St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-17
Washington People Who Are
In Love With the Fair
Frances.

On the eve OF Mis-. CIeEelalldS ue-
parture from Washington it will be in
teresting to note the Impression she has
made there. says the New York Sun.
Those who stood twenty feet beyond
her aud the cabinet ladies at the recep
ton to congress and the judiciary Fri
day plight week, could not help hearing
the comments of the 1900 men and
women upon whom she had bestowed
handShake and smile. A majority
had never seen her before. Their eX-
CARNATIONS OF surprise and delight were
all pitched in the superlatiye key.
''She is sWeeter and prettier than [ ilad
any idea Of SAID some women. Fire.
Quently was heard the exclamation,
''She is far prettier than her pictures" :"
The reception was held in the Blue
room. The people formed in line in
the Red room and the line broke up in
the room beyond, the Green room.
Then followed q curious exhibition of
unreStrained nature. The ladies who
had seen the pretty woman threw off all
decorum and made as fast rs their legs
could carry them for the hallway. There
they pushed aud quarreled to get a
good view of Mrs. Cleveland, of her
AuNn, anu Ol iiGI lIailitl toN u1u tflOoG
10 whom SHE was introduced.
WHAT THEY SAW
was tall, slender. girlish figure in an
imposing gown Of cream white satin,
made With Il Vatican back, embroidered
with gold around the bottom of the skirt
and on the front of the V-shaped cor
sage. Of course, she wore no hustle.
The Vatican back, as it is called, con
nected the waist with the skirt, and
made a sheer descent from the shoul-
ders to the fullness of the skirt.
OF course, also, the gown was
not decollete. She has never worn
a loW-cut dress unless it was closed
in front with lace or other material. Lit
is said to have been matter of regret
to her friends that she has not followed
the court custom in this respect, but
she has reasons for her course with
which she satisfies those who refer to
the subject. The sleeves of this dress
were short and putfed Oh the shoulders,
and she wore diamonds in necklace
and as a fastening ornament to the
aigrette that waved like plume above
her dark hair. Her hair was combed
up high behind. and puffed in front
over her forehead.
When she first appeared one official
was heard to say to another man by his
always superb in white, She never
looks twice alike, but she is always at
Ter best i'll white"
She came into the Blue room on the
arm of the president, and both halted
close to the doorway. Both instantly
turned so as TO half face the doorway
through which the people were to pass.
Col. Wilson. the army attache who
0tficiateS at all such occasions. stood in
the door in full uniform. He has charge
of the government property i'll Wash
ington. and to such an extent that If the,
White house plates or cups are broken,
or ink is spilled on a rug. OF window
shade is torn, the president cannot re-
place them except through Col. Wilson.
MISS BAYARD
tall and angular and dark, passed the
president and his wife, and stood next
to Mrs. Cleveland against a line OF
chairs that reached across the front OF
the room. Miss Bayard wore white
satin with long train and decorations
of pond lilies. Then came Mrs. Fair
child in blue brocade with gold en-
broidery and many diamondS--a
very striking looking woman, in
deed. Her dress was decollete.
So was Mrs Endicott's. She wore
white satin with white feathers in her
hair-a tall, thin example of the grand
dame of the time and court of Eliza
beth. Mrs. Whitney, electric, spark
ling, enthusiastic and fervent. wore a
lOW-necked dress of white brocade, and
Mrs. Dickinson stood last in the line in
pearl gray satin. The perfume of flow
ers weighted the air, smilaX hung from
the gaSaliers, palms were banked
against the walls, and music hoated
through the rooms.
Then came the procession of the peo-
pie, not a particularly formal or digni-
!ied procession. but one with which no
Democrat has any right to find fault.
Col. Wilson called out each persons
name, and on they came now a stiff
matron leading shrinking invalid hus
band; now Il Quartette Of giggling girls:
now a band Of nincing Japanese, all
broadly grinning in an effort to
look proud and pleased: now a
Hebrew who would not give
his name. and said it did not
matter what it was: now the Coreans,
who always keep their hats on, even at
state dinners, and possibly in their beds.
Then came man looking like a
laborer, and leading an indisputable
Irish kitchen maid: some stiff young
army lieutenants; two or three Turks
in red fezes; then old Aunt
Clara, whom Henry Clay got APP
pointed to her peddler's stand in
the capitol. and on her heels half
witted little fat woman. who caught up
her skirts with astonishing revelations
and more astonishing unconSciOuSneSS
of the fact. Thus 1900 persons came
and went and then ran 10 get good
places from which to see the great
ladies again.
THE GREAT LADIES
tried to catch the eye Of each one in the
parade in order to bow to each, but
alas! they were overlooked by nearly
all: for nearly all were thinking only
of the one who interested them-the
ladies and half the men of Mrs. Cleve-
land, the other halfof the men of the
president. FitzhUgh Lee, Justice Gray,
Mrs. ID. S. Lamont, Senator
Evarts, Senator Edmunds. the
French minister, Admiral Jenkins, and
Representative Springer were among
the notables who went through the form
like Notwithstanding Mr.. Scott,
of Erie. He is great ladies' man. it
seems, and felt obliged to stop and talk
with Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Dickinson
till the procession had been stalled for
fifteen minutes. And all the time Col
Lamont. self-possessed and calm, stood
beSlQe MIS-. DICKINSON ana SHllieQ at all
whom he knew.
Everywhere were policemen in civil
ian dress and detectives whom no one
suspected. They guarded the door
ways, stood along the walls, and moved
among the people. In all probability
but few persons were aware OF their
presence, but had crank, or person
of obviously guilty intent. visited the
White house that night, he would not
have got far beyond the marine band