Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 09.pdf/307

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The Green Bag.

to the robing room, Archie, the negro at Marshal Wright transfers them to the little tendant, who has been there for many museum, which he has started in a lum years, will proudly point out the beautiful ber room belonging to his domain. workmanship on one of these gowns, and Besides the court room, the robing room will possibly let you slip your arms through and the conference room, all more or less the wide sleeves and survey the effect in the separated from each other, the Supreme glass. A woman's first thought is that she Court offices embrace sundry nooks and must at once have a lounging gown cut after crannies, upstairs and down, and so erratic the same graceful fashion, with the ample ally located, that you wonder how the mar fullness shirred into a narrow yoke, and shal knows where his housekeeping begins great sleeves that look, when the arm is or ends. One of the most interesting of dropped, like part of the voluminous folds these corners is the tiny office of the attor of the main garment. ney general at the side of the main court How many people know that the only room. A president who had seen its narrow person not a justice of the Supreme Court doorway and limited dimensions would be who ever sat on the bench during a session impressed with the imperative necessity of was Chief-Justice Coleridge? You cannot appointing the smallest great lawyer of his forget it after visiting the robing room, for acquaintance to be head of the judiciary; here hangs the portrait of the famous Eng but, as presidents rarely explore the outly lishman, sent after he returned home, to the ing portions of the Supreme Court, and as body which had honored him with so great the attorney general sees this little office a compliment. The letter which accom almost as rarely, the question of stature has panied the portrait has also been framed not yet added a practical complication to and hung up, illustrating in the highest de cabinet-making. The corresponding office gree that grace in correspondence, whether at the other side is used by the court stately or familiar, which passed away with reporter and is hung with oil portraits of former incumbents of the position. the last generation. In the basement of the Capitol is the The affairs of the court are administered large, bright conference room, where the by the marshal, Major J. M. Wright of Ken judges meet on Saturday to discuss the tucky, and his assistant, Miss Tompkins, of cases argued before them during the week. the same State. Miss Tompkins is the first The great table around which they gather and only woman to hold an official position has such a cheerful and hospitable look that in the court, but she has so clearly demon I wonder it does not tempt them to forget strated the practical superiority of having a the dry masses of evidence, and fall to tell woman perform the duties formerly allotted ing good stories. But possibly it does. At to a deputy marshal that the court would one side is another large room used, with vigorously oppose any attempt to replace an adjoining corridor, as a library. The her by a man. The contrast between the great question now with the court officers is way the rest of the Capitol is kept and where to find room for the books which are the cheery comfort and radiant cleanliness constantly accumulating. The models used of the Supreme Court's belongings is only as evidence in patent cases are not pre one evidence of the success of the Marshal's served except for a limited number of days, experiment. Womanly thoughtfulness pro during which the owners can claim and re vides for the judges dozens of little comforts move them. At the end of that time they which they never knew before, and the only become the prey of the junkman, unless wonder is that members of Congress, seeing they happen to be of especial interest, when the pampered condition of the court, do not