The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-30
JUVENILE EXPLORERS.
What They Discovered in the Gap.
itol at Washington.
Manic and Fannie Take Lunch In tn,
Senate Restaurant-The Great Nat
ural Telephone in the Lofty
Statunry Hall.
[speclal WASHINGTON Lcttcr.l


itol the other day. Mamie is only Ave-
years old, and Fannie, her cousin, is
but twelve years of age. They are
very great chums, and are together Il
great deal. They were accompanied
by Mamie, the nurse, who had been
with Mamie ever since she was a little
bit of ten-pound pink infant baby.
Papa had promised to meet the chill
drcn in the rotunda of the capitol at
ono o'clock and he was promptly on
hand. Inasmuch as one o'clock is Il
good hour of the day for luncheon,
papa took the little one by the hand
and led her past the supreme court
room, around the angles of the cor
ridors of the senate wing of the cap
itol, to the principal elevator, and
therein they dropped down to the base
mont floor, and walked to the senate
restaurant.
a great many people go to the senate
restaurant for their lunches and go out
unnoticed. The little one attracted
considerable attention as she marched
along into tho corner where the Oldest
of all the walters, whom they call
doctor" received her and seated her
upon the chair. Mamie, the nurse, re-
moved her hat and her gloves and then
the little miss proceeded to order ice
cream and cake. Cousin Fannie's ap-
petite was very easily appeascd with a
piece of mince pie, and Mamie, the
nurse, took the same. The waiter did
not ask papa what he would take, but
gave the order for his daily lunch of a
very rare roast beef sandwich covered
all over with hot turkey gravy. This,
with bottle of Apollinaris water,
constituted the picnic lunch in the
heart of the city and in the most pub
lie place in the capitol building.
Hon. Richard j. Bright, of Indiana,
who was recently elected to the posi-
ton of sergeant-at-arms Of the senate,
sitting at a table near by called Mamie
to him and offered to give her papa
$40 acres of land for her, but the offer
was refused. In the meantime little
Mamie took a notion into her head
that she wanted 4 bowl of custard, but
this was denied her by papa who said
that she merely wanted to play with
it. Mr.. Page, the keeper of the rcstau-
rant, however, said that she should
have everything that she wanted if it
could be had, and he brought her a
beautiful bowl of custard which she
proceeded to scatter over her plate
just as her papa had supposed she
would do. The bowl of custard was
then handed to her cousin Fannie who
disposed of it with great gusto and
much to the delight of the onloolScrs
in the restaurant.
They all then went back to the Gle
vator and were lifted to the main floor
of the capitol building and proceeded
over the same route back to the rotun-
da and beyond it. into stituary hall
There the children were greatly
amazed when theywcrc stopped before
clock which is in the gallery above
them and conversed with an imaginary
man back of the clock. They could
hear his replies to their questions very
distinctly but they could see no man
there 1t is Il great echo hail. is this
statuary room. and the messenger who
has charge of the place was sixty-iivc
feet away in the main door, whencc
the echoes go overhead into the clock
He was the invisible man who was re-
spending to their prattling questions.
The children were then shown the
various echo blocks and the Great nat
ural telephone which extends across Il