Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-10-01
TOTS IN WHITE HOUSE
Roosevelt Youngsters Inspect
the Executive Mansion.
KERMIT AND ETHEL, EXPLORERS

Place From Top TO Bottom-Bes
preparation - Kermit Speaks For
Himself.
Thursday. Sept %. was Henry Pinck-
ney's busy day. Henry is one OF Presi-
was told of early that morning TO look
after Master Kermit Roosevelt. aged
eight. and Miss Ethel Roosevelt. aged
ten. while the mistress of the White
House was looking her new home over,
says the Washington correspondent of
the New York World.
Henry is black, good natnred and
willing. bur when the youngsters We're
sent for at o'clock p. M TO have their
supper he threw up his hands and said;
well. those children won't come out
here no more until tomorrow
/ Pinckney was called in by Mrs.
Roosevelt after breakfast. and the chill
dren were given into his charge.
What's mamma going TO do?" asked
Ethel.
shes going to look over the White
House" Pinckney replied.
$50 are We" Kermit announced.
Thereupon an independent tour of in
vestigation was organized. The chill
dren went into every nook and Granny
of the home of the president from top
to bottom. They ransacked the attic
and had fun playing tag in the sub
basement. They wanted to go upon the
roof. but Pinckney vetoed that.
For the first time in five years the
laughter of children was heard in the
out of the way places in the big white
pile. The cooks and servants lined up
to receive the two children, and the at
PENDANTS in the lobby chuckled all day
from sheer joy of having some little
ones to bother them.
Kermit was much taken on his ar
rival with the electric elevator which
runs to the presidents private apart
ments. As soon as he got to the lobby
he investigated ii. The elevator man
took him up and down a couple of
times.
Meantime Ethel had been watching
the performance from the lobby.
Il don't think much of that" she
said disdainfully. Il can beat it up
stairs"
Kermit thought not. and in minute
there was a dare. At a signal from
one of the men in the lobby the little
girl few up stairs. and the elevator
shot out of sight. Kermit and the ele-
vator won, but the boy was very
chivalrous about il. You almost beat
me-" he said tosis painting sister.
The smooth roads and the asphalt
walks in the White House grounds
made the children think of bicycles,
and with Pinckney trying to keep up
with them they rushed down to the
basement and got out their oyster Bay
machines.
/ A critical inspection proved that
while these bicycles We're good enough
for Oyster Bay they were hardly good
enough for the White House, so there
was a flank movement on Mrs. Roose-
welt with request for two new wheels.
ask your father" said Mrs. Roose-
welt automatically.
Whereupon the president of the Unit
ed States was stormed by one small
boy and one small girl and bombarded
with, please do, papar until he capt.
ulated.
dren went to a bicycle store and bought
two fine new wheels. They waited i'm
patiently on the portico until Pinckney
adjusted them. and then they circled
around and around in the White House
grounds.
Kermit Is a sturdy rider. but Ethel
can do tricks. She made some of the
people watching her dizzy by the way
she circled and zigzagged on the gravel
roads. Then Pinckney got a wheel,
and all three rode out on the asphalt
streets. When they came back, Pinck-
ney showed signs Of fatigue, but the
youngsters were as fresh as daisies.
Kermit has made negotiations re-
garding the keeping of white rabbits in
his new home.
When the train bearing Mrs. Roose-
welt and her family arrived at the
Broad street station in Philadelphia
and several reporters appeared to greet
the party. sturdy little Kermit made
his first public utterance to the press.
Advancing to the newspaper men and
speaking in a very dignifed tone. he
said:
please do not spell my name wrong.
/ will spell IL for you Ii is Kermit.
The papers print it wrong every time
and call me Miss Everybody thinks
I'm girl
As the young gentleman said this be
looked in a lordly way at little Ethel
As the train pulled out the youngs.er