The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-05
SENATOR BRICE's FRONT DOOR.
How an Office Seeker Became Door Seeker
and Got There.
Especial to News and Courier I

Especial to News and Courier.l
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 26.-
Last year, as is we'll known to people
in Washington, and to some few not in
Washington, Mr.. Calvin S. Brice,
United States Senator from Ohio, hav-
ing taken the Corcoran mansion on
five year lease at 1000 rent, proceed
ed to spend $4,000 in remodeling it.
This he did with eminent satisfaction
to everybody, until the Office seekers
from the rural districts of the Buckeye
State began to swoop down on him in
the sanctifed seclusion of his home.
Their objection was to the peculiar To-
cation of The front door.
In the original plan, the main en-
trance on 81 street was up pair of
broad and capacious steps to the equal
ly capacious front door, as most houses
are arranged; but in the renodeling
Mr.. Brice closed this door, and made
the entrance through carriage way at
the east side of the house, the fine door
there being quite out of sight until the
visitor has proceeded some thirty feet
or more into the cavernous depths Of
this narrow carriage-way.
A Buckeyester who had just returned
to his hotel from an official interview
with the distinguished gentleman from
Ohio, gave the following account of his
experience: .
give just got back from talk with
Cal Brice up at his house. Wanted to
see him about heading Governmental
emolument my way. Walked up to
his place OF H street and Connecticut
avenue. Noticed the stable door open
on II. street, and concluded the folks
must be at home.
"Passed on to find the front door. It
wasn't on q street that / could see,
and went around on Connecticut ave-
nue.. No door there, either. Found
garden gate IN brick wall, but it was
fastened. H says I to myself, who
ever heard of a house that didn't have
any doors to it?' Thought maybe it
was likely there was doors somewhere,
but that Cal had pulled the shutters
over them to, keep out Office seekers.
Knocked on the wall in two or three
places, but it sounded solid, so guessed
I couldn't get in that way.
"Went back to H street to see if I
hadn't missed the door in my excite
ment. No door there, sure as the Lord
made little angels. Thought I'd go to
the stable and see if somebody couldn't
tell me how to get in. That's what I
was there for, and I was going to get
in if I had to do the Santa Claus act on
Chimney.
"Found that the stable door led
through sort of a gorge into the back
yard. Stood there a minute waiting
for somebody to show up, but nobody
did. Then I ventured in, expecting
every instant to be caught for trespass-
ing, or run in as burglar, or have
some darn dog or other fly at me and
pull the seat out of the only pair of
pants I had with me in Washington.
Nervous wasn't any name for it, and if
my people back in Ohio hadn't known
I'd gone to the capital TO see Cal Brice
in person, I'll be id if I wouldn't
have run like a scared wolf. Sidewalk
is narrow in the gorge, and I hugged
the wall and slipped along carefully,
ready to throw up my hands at the
first warning.
stopped two or three times to listen,
and went ahead slow. All of sudden
ran up against break in the wall,
and there, by gum, was just as nice a
front door as anybody would want to
see. Of course, felt easier then, and
I walked up to it as brave as a book
| peddler, and banged away at the bell.
| A real, live English funky let me in,
and in ten minutes more I had my feet
up on Calls table as cosey as a bug in
rug, and he didn't know but that I had
come up in a fourth hand and was
used to houses with the front doors in
the backyard. But, say, what the
devil 90 they make them that way
for?"