The record-union., 1898-01-15
WASSERMAN, DAVIS CO., between Sixth and Seventh.
WASHINGTON'S KINDLY WAY.
General Greene's Daughter and the
Great President.

Martha Littlefield Phillips, who was
the granddaughter of General Nathaniel
Greene's youngest daughter, contributes
to the January Century" 'Recollections
Of Washington and His Friends" taken
down from the lips of her grandmother.
She quotes the following account of her
grandmother first meeting with Wash
ington:
The second great event of my early
life," said she, was my first interview
with General Washington. But faint
suggestion now survives of the love and
reverence for Washington which ip-
spired the children of the revolution.
These sentiments were exceptionally
strong in my brothers and sisters, be-
cause in addition to the sentiment of
patriotism was the personal regard we
held for Washington as our fathers in
innate friend and immediate COM
mander.
MY mother had deeply imbued me
with the honor in store, and had drilled
my behavior to meet all the probable re-
quirements of the occasion. / was, for
example, to rise from my seat for pre-
sentation to General Washington, and
after rendering him my profoundest
courtesy, stand at ease, and modeStly
answer all his possible questions, but at
the same time keep religiously in the
background, where all the good little
girls of that day were socially referred
THE eventful day come, and l was
taken by my mother to Mount Vernon
to make the longed-for visit We were
graciously welcomed by Mrs. Washing
ton: but my heart was so thick with
fluttering, and my tongue so tied, that
I made but a suffering semblance of re-
Spouse to her kindly questions. AT length
the door opened, and General Washing
ton entered the room. felt my mothers
critical eyes, and advanced with the in
tention of making a courtesy and de-
claiming the little address previously
taught me; instead of which / dropped
on my knees at Washington's feet, and
burst into tears. All the resources OF
dramatic art could hardly have devised
a more effective coup. Washington
stopped and tenderly raised me, saying
with a smile, Why what is the matter
with this foolish child?' The words do
not have tender sound, but language
may not convey the gentleness of his
manner and the winning softness of his
voice, as he wiped away my tears with
his own handkerchief, kissed my fore
head, and led me to a seat as he might
young princess. He sat beside me, and
with laughing jests, brought down 10
the plane of my appreciation, banished
my sins from my eyes. rescued me from
humiliation, and brought me back TO
composure. He guarded me from my
mothers outraged eyes, kept me with
him while in the drawing room, had me
placed beside him at the dinner table.
and with his own hands heaped all the
good things on my plate. After dinner
he took me to walk in the garden, and
with an intelligent stopping to my INTEL
lectual stature, and a sympathetic un-
derstanding of my emotional state ana
need, he drew me into talks on the
themes of my daily life, and won me
into revelations of my hopes and fears.
It has always impressed me as a quaint
and pretty picture, that of the famous
warrior, statesman and patriot turning
from great affairs and lending himself
to the task of making the happiness and
charming the confidence of a shy and
frightened child. And so proud and hap
Ply was the little girl thus made that,
seventy-fve years afterward, she lives,
with tears of joy in her eyes, to tell the
story to her granddaughter.
How about Mrs. Washington. grand