St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-26
CAPITAL CITY GOSSIP.
,clal Correspondence of the Globe.


Mrs. Grover Cleveland has packed up her
household goods no less than ten times Now
she is settled in one house for four years,
land the thought must be exceedingly pleas
ant to her. Her first act on entering the
White house was TO gather about her. so far
rs possible all the servants who were with
her when she was first LADY of the land be-
fore. Hawkins. the negro coachm6n, has
held the reins for | know not how many
presidents Next to Capt. Bassett, who has
been employed in the senate since Daniel
WeDster's day he has held office longer than
any one in Washington. His dignity is simply
overpowering, and no imaginable happening
could make him turn his head while on
the box. He was put into livery as soon as
Mr.. Clev Gland came; and his light Melton
coat was cut by the best tailor in town. His
principal occupation just now is to take little
Miss Cleveland on her daily airing. Every
pleasant afternoon the presidents Victoria
drives into the porte eoehere, and little Ruth,
ia chubby. blue-eyed morsel, all i'll white,
comes out with the nurse and is carefully
tucked in among the robes. She is not at all
timid child and makes friends" with
everybody Indeed. this trait in her char
acter is so marked as often TO cause embar-
rassment to her nurse. Mrs. Cleveand's or
ders that NOBODY Is allowed to kiss her little
daughter, are imperative, but when Ruth
meets any one who strikes her fancy she
wants to seal her friendship with a kiss.
However, il Is only at rare intervals that
stranger meets the little maid, for most OF
her time is spent within the sacred confines
of the private grounds.
~
The proposition to put the White house
ushers into uniform is being discussed just
~ al nsxr ftfnr.f
clothes and have no badge Of Office. This, of
course, gives rise 10 many an amusing blum
der, and visitors never quite know TO whom
to apply for information. The capitol guides
have worn uniforms from time immemorial,
but the White house attendants have so far
escaped. 1t was always a pet scheme with
Mrs. Blaine. and she endeavored more than
once to have Mrs. Harrison follow out her
idea, but to no purpose. Mrs. Blaine would
have converted the attendants into liveried
1lunkeys which is contrary to the spirit OF
American independence, and would have
denied the general public admission to the
historic executive mansion. 1t is thought
that the Clevelands will arrange Tor some
kind of uniform to be worn by the at
PENDANTS, not as a badge of servitude, but
merely for conyenience's sake.
-
There is constantly growing belief here
that MIR. Cleveland has been going through
course of physical training to fit himself for
the presidential duties, for in no other way
is the tireless energy of his right arm to be
accounted for. He shakes the hand of every
visitor who desires it, ana during the first
days of his administration thousands claimed
the privilege. Some of the visitors were ex-
tremely amusing, too. Most OF them cher
ished secret hope of seeing Mrs. Cleveland.
but all were doomed to disappointment.
A great many of the people who come to pay
their respects to the president have deter
mined before hand to stamp themselves
Oh his memory by making neat and clever
little speech. Many of them intend to
tell Mr.. Cleveland that they voted tor him.
though in the face of the existing state of
things Mr. Cleveland cannot consider man
who voted for him a rara avis. However,
these pretty little speeches are destined to go
unheard for on public reception days people
are passed along as fast as may be, and
haven't time to say word. 70 the rural
visitor to touch the presidents hand is an ex-
perience to tell ones grandchildren Of,
tremendous honor. The other day there was
among the crowd of visitors a handsome,
well dressed woman of middle age. From
the moment she entered the room her eyes
scarcely left Mr.. Cleveland's face. When at
last her turn came to shake his hand, she
paused before him, seized his hand in both
of hers. bowed low over ii, and turning away
burst into tears. She said afterward that the
honor overcame her 1t seems just little
odd. doesn't it? in the face of our boosted re-
publican spirit, but the divinity that hedges
king is great deal more in evidence about
president than one might expect to find it.
Although Easter comes early this year, it
will bring out most bewlldering array of
spring fashions. Washington women are
extremely we'll dressed They combine the
good points of the Southern women, who
don't know how to dress for the Street, and
of the Northern women, who don't know
how to dress in doors. They are fond of
bright colors, and at this season of the year
You will not meet one who has not bunch
of violets pinned to her. At every corner
there are negro boys with great trays heap
ing with the purple and white blossoms. and
the cry 'Violets. sweet violets.' Is to be
heard on every hand. Lent brought out the
fad for artificial violets too, aud scarcely
hat passes-be it brown, blue. red or green
without some violets tucked away on it
somewhere. And all the talk about nun
like ouietness in dress during Lent which
On sunny afternoon on Pennsylvania
avenue or on 2 street where peo-
pie go to shop, or on Sunday
on Connecticut avenue, you will see the gay
est and brightest of clothes, whether it be
Lent or not. In their feverish anxiety to
wear the newest thing first, scores of women
are already exhibiting their spring finery. 1t
consists for the most part of q combination
of violet with green or of nightmare in
some of the utterly unwearable colors the
French are sending us. Greater attention
must be paid to the boots my lady wears for
the short petticoats made fashionable by the
Empress Eugenie who had the prettiest foot
in Europe, are again worn. And satin-whv,
saIin is everywhere. For tn irty years it has
not been so much worn. Mrs. Surratt was
hanged, they say, in a black satin gown.
" omen have forgotten that at last, and the
woman who is devoted to form" just now
the, slang term for correctness-has q black
satin CAPE Miss Herbert the beautiful daugh-
ter of the secretary of the navy, is almost the
only woman in town who has solved the
problem of how to wear satin Next the
face it brings out in most horrible manner
every crow s-foot and every wrinkle, adding
at least ten years on ones age. Miss Herbert
has no need to fear the aging effect OF her
clothes for she is still young, but though she
has been wearing satin for some time. she is
never seen without bit of lace to soften its
effect next the face. She is, by the way, one
of the few women who can afford to adopt
the shortened skirts for she mas tiny foot,
SO srched that water can run under it, joined
to an ankle one could span. She is so blonde
one would fancy her the daughter of
viking rather than a Southerner but she is
Southern to the backbone. One might call
her typical American girl. if there were any
such thing at any rate, she dresses as no.
body on earth but the typical American girl
can, RUTH KIMBALL.
For q New Capitol.
Waseca Radical
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