The Black Swans 



and requested me to serve as a member 

 of a body which he had been au- 

 thorized to create under an Act of 

 Congress. Not having sought such an 

 appointment, and being altogether sat- 

 isfied at the time with life as it was at 

 Dumbiedykes, I hesitated about ac- 

 cepting the service. It happened to 

 be work in which I had been for many 

 years very deeply interested. More- 

 over, my game of golf was just then 

 of a brand calculated to drive almost 

 any self-respecting person from the 

 links. Furthermore a certain United 

 States senator with whom I consulted 

 concerning the matter intimated that 

 if I did not accept the appointment 

 the President might make a worse one. 

 And so a little later I packed my grip 

 and began my indeterminate sentence. 

 Now, I like the capital city. Any 

 tree-lover must. And Rock Creek 

 Park is in a class all by itself, but that 

 sea of superheated asphalt, that humid 

 atmosphere, and those awful nights 



[50] 



