Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-30

| CHARMING MoDEsTY AND SELF-PoSSESSIoN OF
| THE YOUNG WOMAN IN HER NEW POSITION
THE DAILY ROUTINE OF HER HAPPY LIFE IN
| THE EXECUTIVE MANSION AND THE PLEASING
| CHANGES WROUGHT IN THE PRESIDENTS
| LIFE.
Washington Correspondence n Y. Sun, June 26th.
| Mrs. Cleveland has been the mistress of the
White House, the first lady in the land, for q
| little more than two weeks, and, although no
woman OF her age was ever placed In a more
| trying or conspicuous position, none ever won
| conquest more complete. Her beauty, her
giriish gracefulness, won her cordial welcome,
and the public appreciation OF the Presidents
choice was promptly given. But the more the
people here see of her, and the better they be-
| come acquainted with the Presidents bride.
the more thoroughly and sincerely she 10 adj
| mired, Taking the public and private recep-
lions together, majority OF the society
people left at the capital have had
chance to see Mrs. Cleveland in sew
eral positions, and TO study her
unanimous. They have seen her BY the Presi-
dents side In her bridal gown, FORMALLY accept
ing congratulations; they have watched her re-
celve hundreds OF strangers alone in the Blue
parior of the White House; they have studied
her devotional attitude at church, and have
honor by the ladies' Of the caSiset. eI She has
appeared In public socially seven times since
she returned from Deer Park-twice at the
Presidents receptions twice at her own and
three times at the cabinet dinners. To say that
the favor with which she was first received con.
unues would do her injustice. The original APP
proyal has developed into an enthusiastic adj
miration. AT least fifteen thousand people have
shaken hands with her and heard the sound of
ner voice, and not one has denied her beauty
or dsseuted from the verdict that she is fitted
Tor the place she has been selected TO fill.
In speaking to an old lady of many years ex-
perience in Washington society at one of her
receptions, Mrs. Cleveland opened her heart in
a giriish way, and with tears in her eyes ex-
w Ia ipN
she had been received. She said that no one
could conteiye how much she had dreaded the
comments that she knew would come in the
newspapers, and no one could know how CRATE
Iui sae was at their kindness. When a lady
correspondent; came to see her, early after her
arrival, she said, she Rugged her impulsiveiy
Ior gratitude, not that she owed any thing To
mat particular person, as she had seen her but
once before. but she saw in her a represen tative
OF the folks that had been most dreaded, but
had treated her more kindly than she supposed
was possible. To this lady Mrs. Cleveland said
That her only endeavor was TO be perfectly nat
ural, although sometimes she got nervous
thinking that people were looking at her that
sue felt she would fly out of her skin. But she
was becoming accustomed TO being stared at
now. and she thought her ordeal was over.
And what an ordeal it has been! A school
girl OF 22, without experience. set upon a ped
esiaI before o5,UUO,OUu OF people; every motion
scTuIlnized, every word criticised, and almost
every thought that entered her mind subjected
To close aDaly sis.
She has outlived the glamour that surrounded
the bride, and enters upon I; career that every
"
nil letter than sue. Two days in the week she
Wili devote 10 callers until the adjournment OF
congress, and Will be assisted by her friend,
Miss Ida Gregg, of Buffalo, i'm entertaining
them. 1t is SAID to have been her choice to
enter upon her arduous duties alone, and it
showed her good sense. Her mother or the
Presidents sisters might have protected her
sOlne what and relieved ner from many per-
plexilies. but she preferred a companion OF her
own age ana lnexperIeEce, and, while she has
haa tne benefit OF the advice oil Mrs. Whitney
ana Mrs: Lamont, she has not suppressed her
own individuality.
The daily routine of life at the White House
has not been altered much since bride came
to preside there. The Presidents habits have
not yielded 10 the change his domestic
affairs. There is one more servant, a German
girl. whom Mrs Hoy: brought from Fayette-
vlile with her, who Will remain as Mrs. Cleve-
land maid. But the presence OF mistress at
the Executive Mansion would not be perceived
by the casual visitor. A close inspection of the
that womans dainty hand anu refined taste
nave PASSED over it, and the rooms look less
IKE ciuo house aud more like home. Mrs.
Cleveland and her friend have been over
hauling the antique furniture, pulling one piece
out OF this room and pushing another nto That
and at the west end OF the private corridor they
nave htted up a little snrSgery, where they sit
sometimes and exchange condolences. A piano
has been taken up into one of the south cham
berS, ana that part of the house, which has SD
long been gloomy and forbidding, has now
become musical and merry under the touch of
their fingers. Visitors who shown into The
Presidents library nowadays hear unaccus-
toned sounds - snatch of song disclosed by an
opened door, or an echo OF laughter, or a few
notes OF piano gayly played.
When the President hears these sounds he
often looks surprised, and many a time leaves
pile oil official papers ON his desk, looks into
the adjoining room TO see what the girls as he
calls them, are up TO, and then returns to his
work, "a happier and more contented man.
cabinet meeting WAS Interrupted the other
day and grave matters of staIecraft were laid
aside by little confusion In which two girlish
voices were apparent, but the interruption
was restored 10 the consideration Of the fisher.
les question.
Breakfast was formerly served at the White
House at . O'Clock, and the President was often
at his desk an hour before. Now the
breakfast hour is y o'clock, and only once or
twice since his marriage has Mr.. Cleveland at.
tended 10 any official duties before going down
stairs. lie usually passes into the library on
has way To the dining room to take what tele-
grams or letters are lying upon his desk and
runs through them while waiting for breakfast
To De served. he gets into the official harness
aooat an hour later than he used TO do, and IT.
Is generally 10 O'Clock nowadays before he
begins work, when was the hour formerly
lie pulls steadily along until hall past 1, when
Oh every alternate day, he receives the public
and then goes 10 Iuncheon,an afterward chats
with the ladies Tor u few minutes as he smokes
a cigar.
During the morning hours Mrs. Cleveland
sees nothing OF her husband, but spends her
tinle In reading, sewing, arranging things about
Tine house, wandering III the conservatory. and
SOsslplnS with the gardener about The flowers
oi which she Is very fond. In the attic OF the
Wnlie fIouse Is a wonderful store of Old things
and the young women have been OverhauIlue
them, dragging 10 light relics oil Jeffersonian
simplicity and JacksonIan severity and throw
Ing them into contrast with the arts tic modern
hess that mas prevailed since Gen. Arthur and
Tiffany renewed The Presidents Quarters
" nile there Is no necessity for Mrs. Gle veIand
exercising amy supervision over the domestic
a!idlrs oi the place, as the servants are well
trained and numerous, scarcely day passes
without a consultation with the steward or a
visit TO the cook, who, with the rest OF the
household, admire their young mistress as
much as the public do. They talk about dinner
and luncheon and breakfast, suggest what they
most like aud how they want ~ served and
some experiments have been attempted in the
reproduction OF dainties the Presidents bride
Was led upon when she was abroad.
The French poodle that was brought over
from Antwerp Is a source OF much care and
pleasure and the object of many attentions as
well as the cause OIL much sport, AS he does not
understand English, ana the young women
only know the least bit of French. They are
now teaching him the language OF his adopted
country and impressing him with the Import
auce OF his position as the pet Of The Presidents
wife.
Mrs. Cleveland has a latent literary taste. and
has found in the W hite House library a iCun-
tain OF great pleasure. 1t Is q old coIiec-
tIon OF books, mostly present copies from
authors Who sought the appreciation OF Pres-
dents, and the shelves are loaded with literary
curIosities When the collection was originally
made, hall century ago. il included mos: of
nearly ali out oil print. Some oil them have not
have never been handled by prettier fingers
are ham