The National tribune., 1892-01-14

and that sho was really very sick woman.
She and hor little girls, not oUa If them
igenough % help her were very poorly clothed
for the colt weather that ras coming ON bat
the barely furnished room, were 3s thoroughly
clean and neat as those ip any mansion bee tive
West End. The floors were thoroughly clean
and the well worn strips Of carpef.ug neatly
mended. The scant clothing she and the little
girls wore was also 7crupuoH,lv clean aud even
neat ia the care taken OF 81.
" told her ! represented other persons who
did not intend 90 iet tho widow OF gallant
soldier suffer; and when sine broke down lu a
&c OF crying at such unexpected prospect Of
help. she tsaTfully admitted thi- 30 h3d been
long time since she 0g her LITTLE ones hai had
sufficient % cat. i expect { 90. "a lirtIe vet
about the eyes myself but won't say
AS was leaving 1 asked her remembering
how sick people aFeif there WIS any special
thing she would like 20 eat She was shy about
telling me- bot finally admitted, with a pitiluI
SMILE that she bad for some time cTaved n taste
OF oysters. But / needn't mind that she told
me. IL only the little ones bad something
o. Well I told Mrs Hayes 40 once all about
my visit and she just went down into my rooms
in the bTsenent, put on linen apron, rolled
up her sleeves. Just Is she used 70 out home in
Ohio and said
Now, William. We must get a load Of things
of to the poor lady right away Have your
wagon come as quick you can and here,
Jerry smith, you must help mo % get these
things in q hurry
" 1 moved quick. aud it was astonishing TO
see what that good lady had slowed away into
my wagon. Sne almost wanted 20 60 out and
help load the things in shs was in such
hurry. barrel Of -four a couple more Of pO-
tatoes, poultry big piece Of fresh beef and half
harrel Of pork, beans etc, aud even baking
powders, and such things. There was plenty
Of tea-bOth kinds coGoe and sugar She had
already set Jerry Smith az wof's with a helper
20 sbuck a gallon OF the best oysters had IN
the store. room, and then she picked ont W or
ccstcrshire slnce, pepper sauce, plenty OF vine
gar. and all those things that usually 60 with
oysters, cooked or raw. Just as was getting
ready 70 60, she called ont William, wait
minute; some people. and especially invaids,
prefer lemon juice on raw oysters to vinegar or
strong sauces; get couple dozen lemons and
put them in a basket I got them but she
thought Of half dozen more things before
could get away
" That IS the kind Of woman Mrs Hayes WAS,
even If she would not permit wines 20 be served
al her state or private dinners; and in point Of
generosity, in the same quiet way. the Presi-
dent was very little behind her.
when Gen. Garfield became President
there was the usual rush and confusion that
comes at the beginning Of every new Admins
tratiOn, and he and Mrs. Garfield had not got
we'll settled into the White House routine be-
fore he was shot by Guiteau, and Of course that
was end Of all grand dinners or official
gaiety.
Then came that long period Of suffering
that he bore 40 brayely, and I was kept hard
enough at work 10 satisfy any two meu a5 the
very least, for / was i'm almost as constant at
tendance in the sick-room rs the professional
nurse engaged there. and be was good one.
No one engaged intimately near Gen. Gar
E.TI q l.. Il L.. ~
Oughly broken down. And let me tell you
right here, Dr. Bliss as surely died from over
work and anxiety in that case as ever a man
died from exposure ia the field during the
war.
"The true history Of all those awful days
will be told some day, or ought 20 be- and some
people won't like the story. There were some
people that had personal means Of knowing
the exact state of the case who made heaps Of
money in funny ways, but Dr. Bliss was not
one Of them.
'"AIl that talk about Cen Garfield not want
/ ing DR.. Bliss 10 attend him was nonsense.
! heard the talk the morning after the President
/ WIS ssot, when Secretary Lincoln told him
/ that Bliss woud be-ppt on, Of the case if he
wanted it.; but Gen. GaTtgI7r spoke night mp
and said that no man in the United States vas
better surgeon, and that he had known him
since they were young men in Ohio and, be-
ArmOry Square Hospital here during the war.
That settled it, and Dr. Bliss stayed. / had
never heard about his being in charge of that
biz hospital before. and that made me particu-
larly remember that talk. when / saw it talked
about in the papers afterward.
There was one doctor there the first few
days that got his walk ing pa pers mighty quick
He came into the room rather early one morn
ing and spoke rather familiarity 10 the poor
President. Then he pulled down tho bed
clothes. lOosened the bandages. and ran his
fOreGnger into the wound as far as he could
and felt all around. Gen. Garfield groaned
hard. and il was all he could do TO keep from
crying right out. When DIR. Bliss came soon
after, Gen. Garfield told him Of it, and asked
il it was necessary. Bliss was astouished. and
said Of course it was not. Then Gen. Garfield
asked them not to let him come in again, and
he didn't
Those were dreadful days that hot Summer,
and it makes me almost sick oven now to
remember them.
when Gen. Garfield died we were all at sea
ut the White House for some weeks; i mean as
to what President Arthur wanted done.
g He didn't seem TO take any interest about
matters there, and for some time he gave but
few orders even after he went there. He re-
NAMED for q long time with Senator Jones, Of
Nevada, in Gen. Butler's big stone house on
the brow OF Capitol HILL and it seemed to me-
that the was very shy about removing to his
official residence.
when he did go he appeared to take but
| little interest in things there for some time
He gave but few orders, as I said and most of
these were about his dinners about which he
was very particular, although he was not such
high liver as people used to think and the
papers told about.
THE dinners were very elegant ones usually
for about six, and most of the time he had some
of his intimate friends with him He had
friendly way of often OBTAINING some old friend
who would call and make him stay to dine. I
don't believe he ever dined alone while in the
White House. at least he didn't up to the time
/ left; he was too sOciable in his nature for
that.
" He was very restless about the official con-
finement there, for he was very fond Of exer-
else, and often, after getting rid Of visitors, he
would slip of late at night for n long tramp
around the avenues, while he took his smokes.
"He usually went alone, though sometimes
he would be joined on the streets by acquaint-
Gnces; often by some newspaper man that he
liked But all the same, Dinsmore, the big
chief usher, was never far away during these
long night-walks, ready with arm or revolver,
if the President was interfered with, to aid
him. and a pOliCe-whist in his pocket To sum
mon aid if it was needed. DnsmOre was never
ordered to 90 with the President, / think. but
he went because he knew there was never any
knowing what some blamed crank might do,
or try TO do. DinsmOre knows more about
'cranks' than any man that was ever on duty
at the White House, and I don't believe the
officials over at the Insane Asylum are any bet
ter Judges of them. He knows a crank the
L u