The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1890-01-23

the method Of Mr.. and Mrs. Hayes, who sent
the guests upstairs to unwrap themselves in
the private rooms Of the house.
There seemed to be a very little blockage
Of arriving carriages on Tuesday, hut this
was abnndantly offset by the confusion of
carriages departing. To begin at the end. let
me say that from IL o'clock to 1 pandcmon-
ium reigned around the tempted porto Co
ciiere. Ladies scrabblcd together their wraps
and went and waited to the f: ont door where
the brass band was footing and where Eolus
was playing all sorts of rheumatic marches
and pneumoniau noc.urncs. and their heroic
escorts rushed out upon the broad s.orc plat
form and called for tlie carriages they had
come in, indicating them by their numbers
Then the numerous policeman raved up and
down in n very frenzed manner. crying
aloud for .f18,'' "25.'' "S9l," "7A," &C."
and endless numbers be- wecn, and other re-
taincrs summoned other numbers a. if their
hearts would break, hunting for their quarry
up and down the crcs cent, and now and then.
at distressing intervals. response would
come and the escort, the ladies', and the ve-
hicle would somehow get geth"r. The ex-
posure near the door was terrible. How
many consumptions had solid curnor-stoncs
laid. how many influences, how many grips
newly gripped, who shall say? doubt if
it is extmvagant to es innate that each Pres
idents reception costs one life.
This delay of exit could be quite prevented
by the adoption of the methods which pre-
walls at the great line balls" of New York
city. Under this rule all private carriages
ars prohibited from coming to the door at
the close of the ball, but re; pie making their
exit are compelled to take the carriage that
happens to be ut the door. prices which may
be charged being governed by faw.
Shortly after pa-ssng the cloak rooms where
hats, overcoa:s, bonnets, and cloaks were de-
posted, found myself in the tide of an in
crcasing crush ;, and in proximity to unde-
niabIy distinguished people all in the fullest
OF full dress. Officers OF the two branches
militant were in uniform and wore side arms,
giving splendid tone of decoration and Of
ficial festiyity to the scene, and many civil
ians, mostly Of the diplomatic corps, were
bedecled will, ribbons emblazoned with her
al.lic dcvioes-the orders of knighthood be-
slowed by grateful sovereigns. Ladies were
costumed in every fabric of every cut and
fantastic fold. from tawdry to elegant, from
bizarre to commonplace. from the pretty
dress of this decade to the severely simple
directoire.
The file leader was Dr.. Willis, Assistant
Secretary of Agriculture, and his quiet little
wife, and he was more or less stepping on
the heels of Speaker Reed. who lowered
ab,ve his surroundings like Pharos.
Well" said the lady at my side, glanc-
ing inqusitively upwards, 'it does 1T make
any difference whether he is bald or no: no
body will know it but those in the galleries"
At our lett Olive Logan was crowded
IL =,
fat, fair aud forty now, ard her growing
deafi,ess is rather III imidating to the many
who used t. delight to converse with her.
Just behind was John Hay, once very much
at home in this crowded corridor as the Sec
re.ary of President Lincoln. Hay looks like
young follow yc., and not a bit like the
veteran he is. He chats merrily with Cen
eral Banks who sands near and waits for
the surgiug tide 10 move again. General
Banks's hair and moustachc are white as
snow, but there is not yet about either his
face or his form any Of that giving way and
collapse which generally clarac,erizes old
age. His-forni il straight as wild Indian,
his eye is bright, his head erect and his voice
when lie speaks is clear and full of conf
dence.
OF few fee! further arc DR.. W. A. Ham
IsiOuu, WIFI ss1au sS>l's>SOtuC Nic
leaning on luis arm. They are very stately
couple. but admirably proportioned and
comely TO the eye. He is emblazoned with
the uniform of a brigadier general. by virtue
of his rank as retired surgeon general of
the army. OF their palace out Fourteenth
street have spoken before in these letters
Just before the column (about ten wide)
had moved forward far enough to enable
me to get into the red room | encountered
Secretary Wiiiiom-the dem of tie cabinet
by virtue of seniority. He was s,antering
dewn the corridor, greeting his friends and
rs he is by this time one Of the half dozen
best known men il Washington, they are
numerous Iasked him why he wasn't in
the h.ue room helping the President receive.
81 am not bit wanted in there" he said
with a laugh That's for the President and
the iadie- ] am the fifth wheel Of the ad-
ministra,ion coach in ti.sre." Miss Window
was on his arm, evidently c;-ioying the free
dom of the corridor more than that sumptu-
oUs prison known as "behind the line"
Twenty-Five years ago Mr.. Window was the
handsomest man iss the House. A few gray
hai:s have come since then, and corvine |
footsteps have assembled aboutth eyes, and |
he has acquired comfortable physical proper
tions corresponding quite with his plump |
office and'his rotund fame; but he is still |
easily enough the tinoss looking man in the |
cabinet
In tie b,r;c room, all was gay. An inno- |
yation has cre in. Eoboly but the Presi- |
dent shakes hands. the ladies' Down the liae |
profftrirg tn ,ir hands Only 10 particular |
friends. IL seems odd to Old s,agcr, here, |
bu am not sure but it is sensible change |
Why should these ladies', tired enough with |
their manifold duties and with the necessity |
of standing all the evening in heated rooms,
be shaken and W iestied with By thousands |
of hofny-handcl admirers whom they may |
never see again?
i need not be denied tlia; Mrs. Cleycland's |
supreme beauty and grace were missed in
the cernlean larlor; but there can he noreal
lack of either eomeliness OR slavity while
suc! attractive " men rs Mrs. Morton, Mrs.
Noble aud Mrs. Window are left 10 us.
The Presidents first ceremonial evening
was eat occasion, and great tiirong en-
ioyed it. TowasEND.