Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-12-29
THE CABINET AT HOME

ate solitaire players in the country.
Well, didn't Napoleon play solitaire ?
Key says he likes the game. first, be-
cause he likes to play with sensible
man, and second, because he likes a
skilful man for an opponent After
leaving the judge | met in the Ebbitt
House rotunda a cabinet sharp chat is,
one who knows all about cabinet ofacers)
and | asked him how the several gentle
men pass their evening. "Well," said
he you have already seen how Key pass
es weary hour. You will find him
that way every evening. unless hv - -
spending the evening He never misses
an invitation to dinner, and is very So
ciable. He has the fewest airs of any
! man in the cabinet. He will 60 and
play seven-up with anybody who Is re-
spectacle, and he will drink his share of
the whisky and smoke his share of the
cigars. A very good old fellow is Key"
"How do the other cabinet roosters
pass their time %
80, well, Schurz generally reads, and
when his eyes trouble him from over
work he goes to the piano, shuts his eyes,
the room being somewhat darked, and
improvises. He is the only man in the
cabinet who knows anything of music.
His style is sometimes weird and mourn
full, and sometimes it is the gayest. He
and Henry Watterson will sit together
and sing and play whole evening. The
piano is Schurz's diversion, as horses
were Grants
"How about Sherman? How does he
spend his evenings q
"Well, Sherman is great newspaper
reader, and just now is making himself
amiablc with the Southern politicians.
He frequently has them at his house Of
evenings. Sherman is more of social
man than you would think. He is full
of anecdote, and his "reminiscences are
very entertaining. He is cold only in
official life. At home he is really very
pleasant. He is also fond of a good
dinner and a glass of wine. The Sher-
mans all are. The secretary very often
gets his short hand writer at his house
and spends the whole evening writing
letters. His correspondence is very
large"
Does he work evenings o.
mo. He is very domestic and pas
sionately fond of young people. and he
has always troop of children about
him. He has always a household o.
company, and he likes to romp with the
little ones. Besides, the secretary o.
the navy has reached that ago when h
likes to 60 to bed early. He is an early
; riser, too, and then he pitches into hi
: official work. There is not man in thu
cabinet who devotes more hours to hi
office than he He doesn't trust every
thing to subordinates, and you will nev
er find his table foot thick with papers
of an important character, as Robeson'
used to be-
$ Now about Attorney General De
: ven's?"
!, "Well, he is another hard worker
He studies good deal at night. He i
not particular so he gets to bed a
II, or 2 o'clock at night. He is
:, jollier fellow than he generally get
e credit for. He likes whist and BostoI
: and he is fond of the theatre. He ais
e likes pleasant fellows about him, and h
t can tell good story. He is not NAL
t of strong character, for like many Boston
e men, he cares too much for appearances
!. But he is honest and Is conscientiou
}, officer"
d '.Is Secretary McCrary great stu
= dent?"
q 81 am afraid McCrary is a little ia
and lazy. He is a great lover of tn
g law, and likes to read cases. He is
: slow, heavy man, who does not like t
+ 60 out of evenings, but he is good ma
f tured, and always treats people politel
q although reservedly. He is better fitte'
: for a judge than for jumping politica
. fences. In the war department he i
] little more than clerk, bnt in cabinet
: whenever big law question comes UP
: | had rather have his opinion than al
. the rest put together. He is old com
i mon sense, but he is not secretary Q
: war. Gen. Sherman runs the war de
i partment, and in this respect the mill
6 tary power is above the civil. Belkna
% is the only man who ever brought Shel
man to terms. Belknap made Sherma
subordinate and drove him to 81
I Louis"
t. well, how does Evarts spend his ev
1t enings ?'
s "Oh, Evarts is so rarely here that
e can hardly tell. You had better as
it some New York client of his. Evart
(. is, however, fond of company, an
p is the best story teller in the cab
IS net He is also big eater, although h
If is one of the thinnest men | ever saw.
r. really don't know how he passes his e,
enings. The chances are that if he ha