alleries of the House
were crowded, and on the floor every member was in his seat. In the
press gallery the attendance of managers and editorial writers was as
large as that of the men who do the real work on newspapers--the
reporters. All the reporters representing the government papers had
been instructed to give "The Big Wind" pretty fully, while the men from
the opposition papers had been informed that they might give him a
"good show." When he arose to address the House, the government side
greeted him with cheers, and the opposition joined in the desk pounding
that followed.

"The Big Wind" started gracefully--he always did that, and the House
listened indulgently while he patted every one on the back--not
forgetting himself. This occupied some fifteen minutes, during which
the reporters began to ask one another in whispers, "Why doesn't he get
going?" They were beginning to wonder if he would ever get going when
he said, "And now, Mr. Speaker, as to the budget." There was a
suppressed "Ah!" in the press gallery, followed by a surprised "Oh!"
when "The Big Wind" averred that "budgets" had been known since the
world began. He delved into a pile of manuscript, and made some
allusion to the Book of Genesis--without giving any one the slightest
idea of what he was talking about. He paid a great deal of attention
to Genesis, he stayed with it for an hour or so, in fact. People began
to leave the galleries, members left the chamber to find solace in the
smoking-room or the library. The managing editor of the chief leading
government organ, who had condescended to take a seat in the press
gallery, told the three reporters representing the paper to cut the
speech to one column, and himself returned to his office. An hour
later this editor telephoned to the press gallery and asked one of his
reporters, "Say, where is that chump now?"

"Well," answered the reporter, "he's just figuring on leading the
children of Israel into the promised land."

"It's a pity the Egyptians couldn't kill him," shouted the editor; "cut
him down to half a column."

And "The Big Wind" went on blowing. At six o'clock he had left the
children of Israel to their fate, and was grappling with the Norman
invasion of England. The House adjourned for dinner then, and it is on
record that as they walked the corridor to the dining-room, a member of
the cabinet asked the premier, "Where in the name of all we stand for
is this fellow going