The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-06-19

all the elegant ware which the former
mis- tI6esAfnkhe White House gathered
with so much pride and in the face of
SO many growls from the Congressional
Appropriation Committees which sup
piled the money-tucked, crammed and
jammed into an unfinished closet which
would hardly kennel two mastiffs. No
wonder that so much of it is broken and
nicked that each succeeding mistress OF
the White House almost sheds tears over
the ruin of the thing most dear to a wo-
mans heart, rare china. Until President
Arthurs day there was not even this
closet, all the valuable china being stored
In the basement; but he had this closet
cut from the little hallway by the ele-
vator. There are two rows of shelves
about three feet deep, and there the
three sets which belong to the service
are kept, one-third of them being on the
floor. Mrs. Harrison says that of the
1000 pieces, made at so great an expense
In the Hayes Administration, there are
not more than four hundred left. Wo-
men all over the land know how it is
not to have enough silver knives and
forks to go round, and they have all felt
the anguish of seeing tho most distin-
guished guest get the plated one by mis-
take. But who would dream that the
White House would not have enough
knives and forks to go around, and yet
it is true, Every time fifty people set
down to state dinner there two of them
take their bouillon from plated spoons,
their terrapin from plated forks and cut
.he tillet of beef with plated knives.
1t is q horrible thought, but there are
only four dozen genuine silver knives,
forks and spoons in the buffers pantry,
and by the most skilful ingenuity they
cannot be made to do duty for fifty people.
There is one set of knives and forks in
the sideboard which has history, for if
cost President his reelection. These
are the gold knives and forks which Van
Buren, added, and when the people learned
that the public moneys were being taken
to put gold spoons in Presidents mouths
they promptly defeated him. Now, the
truth of the matter is that they are not
gold at all, and the people were hasty in
their judgment. They are solid silve,
washed with gold, and it was only few
years ago-in President Arthur's day
that they began to wear off, and disclose
the hoax. He had them rewashed, and
they aye still used on state occasions.
They are small, tinebladed and much
more delicate than those commonly in use
in this day. Many of the larger pieces
of silver date back to Madison's day, al
though no memoranda have been kept,
and it is hard to tell when things were
purchased.
The busiest place in the whole Execu,
tive Mansion is in the basement, ovel
which Dolly johnson, the colored cook,
presldes. Dolly is tall, fne-lookine
woman, light of color and probably mo-
much over thirty. President Harrison
secured her short time ago from Ken
lucky, and, from all accounts, Dolly
knows how to suit Presidential appetite
much better than the former cook, Nine.
Pelouard, whose fanciful French cooking
was not at all to the plain American
taste. Mary Robinson makes the pies
bakes the bread and fries the crullers
and is the assistant of Mistress Dolly
Johnson, who confines her ambitions t.
brewing soups and basting meats. Tit
two can get up dinner that would pu
Phillipini, Nicolini and all the othe
$40, 900 chefs to the test. Delmonict
has no more juicy meats than Dolly draw
from her oven, and Vanderbilt's owl
chef cannot put up better pastry thar
Mary. They both wear tidy dresses o
Dutch-blue calico and big white apron
that cover them from head to foot, bu
neither of them wear caps, as the las
suggestion of livery is unbelievable at tn
White House.
There are two kitchens in which Doll,
johnson can carry out her dream o
cookery, one under the private dining
room and Of the same size and the othe
under the serving-room and buffers pan
try. The first is used when state din
ner is under way, and in the second tn
preparations for each day are made. Tn
kitchens are as neat as pair Of pins, Blu
they haven't the appointments of tn
kitchens that are now added to five thou
sand dollar houses, and one cannot hell
wishing that the people who do so ador
the quaint, historic White House woul,
get peep into these dark, lily Furnished
rooms. The upper floors of the quaint
historic White House are bad enough
but the basement would be condcmnet
by even a modern building inspector.
Across the hall from the kitchen is tn
stewards room, large apartment unde
the state dining room. 1t is TASTEFUL
furnished with carpet and chairs sen
from the upper rooms, and contains
large desk, where Mr.. McKim enters tn
marketing in books as large as. it takes t
enter the deposits at the Treasury. II
comes in about II from the Centre Mar
ket, where everything in the way G
meats and vegetables are bought for tn
White House, enters these purchases an
each month draws up summary of tn
months expenditures, which hav
heard are of size to make an ordiuar
man whistle ''Razzle Dazzle" with a
the mournful intonations of that patheti
song. The walls of the stewards ROOF
are lined with closets which can be pu
under lock and key, for he has charge O
every valuable in the White House an
has to give pretty sum as bail for thei
safeSeeping. Beyond the steward
room are the sleeping rooms and on tn
opposite side the big furnace room
while at the extreme end of the hall is /,
billiard room where President and hi
opponent frequently chalk the cue.
But tie laundry-that is worth seeing
for a cleaner room cannot be imagined
1t is large and light and of one corner
n little carpeted ironing room, There