The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-05
HOW SHE WON AN OFFICE.
a Blued Eyed Girl Gets 4 5000
Place From the President.

Mr.. Cleveland Found an Old Friend.
They Talk Over Old Times-In-
terestinE Incidents Connected With
Their Meeting.
Washington, Sept 4-There is q good
deal of sentiment about Mr.. Cleveland in
spite Of his big form and strictly business
methods. In a cold and callops way he
turned down thousands Of once seekers
duringithe past year and refused fsvors to
his best friends when his Judgment ran
contrary to theirs, buB before a little
blue-eye5 girl Of - who wanted TO
work. his big beartmelted, and, without
the Endorsement of a single politician,
provided for her as a father would look 70
the interest of his own child. Just
fifteen miles from Washington there
lives an old schoolmate Of Grover Cleve-
land, William Burr. He owns 500 acres
of wooded land Just off the old State
road. He is an old bachelor and lives in
q quiet and unassulning manner, and
though so near Washington has not
visited the capital of his country since
Grants first inauguration.
The soldier president was his ideal, and
since Lees surrender at Appomattox, old
Burr has been a strict follower Of repub-
Hcan traditions During Mr.. Cleveland's
first administration, Burr never visited
the white house nor ever asked the Presi-
dent favor, and Mr.. Cleveland possibly
never knew that an old sChoolmate was
living so near Representative Mckaig,
who knew Of the association between the
two men in their boyhood, told the Presi
dent Of Burrs residence, and asked
If he remembered him With that
strange memory which never seems
TO forget a name, Mr.. Cleve-
land recalled him and told several anec-
dotes which had linked his life with
Burr's in their earlier days. When the
old Maryland planter heard that his old
schoolm8te had not forgotten him he
wrote a letter to the white house, and, in
his characteristic blunt way, stated that
he was a republican, and if the President
didn't mind that, he could come out and
shoot squirrels on his place. He went on
TO describe, so McKaig says, that he had
not allowed a squirrel to be shot on his
place since the war and suggested
that when politicians became too much
for him the president might come
and take a crack at some of them. The
letter began in a very informal way, but
the old farmer soon dropped into a per-
sonsl address and closed in the following
familiar manner. Now, Grover, If you
don't mind my politics, I'll be mighty
glad to see you again and talk over old
times"
This was a chance out of a thousand for
Mr.. Cleveland. His mouth fairly wa
tered for those squirrels, and his heart
yearned for Just such an escape from
political friends and fatterers He told
McKaig 10 say nothing about his proposed
visit, for he was determined 10 take his
old friend by surprise. Accordingly one
r,nrpfncr a dayrbrcal in a aida hn
buggy he started out in quest Of his old
friend. He started from his summer
home at Woodley, and that day 1t was
given out by his ever faithful Thurber
that he was not well and would re-
main In the country. He had two
men from his place with him, and the sun
was well up before they reached their
destination. Breakfast was over and
Burr had gone TO the postofice, several
miles distant. Mr.. Cleveland, without
revealing his identity, sat on the front
porch TO wait for his old friend. He was
pretty tired and very hungry. 1t was at
this time that Lena Bradford, the hero
inc Of this little story, appeared on the
scene. She lived on the Burr place and
had the run of the house. She sat down
on the steps in front Of MIR. Cleveland.
not finding old Mr.. Burr at home, and
ratified on about crops until she got the
President interested. When he finally
suggested that he wanted some water she
went to the well near by and brought him a
gourd full On learning that he had had
a long ride she volunteered TO get him
something to eat. She soon had the con-
ventional country breakfast Of ham and
eggs spread, and the President eat hear
tily. Shortly after he had appeased his
appetite old Burr came in and old mem
cries were revived. Before leaving that
night he inquired as to the history Of
Lena Bradford and found that she was
one of several children of a widow who
had recently been appointed postmaster
at Colesville. the little station where
Burr had gone to get his mail.
Apparently, whenever he thought Of
his visit to old Burr he thought of the
little blue-eyed girl who had brought him
water. The episode closed only last
week, when Lena was brought 10 Wash
ington and installed in a S900-dollar posi-
ton directly under the supervision of the
Secretary of Agriculture. The people
around Colesville say that the President
has paid Burr several visits since that
morning when Lena Bradford served him
breakfast. The good people Of thatitown
had a greater surprise in store for them
when William Burr, sitting in the post
office one day, announced that he "reck-
oned he'd vote the democratic ticket next
time"