The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-04-11
General Jackson and the French Min
lister.

VA LOUIS vi Lane, or Delaware, was
Secretary of State, France sent certain
dashing minister to Westinghouse young
man just elevated aboue the grade of
charge, whose passion was display. His
outilt OF equipage, grooms, pastillions and
gold lace was magnificent. He called on
the Secretary of State to appoint an
audience with the President and Mr.
M'Lane, an accomplished, easy gentle
man, bagged him to call the next morn
ing at 10 o'clock at the State Office, and
he would accompany and present him to
the President. Monsieur le Minister
mistook as to the place of calling. He
thought he was to call at the Presidents
mansion at 10 o'clock a. IN. Accordingly,
In full panoply of costume, in coach-and-
four, with attendants, grooms, postillions,
out-riders and footmen, at the hour ap
pointed he drove up to the front door of
the White House, Instead of to the State
Department, where Mr.. M'Lane was
awaiting his arrival. At that time the
President was served by French cook,
and the celebrated Irishman, Jimmy
O'Neal, was General Jacksons petted
major-dom The hour was about the
time of General Jackson's finishing puff
of the pipe after breakfast, and he smok-
ed, as he did everything else, with all his
might! His mode was no Latakia curl,
no dreamy, thready line, from barely
opened lips; but full drawing and
expanding volume of white cloud, rising
up Whit after Whit, puff after puff, and
bowl and stem and pipe all smoked as
hard and as fast as they could, and the
fire was red and the ashes hot, and the
room was so obfuscated that one could
hardly breathe its atmosphere or see. His
usual mode of sitting while smoking was
with his left leg thrown across the right,
and the left toe brought behind the right
tendon Achilles, and the long pipe stem
resting in the fork or crotch of the two
knees, and reaching nearly to the floor.
He smoked the old Powhatan bowl, with
red stem very long. In this attitude he
was sitting aud smoking, whilst Mr..
M'Lane was waiting at the State Office
for Mr.. Minister, and whilst Mr. Minister
was riding up to the Presidential mansion.
He arrived-the French cook in the
kitchen, Jenny O'Neal about his bust
ness, and Gen. Jackson alone in his Office
A hustle was made, bells began to ring,
Jenny was summoned to the door, and
there presented itself all this parade. The
devil word could Jenny understand,
and the best he could do was to run up
stairs to the General aud announce some.
body very grand; but Jenny winked
that all didn't seem right, as there seem
ed too much fuss for that soon in the
morning, aud it might be, after all, an
imposition. "Och there was no telling
about the thing, it was so unusul 1t
III SHt Iuiu oul Hldt diLCIhdIuS OcCuIIeu
"a Lawrence affair. The General
quietly replied: ooh Jenny show the
stranger up; we will see who it is"
Jenny ran, and jackson sat smoking,
when presently the room door was thrown
wide open, and manikin of gold lace en-
tered, cooked hat with bullion and white
feather, fourishing in hand, making a
salaam to the right and a salaam to the left
with tremendous sweeps, whizzing and
whirring French with vehement gesture,
and approaching nearer and nearer. 1t
seemed threatening in the extreme! +! The
president quit smoking, beat the bowl of his
pipe in his hand, arse quickly, took hold
of the back of his chair, and exclaimed,
with strong voice i: "By the eternal gods
Jenny O'Neal, who is this 2" Jenny,
with eyes and ears open, and hands ready
was amazedly looking on, when for
tunately, he bethought him the French
cook, and ran for him. There was no
time to be lost so the French cook, with
his shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders,
and just as he was-besprinkled white
with four-ran up with Jenny, arriving
Just in time to save Mr. Minister'S pate
from being smashed by the chair in Gen.
eral Jackson's hands. "N7n dieu!" ex-
claimed the cook /; "it is the grand
minister of Louis Philippe !" "Oh !"
said the General "walk in, sir there is
no ceremony here !" And he was about
taking the minister by the hand just as
Mr.. M'Lane entered TO see the mistake,
to witness the prevention of the cat
astrophe, and to enjoy the joke, which