Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-03-23
BRIDAL PAIRS.
AMUSING EXPERIENCES OF THE GUIDES IN
WASHINGTON.
A Bride Who Supposed She Was Squeezing Her
husbands Hand-The Groom Who
kissed Hs Dear Nara IN the
Presidents Room.


the Capitol. The liking of the guides
is Howard Kennedy. "a handsome man.
with a genial manner and remarkable
flow of language that makes his duty
seem 90 be pleasure rather than La
Dor.
Probably no man Inn this country has
wider circle of influential acQuantan-
ances. aud there is probably no man
more deserving of confidence.
There are twelve guides authorized 10
conduct visitors through the Capital
building and explain matters of pubic
interest 90 the people who frequently
throng that celebrated edihce- Mr..
Kennedy is the only one of their num-
her af present who is not on tentcr
hooks of anxiety and expectation. 10 is
generally understood among the Capitol
guide, that their places Will soon be
taken bv veterans of the Union army.
Howard Kennedy was "a soldier in the
3-th New York infantry. and is
the only cX-soldicr now ON
dutv as am authorized guide.
He is not very well versed IN the his
tory of tine Capitol building. the dimen-
SiOuS of AN the rooms. the dates OF the
hanging of the celebrated pictures and
the unyciiing of the various statues IN
Stauary Han, the size, weight and cost
of the bronze doors. and all other mat
ters of interest. but while conducting a
party through the building he inter
spcr>es his explanatory remarks with
witty and humorous illusions 90 indi-
yidua1S whom he meets and 20 whom
reference NAV Dee made.
cone of tine funniest things thSt
ever came into my experience as a
guide" hc said to-day while eScorting a
party. was last winter when / was
conducting O bridal party through the
Senate wing of the Capitol Inc lad
and the lass were claSping hands all the
time. and were the observed of all OBJ
servers. I could see the fellows around
me winkiug and blinking and pointing
at them. but they seemed utterly oollNl-
Gus of all the world except themselves;
vet they gave great attention and asked
me many questions. showing an interest
iu AN about them.
While we were standing opposite the
Senate gallery, and l was explaining to
them the merits and beauties of the cell
ebrated painting. The Capture of the
Chepultepec. stood between them, and
10 my great surprise felt the hand of the
pretty bride c.aSpiug my own She
squeezed my hand and / returned the
pressure for two or three minutes. when
She suddenly discovered her mistake and
dropped my hand as though it were a
red-hot poker. / merely smiled and
said nothing. but she kept her eyes
avcrted from mine thereafter until ! left
them at the front door of the rotunda of
the Capitol
I'm response 90 am inquiry as to his I'M
come Mr. Kennedy said;
1--WE never charge more than so cents
for conducting party through the main
floor of the Capitol building. That Is,
from the Senate floor 20 the Supreme
Court room and through the rotunda,
explaining the pictures, then into Statu-
airy Han. exhibiting the wonderful echo
stones and upon the floor of the House.
The visitors who are well 90 do usually
hand us 81 OF -, and occasionally we
are given s. note. But the trouble is
there are too many guides i'm the Capitol
building to make the profession lucra-
tive. as TO ought 90 be. There are - IN
all. each ekiug out mere subsistence,
when there ought 20 be not more than
six or eight, and then each would do
very well indeed. As tits now. We have
made am amicable arrangement, and SIX
of our number occupy the rotunda one
day while the other six are i'm the Sen
ate and House wings of the Capitol
waiting for visitors who may need our
services
by the way. I was i'm the rotunda
only Yesterday when bridal couple
entered the great east door, and 10 was
my turn 90 seek their custom and serve
them. I conducted them through the
building. and when I took them into the
Presidents room opposite the Senate
lobby. I explained the beauties and the
use of the room and stepped outside,
but they did not Immediately follow.
Standing there awaiting their pleasure,
heard q rcsOunding smack and gig
gle. and then a manly voice saying:
That's AN right. Maria; you can now
say that YOU have been kissed IN the
Presidents ROOM
The gentleman was thoroughbred,
for hc required me- 90 show him the
basement and tine crypt and the dome.
and after having spent nearly three hours
with him hc gave me - bill and Salu
he wanted mo- change, and If that was
not enough hc would give me more,
My receipts averaged - day dur
ing the entire 50th Congress. or course
each one OF the guides has his friends
from his own State or section. but l
have been fortunate I'm making a very
wide circle of acQuantanccS, and there
fore ms services are very much I'm de-
mand. and that is probably the reason
the bows call me THE King of the
Guides.
The guides tell MS amusing stories
concerning their experiences, Mr.. Bark
or says:
..Ladics who reside i'm Washington
frequently bring visiting friends mp here
and try to explain the beauties OF the
Capitol themselves. scorning the assist
apcc off guides, for they have lived here
So long that they would De Inundated n
it were even ntimated that they needed
assistance. One of them was in here
this morning with two ladies from New
York. She stood i'm the centre of the
rotunda and. pointius TO that beautiful
belt of frcscs frieze work by Brumidi
and Costaggini. she said: Those are
an statues. built into the wall.
Over there where the work
seems unfinished it really is unfinished
that unSightly Scatlolding is used 20 take
out the figures and dust them and wipe
thcm OIL. so as Co keep them bright. l
was unable 20 control myself and walk
ed away laughing. But l called up a
little boy who was near the door and,
speaking loud enough for the ladies TO
hear mo. said. There, my little man,
IS % belt of the finest painting In this
country. That IS an frcsc0 work. and
those figures which stand out SO litelike
from the wall are painted upon the hat
surface. Many people come here who
think they are marble figures, but they