Wichita eagle., 1890-03-06
arly at night. that I always o.d.r it.,n


Speaking of the Shoreham hotel reminds
me Of little story / heard of its owner, the
vice president" said the other amiable young
woman 'Of course you know that Mr.. Nor
ton wears wig, but he is a dear, sweet man
even il he does. Wen, napa is in the senate,
you know, and he says that Mr.. Morton re-
Gently had his wig changed. 1t used to be Of
a bright brown hue, but now he has had
enough white hair put in it to giveit decided
grayish tinge. Papa says that was done be-
cause Mr.. Norton feels that he is growing
old, and that people know he is pretty well
along in years, and that they will soon begin
TO VIC q Ter why mis- hair doesn't turn a little.
Such close attention to the little thirgs of life
is what makes the successful man, papa says,
and I think he must be right"
Said Washington tradesman to another
as an avenue car rolled by the National and
Metropolitan hotels.
What a pity il is the people who live in
these hotels don't spend their money like other
people who come to the capital. These two
hotels are full Of congressman and senator's
from the south. They are the southern head
quarters. Probably one half of the members
of congress from the south board here, and
they never spend any money in the stores
They buy neither groceries ror furniture, nor
jewelry, nor expensive dry goods, and they
don't keep carriages or give dinners Their
wives have receptions and occasional teas and
parties, but they never spend eny money on
them. The men who spend the money in
Washington are from the north almost in
variably. It is northern extravaganza that
makes this town prosperous. Nine out of ten
of the men from the south who come here to
take official station are poor men, and they
determine to save something out of their sal
aries, and manage 10 do it. 4 majority of
the men from the north are well-to-do, and
the biggest part of them spend good deal
more than their salaries as long as they stay
here"
Remark of a stranger in the city who had
just come from an ascent Of the Washington
monument:
This is the reddest city ever saw. Look
over Washington from the top of the monu-
ment, and it is mass of red as far as the eve
can see. The brick used here must be very
red brick, like the Virginia clay which we
wallOwed through in the campaigns under
Grant The only buildings in the city not
made of brick, with very few exceptions.
are the government buildings, and their
w illIS WssiIS OulS SCI Fe W Iidhc lLS COill
greater The Wild young fellows of the coun-
try need not come to Washington to paint
the town red-it is already as red as it can
well be-"
This strangers companion:
II have just come from the National mu-
scum, and while there [ learned something
which III wager not a dozen men in the city
Of Washington know. When get home I'm
going to write to the superintendent Of the
mint at Philadelphia and order copy OF ali
the medals ever voted by congress to brave
soldiers and sailors and others who have per-
formed deeds of valor. At the museum they
have collection Of these medals, about 125
in all, and | am told any citizen can get cop
les, diverse and reverse, of ALI of them by
simply paying the expense of casting at the
Philadelphia mint, where the molds are kept.
think it a collection worth having and if
the expense is not too great l am going to
order them"
Another woman ip q herdic:
There are not as many snobs among the
women in Washington as among the men. |
know them all. The men are politicians who
make it a business to please while at the Cap
itOl or in their states or districts. But the
women have the instinct of desiring TO please
by being gracious. After considerable ex
perience among the wives of men i'll official
life I can say that | never met but one genu-
inc snob, and she was before her marriage a
clerk in the patent Office. She had a pretty
face and a prominent man saw and fell in
love with her He is dead now, poor man,
and she is rich widow and fine specimen
of the feminine snob. Her husband actually
70 tI1tr for bar af
their marriage, though that is a secret and
you mustn't mention it."
The women who ride liz street cars and
herdics have much to say about the rapacity
of Washington tradesnen, and particularly
Washington dresSmakers. If one believed
all be heard he would soon become convinced
that the dressmallers of Washington were a
gang of pirates, conspiring to throw the
prominent men of the city into bankruptcy,
to get away with the surplus, or do some
thing else that is dreadful Two women were
talking over this old tale OF woe in my hear
ing, when Cne said:
Il see that Mrs Mckee, the presidents
daughter, has gone to Baltimore to have her
done. l admire her spunk. OF
course the Washington dressmakers are rais-
ing a dreadful howl about it, but my synlpa-
thies are with Mrs Mckee Mrs. Harrison
and Mrs. Mckee find that they must pay
about twice as much as anybody else for
things in Washington, Just because they are
the wife and daughter Of the president. For
instance, Mrs. Mckee had two gowns made
here for which auybody else would have had
to pay about $40, and high at that. When
Mrs Nckee's bill came IL was $S5. Simply
outrageous! 1t is just SO with everything
else; and if Mrs Harrison and her daughter
brave local public opinion and 60 to Balti-
more or New York to DO their shopping, l
say they will be doing just right"
PopERT GRAVES