Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-05
burned out She will correct me il I am


| wrong
He told us all he possessed in the world wa,
| lost, there being no insurance upon house O,
furniture, but as there were more than 2O(
puiidinss consumed, some Of them belonging
| 70 those less able to make . living than himself
ne felt he had no right to murmur. He wal
nsvertheless troubled about the loss OF hi
library. His books were full Of notes and asso
oianons which could not be replaced.
mink there was something in the house
which Mr.. Webster regretted more than hi
books, said his wife, with an amused expires
| SION, which showed her remark was not to bt
taken quite seriously. There was o pipe Of
wine in the cellar, and am sure that MI. Web.
:.er phiiosophy has not yet reconciled him tc
its loss: You see We were young housekeep-
ers In those days. It was the first pipe of wine
| event.
LET us be accurate, my DEAR said Mr..
| webster, with one Of those pleasant smiles OF
his. which fairly Lit up the room. 'Undoubt.
ediy II was pipe OF wine when We bought it
| out then 1t had been on tap for some time and
our table had not been without guests. If !
mad you on the witness stand think I should
make you confess that your pipe of wine could
scarcely have been more than half pipe at the
time Of the fire.
II suppose there was nothing said at tina,
Gunner SO little worth preserving as this trifiing
nanny Jest; yet the sweet and playful manner Of
L
An anecdote told by Webster as the CONVEX.
sation run on upon the Importance of doing
email things thoroughly he illustrated by an
account OF some petty insurance case brough;
70 MN when he was young lawyer in Ports
mouth A twenty-dollar fee was all he was
promised He saw that to do his client full
justice journey to Boston to consult the Law
Library was desirable. He would be out OF
POCKET by the expedition and for his time he
would receive no adequate compensation. He
L 6n ia hao r.
ne accordingly went to Boston, looked up the
authorities and gained the case. Years after
this Webster, then famous, was passing through
New York An important insurance case was
| 70 De tried the day after his arrival and one of
| the counsel had been suddenly taken sick,
| money was no object and Webster was begged
| TO name his price and conduct the case Il told
| tnem, said Mr. Webster, that it was preposter-
Gus 70 expect me to prepare a legal argument
at Few hours notice. They insisted, however,
that should look ut the papers. Then, after
| some demur. consented to do SO. Well. it was
my oio twenty-dollar case over again. had
all the authorities at my fingers ends. The
court knew that had no time to prepare and
was astonlshed at the range of my acquire
ments. So you see was hand somely paid both
in fame and money for that journey to Boston
the end" 40
TWO DINNERS AT rHF WHITE HOUSE.
Mr.. Quincy twice dined at the White House;
the hrst time informally with Charles King and
ALBERT Gal!atin: "The latter gentleman" re-
cords Mr. Quincy, scarcely said anything.
owing. perhaps, 10 the constant and amusinp
utterances of the President, Mr. Adams, and
Mr.; King, who talked as it under bonds to fur
n nasn entertainment for the party. The noxt
occasion wasa state dinner of forty ladies and
gentlemen, very splendid and rather stiff" He
enjoyed the hospitality of the Vice President
Mr. Caihoun, who, contrary to custom, had
come up to the Capitol and was actually doing
the WORK OF MS place, as he proclaimed that he
would receive no emoluments from an Office
without assuming Its responsibilities.
One OF the pleasantest dinners attended at
Washington" he adds, "took place at Miss
Flyers boarding house. 1t was given bv the
ge1tiemen Iodgers. who, by a small subscription.
added few dishes to the ordinary bill of fare
Mr.. Webster and Senator Mills of Slassa chusetts
we're among the guests. and when after the re-
moval OF the cloth some Bordeaux wine was added
to the customary Madeira the conversation was
easy and animated. 1t was Mr. Webster's saw
ing tnat dinners were agreeable in inverse
ratio to their state and formality. The use of
Wine and spirits was practically universal at the
time OF which am speaking. Nobody thought
~ possible to dine without one or the other AT
.ne boarding houses and hotels every guest had
his bottle or his interest in a bottle. In the
early days OF the sound steamers decanters of
brandy free to all, we're placed upon the table
as part OF the provisions necessary for meal"
THE UNIVERSAL USE OF WINE.
In my early life the sideboard was an adj
junct Of almost every family, and visitors were
entertained with cake and wine or q brandy
toddy. Everybody drank, but nobody got
drunk. A drunken man was a rare sight In
the neiShborhood where was born and brought
up till seventeen years of age there was a most
excellent man, who got drunk about once
or twice year, and when that occurred eyery-
body looked at him as something unusual and
disgusting. and even when sober he was avoided
The last time I saw the venerable Father Chr.
fore his death. he reminded me of visit he
and my cousin. young priest, James Deery.
had paid to my mother, when was brought in
from play to see him, in 1892 he said, and be-
fore leaving to 60 to the Capitol he said.
Mother had made them a nice brandy toddv ;;
1t universal before the davs Of whisky
Cut glass decanters and loaf sugar and mudler
we're to be found ON every sideboard, with toddy
spoons.
l find SO much in Mr.. Quincy's recollections
that VIII interest the readers OF The STAR that
am tresspassing on the space allotted me. and
must leave to another occasion a description
of the parties and balls Of that period and tbe
bellies who made them so charming as Mr..
Quincy relates. / cannot refrain. however.
from giving remarkable incident about Gen.
jackson, which will astonish those whose
general impression of the old hero bellies the
fact stated by Mr.. Quincy.
JAcKsoN's VISIT TO BOSTON.
As one Of the aids of Gov. Lincoln. Mr..
Quincy was ordered to act as special aid-de-
camp to the President, Gen. Jackson, during
his Welt to Massachusetts, and on the morn.
ing of June 20, 1888. he says: II found myself
advancing from one side of Pawtucket bridge
to meet slender, military looking person.
who had just left the Rhode Island side of that
structure. My business was to deliver
an address OF welcome, and here was Jackson
himself advancing in solitary state to hear il.
Well. in the rear of the chief walked the Vice
President and heir apparent, Martin Van Buren,.
and slowly following came the Secretaries OF
War and Navy, Cass and Woodbury.
The address got delivered somehow and
the distinguished guest made suitable re-
ply and then We walked together to the
hne barouche and four which was to
take us through the state. = The ar
tillery fired (breaking many windows in Paw
tucket, for which the state paid goodly bin
and we were off. His conversations
was interesting from its sincerity, decision and
point. 1t was easy to see that he was not man
to accept "a difference of opinion with equanim-
ity, but that was clearly because being honest
and earnest heaven would not suffer his opin-
ions to be other than right. Mr. Van Buren,.
on the other hand, might have posed for a
statue Of diplomacy. At a review of
the Boston brigade Ihad engaged trained horses
for the cabinet and suite, as I supposed thew
would all follow the President to the field. brit
Mr.. Van Buren, in the course NJ thu ,,,or,;,o