The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-20
AT THE WHITE. HOUSE.
A TEXAS GIRL ATTENDS A RECEP-
TON.

small
(Copyri9st. 1874. b. the DATED Pr'ssl
WASHINGTON, March IA have been 70
a white house reception.
vent. not exactly OF deliberate inten-
tio7, but as It we're. incidentally; almost,
might say. inadvertently and. as the writer's
Of thrilling romance put it. 1.-THE events OF
that afternoon are branded upon my mem
ory."
l was out with q chum of mine, Mas
sachusetts lsdy. writer. woman OF cult
ure and delightful companion, with an
air Of chastensd Bohemianism about her.
Together we INDUCED in sort Of Emsr-
sonian larking, or puritanic BURNING. that
Is new and charming TO me.
We were coming along Pennsylvania
avenue last Saturday on our way home FROM
one Of these excursions, in the course Of
which we had prowled pretty much all over
Tenaliey Town and Swampoodle, when Miss
Salem remarked that there was a reception
at the white house.
halted instantly and said: wen 60"
20, no. said Miss Salem, "we must go
there 10 the carriage, or We shall have to
stand IN the line in the cold awaiting our
turn. See that line Of peopls half way 20
the gate, two ABREAST We might be an
hour getting inm
But was firm. insisted that the spirit
of the thing is essentially democratic, and
that We should 90 the whole animal. not
awaiting ourselves Of any meretricious ad-
vantages we might possess. So we went
and stood In line. very deter ined, Miss
Salem still protesting acattsringly.
We stood there very long time, only oc-
casionally moving six or eight inches for
ward. There was snow on the ground, the
mercury was about "a above zero, and
was obliged 20 admit finally that was
much colder than had ever been before in
the whole course Of O Wild and adventurous
career.
Miss Salem looked at me almost reproach-
fully: l, myself. felt as though little less
democracy would yet have been democratic
enough for me, and yearned ardently to
throttle the fellow behind us.
People occasionally left the line, in
couples and parties; and presently my in
vestigating eve identified one Of these parties
Rlighting from a handsome carriage aud
passing into the lobby.
"Come on " said /, seixIng Miss Salem's
arm. "let's see about this"
We walked around in the direction we
had seen the deserters from the lines take
aud came 70 the place on ths avenue where
the carriages wait, after having deposited
their occupants at the stepF Here we found
the explanation.
The private coachmen and footmen, with
laudable thrift aud industry, had engaged
In little enterprise for the turning OF an
honest penny while waiting for their EN-
ployers. They were hiring themselves aud
their vehicles out TO take people around to
the door-thus procuring their immediate
adm.ssion-for a reasonable consideration.
AS the distance was about 500 feet, and they
could take several par lies in the course of
fifteen minutes, 1t wasn't really bad bit OF
business.
As the carriage people drove up and wore
passed directly into the house, there we're
BONE mutterings Of discomfort Ia the ranks.
A man with q planning mill voice, just be-
hind US. harangued with much bitterness.
He demanded TO known tones of gripping
rancor-if we were living in republic or
if-as the fellow said who couldn't get a 10
cent cocoanut for s cents-we we're bain.,
strangled by the hot breath of fiendish
despotism-or words to that effect He
made sort of iuarticulate sound, some
thing between a snarl and a groan, every
time a carriageful went in and asked us eli,
generally, il 1t wasn't a shame-a disgrace
full shame.
l am ever a friend of simple thrift and
Industry. This manifestation OF artless
briskness and diligence was positively
touching 10 me; and though Miss Salem
rather held back. smiled exprsssively at
the coachman on the box of a handsome,
dark blue coupe; he gave the footman an
encyclopedia wink; tue latter descended,
with colossal solemnity hold the door open
Tor US, and we were, 30 to speak, translated.
"Congressman's familyG" inquired po-
ticeman when we drew up at one OF the long
windows being utilized as e private Gu
trance.
"Yesslr," replied the footman, as lie as
sisted US from the carriage aud assembled TO
his seat beside the coschman, in stony I'M
consciousness Of the 81 had skiIlfulIy So
GREETED in his palm.
Within the lobby the crush was frightful.
The Marine baud was making delightful
music. The surroundings were rich and
elegant. The crowd was the queerest sort
Of mixture, all the way from elegantly
dressed persons Of wealth and distinction
down to country brethren and sisters from
BAREBACK counties. often apparently just off
che train, and with little grips clutched in
their hands OF honest toll.
It was all very funny, and enjoyed it
gayly. not minding the crowding and
Jamming in the least, till suddenly. in the
middle OF our progress across the lobby,
and In the fiercest ofthe fray, Miss Salem
calculated: Alice, your hairs coming
down-O. it's coming offh
My hair is four inches long / gather ID
together, with more difficulty thEn a dull
country parson experiences in gathering
together lukewarm flock on a rainy Sun
day, stick hairpin through it: and pin on
knot Of my own hair whose original coz
nection with my head was severed a year
ago.
1 slapped my hand up to the back Of nv
head. Yes, the knot was coming Oft
was hanging top end down! Neither OF US
could do thing, hampered as we were by
our gloves and fur capes. A pale, mild
looking young man In frolicsome coat APP
preached, seeing something was amiss, and
showed us the way TO the dressing room.
We found it impracticable to try to re-
store the edlfce TO my head; the hairpins
seemed to have been torn out in the hand
to-had struggle across the lobby; so rolled
the switch up aud having nowhere else to
put it,, stuffed it into my mutt, and we
once more joined the innumerable cara
ven.n
We crossed the corridor, the red room.
and were precipitated into the blue room
where Mrs Harrison and the ladies assist
ing her stood, our names-or some varia-
tion upon them-being thrown in along
with us. We walked past Mrs. Harrison
tshe doesn't shake hands with the great uu-
washed), aud tee ladies assisting. We ran
the gauntlet. both there and in the green
room beyond, where a crowd of ladies
were intrenched behind barricading sofa
and chairs, of forty or fifty pairs of
curious eyes which stared in open amaze
ment at the passing stream, as though il
had been an interesting geological collec-
ttOn, which, I'm bound 10 admit. il did