Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-20
.cisi Correspondence of the Evening Star

4 When the car or the queen or any other for
egn potentate set out for their travels all trains
on the road are blockaded until the royal train
| goes by, but when the chief executive of the
greatest nation under the sun started for his
summer home yesterday the only rolling stock
that his train displaced was the fussy little en-
CINE and open cars of the shore railway which
runs up and down every half hour from Cape
| May to Cape May Point. The presidential spe-
cial was switched onto this road yesterday af-
ternoon and its appearance at the point set that
miniature city wild with excitement OF course
this enthusiasm over the Presidents coming
and the curiosity to see the party was well dis
| tributed along the line, and so it was that a
come to the President he stepped into his
house.
WARM WELCOME, But COOL WEATHER.
But at the point where the party left the
train at the road, just across from his own back
! door, all the inhabitants of that particular
section were drawn up in single file. There
were only a half dozen all told. ladies
and gentlemen, the guests of the one
| hotel which is now open. They made
their welcome warm enough. but the weather
| was decidedly cool. The Presidents family.
along with a good many more Washingtonians.
will never forget Wednesdays heat, but there
is no doubt but the cold of their first night at
| the point will make just as lasting an impress
sion. All the party were lightly clad and no.
! forethough which had provided thick cloaks
| for the children. They had gay journey and
lots of fun teasing each other about
the cold. The cottage became mighty
pleasing vision when they reached il. although
it did present an incidentally summer appear
| ance. Mrs. Harrison felt. however, that this
| time she is on the safe side, for lately she has
| had couple more fireplaces put il. one in the
dining room and one IL the hall upstairs. With
the fires spluttering and cracking away on
these three hearths-for the biggest of all is at
the end of the front hall rs you enter-there
was no want of coy comfort. The roasting
big fire III the kitchen stove was another treas
ure trove to the travellers. for it not only
meant that their dinner was being prepared,
but also kept that part of the house in an at
mosphere Of warmth.
LOOKING ABOUT THE HOUSE.
The first thing the President did when he
reached the cottage was to read a telegram
which had preceded him there. The first thing
Mrs. Harrison did was to take peep into each
room on the first floor and then out to the
kitchen to interview the new cook. who was
operating the culinary machinery for the first
time. Then came confab with the house
keeper-an informal discussion. as to what de-
velopments might be expected from the con-
dition of the larder and all the rest of the why's
and wherefores in which good housewife
must interest herself.
When at last Mrs. Harrison led the way up
stairs for her guests the ladies found plenty of
diversion in selecting the rooms they liked best
and making themselves comfortable in them.
Dinner served after and partaken
of with great relish, since it was deferred until
ali hands had an appetite for 1t. The dinner
table was made more attractive by great
bunch of roses in the center. Every room in
the house was also made fragrant with flowers.
After dinner the rain, which had been pelting
on the window panes, moderated a little. and
| the President and Mrs. Harrison, who are very
fond of the sea, were able to watch the white
capped waves as they tumbled and broke on
| the shore OF course the babies had their
| frolic with their grandparents before they went
| to bed. All the household were tired and sought
| their rest early.
A. BIG LOT OF BAGGAGE.
The baggage Of the family, guests and SER
| wants made pretty big car load There were
ten or twelve big and little trunks three chests
Of silver and china, and pictures baby car
riages and the childrens toys in the collection,
| to say nothing of kitchen stores. Little Benja-
min brought a wheelbarrow, a sand bucket
and shovel. as well as lawn tennis set his fire
engines and his live pets. His latest acquisi-
tons in the latter line are three white rabbits
| with the pinkest of pink eyes. These favored
animals receive such an amount of petting that
| it ought to make them proud Then little Mary
| another a few sizes smaller to push around a
| desperate-looking doll baby, who, before she
began to receive the devoted care of her mis-
tress. was really very picturesque Normandy
peasant.
The President and Mrs Harrison have three
| agreeable companions in their guests, Mrs.
/ Geo. b. Williams. Miss Ella Warfield and Mrs.
/ Dimmick. They can be depended upon for
that easy flow Of spirits without which the de-
pressing influences Of cold, rainy snap at the
seaside would be apt to spread.
| CAPE MAY POINT.
Cape May Point is a year old in history, but
it had settlers before that. Some of their de-
scendants are now preparing to resume business
at the old stand. II it was remarkable for any
| thing else before last year than the numbers of
mosquitoes it does not seem to be on record
| anywhere. Now. they say that with the filling
| in of the marshes, the draining of the land and
| the rest of the Improvements engendered by
| the real estate boom which broke loose here
| last spring, the early and only previous inhabi-
| tants-the Jersey mosquito-has almost COM
pletely vanished. That, of course is a very
| good story to tell now. when an east wind is
rafting every window around you, and the roar
| of the waves can be heard above the din.
| In the neighborhood of the Presidents cot
tage, where there are well-rolled drives and
great stretches OF smooth green lawns the
point has a wide-awake and attractive look.
The Presidents cottage is naturally the most
1 spos VI III size II Is Tar the
most pretentious Of any Of the private houses.
A years wear and tear have done away with
| the newness and somehow has given it a more
substantial appearance. 1t has nice grass
plot all around it, and the presidential clover
patch is kept private by the low fence ali
around it. As everybody can see all around
the house there is no temptation to 20 inside
| the fence. The house faces the ocean. and in
fact Ii only separated from it BY the boule-
\ ward drive. The broad verandas on all sides
4 make il seem twice as big on warm days when
4 the family can sit outdoors.
H. .Esc- INTERIOR OF THE COTTAGE
The cottage has q cellar and there are twenty
rooms In the three floors above it. The wide
hall on the first floor runs back to the kitchen
door On the left a. you enter is the mario,
and on the other side Of the hall is a smaller
parlor and the dining room. The hall itself i
quite a feature Of the cottage. and like the rest
Of it 10 furnished in the simplest and least ex.
pensive style. There is neat mating on the
iioor, the antique oak hat rack has a settee seal
and there are two or three rattan settees. rock.
ers and easy chairs arranged along the sides
Some fur and carpet rugs brighten up the
floor, and the fireplace with inst glimpse Of
the stairway completes the first view you get OF
the Presidents home by the sea. The parlo,
looks like playing at Housekeeping ate,
associating Mrs. Harrison with the spa
cious blue parlor at the White House. II
has mating on the floor and nearly
all the chairs, tables and sofas are Of rat
tan There are two or three bright tapestry
covered easy chairs. q few pretty en1ravip gs