect, why, John, be juat opened bis mouth aud swore himst'li famous. And tuere's Kred Douglass, John " "Now, don't talk to me 'bout FreJ Douglabb!" expostulated Mr. Lucas. "We lived right close together down in Maryland. I was a tree nigger and Fred was a slave. He got up an' made a fool of himself, and now he can't eat with the white folks, an' I'se boss over a dinin' room with a thousau' people in it, and the biggest ones even Vanderbilt and Belmont and Tilden shakes hands with me every dy, and says: ' H"w are you to day. Mr. Lucas,' and 'can't you have black buss or a partridge or a speck led I trout sent in to-day. John?' and " "But Fred Douglass, John, he'B " "Don'i U!k to me 'bout Fred i Douglans, Mr. Porkim! He's :goue and throwwl himself sway-gone sway-gone foohn' 'rouud for liberty au' 'quality an' civil rights till he looks as pale as a while man, 'stead o' keepin' 'way from trouble an' tryin' to l e happy." 1 "But didn't ynu feel like going in and fighting for libeny and glory, Mr. Lucas, wnen tho whJ broke out?" "No, sail. I didn't want no glory. What good d glory do me? Dou't do white folk no good. Only mlies 'em min'rabler. No, sab. When the wa' broke out I come to New York and done the waitin' in the Uuion League. That's glory 'nough fur me, an' 's long's I cau get my sweet breads and green peas along with Gen'ral Grant or Gu'ral Sner man at the Uuion League, Fred DougUps is welcome to his bacon au' greens an1 glory down among the culo'd people in Thompson sireul." That is the best I could do with handsome John Luca. Eli Perkins. |