Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-09-29

beautiful brow, sweet, almost girlish
face-not line or wrinkle marring its
smoothness-the incarnation of womanly
sweetness.
One who is sensitive and obseryant,
need never to have heard one word of Mr..
Mekinley,s family life to understand the
relation Mr. and Mrs: Mckinley occupy
toward one another, and while the pleas
ant morning conversation proceeds, we
seem to feel through the atmosphere of
the room every word of the spirit and ex-
istence of the happy welded life perpetu-
ated. which Browning expressed and
painted in his by the Fireside."
lures of Mr.. and Mrs. Mckinley, when
one of the family, taking up one of Mr..
Mckinley, which from the view of the
face shows the deep thought line extend
ing the length of the forehead, remarks:
Mrs. Mckinley does not like these-she
thinks that line looks like scowl" We
all smile and quite agree with her, that
that picture does not do him Justice"
and we think what picture could por-
tray him as he is, the charming person
atty, the kindly, genial manner, the
clear, perfectly modulated voice, the
bright blue eye, and clear complexion,
and the fine smooth skin that u wom-
an might envy7 While his pictures can.
not portray this, they do show with fde-
ity some qualities of the man whose
splendid constitution has never been i'm
brown hair, that shows but few traces
of silver; the broad, full forehead, deep
set eye. clearly cut features and square,
massive jaw, the features and bearing
one might look for in the hero of the
battle of Fishers Hill and Cedar Greek,
where he was breyeted major by Presi-
dent Lincoln.
Mr. McKinley's passionate love of
flowers is recognized by his friends.
Are not those roses lovely? says
Mrs. Mckinley. calling our attention to
some vases of rare red roses.s upon the
mantel and brackets; ''but l love these"
glancing at bouquet of sweet peas on
the pretty table beside her. "The roses
came in such beautiful wooden box.
The name of the giver is not here. Will
liam," addressing Mr.. Mckinley, and,
taking up card and reading. ITO Mr..
and Mrs. Mckinley, from your devoted
friend, -" "The magnolias were sent
from the South" AS Mr.. Mckinley
rises, our eyes follow him, and we catch
dainty couch in white and gold. and
Mrs. Mckinley says softly, civilian,
there is a baby asleep in there
so gentle is the step on the thick car
pets that it could not awaken the
lightest sleeper, and holding the great
suOWy, WuAeu DlOSSOInS LOT our lnSpeC-
ton he says, the recollection, perhaps,
suggested by the thought of the little
sleeper in the adjoining room, Eve
commenced our first housekeeping in
this house over twenty-five years ago.
Here our little ones were born and
passed away, the old homes endeared to
us by many pleasant, hallowed men,
cries"
The silken flag that adorned the
chairman's desk at the Republican con-
vention at ST. Louis is draped on one
corner of the piano. The gavel used
by the chairman on that occasion, a
beautiful piece of carved workmanship,
was shown us. ut is said to have been
made from piece of one of the logs
from the log cabin in which Abraham
Lincoln lived. 1t is pleasant thought
to lover of relics and to the patriotic"
says Mr.. Mckinley.
There were also some beautiful bad
ges, used during different presidential
campaigns, one q white satin badge used
during President Tyler's campaign,
bearing his motto, the design of which
would have done credit to the finest of
today, with all our modern accessories
of art.
Mr.. Mckinley is, as 1t has been said,
"the deliverer of new gospel to
women and children in making protec-
ton and the tariff plain to them" and
we may add, that is his blameless politi-
cal. professional, religious, domestic and
social life, he has also revealed a new
gospel to the young men of our country.
Mary Stuart Coffin.