The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01


President, as he espied scholarly looking
man with a short gray beard sitting mod
estly and patiently back in a corner away
from the jostling crowd go into my Of
fee Mr.. White. 1 shall be there in two or
three minutes" Mr.. White is a New York
editor. and he did as directed.
Glad TO see YOU" Delighted to see
YOU" "Glad to see YOU" Delighted to see
you" Thus rang out the greeting as the
President whirled around through the
crowd. The people grabbed at his hand
as it was extended, or rather shot out at
them.
A SENATOR AND A YOUNG SOLDIER
Hello, Senator Proctor, how are you? L
want to see you in my Office directly. Please
wait little while, until 1 am through with
Mr.. White, and then come In. You know
l am depending on you as one of my main
props" The stern-visaged and rugged
Vermont statesman said he would wait,
and on dashed the President to another
knot of visitors. stepping over chair
that in his course. In three or four
minutes he had squeezed twenty or more
hands and the second crowd of the day
was disposed Of
With the next crowd there came striding
bravely in a handsome, rosy-cheeked lad,
gayly CARRIED in a martial attire that was
decorated with all the distinguishing colors
of the various arms of the army and the
insignia of the various grades OF the navy.
Into a large upholstered chair this young
son of Mars pumped his roly-poly form.
near the door leading from the Presidents
office. The crowd thickered so fast that
Mr.. Arthur Simmons refused to open the
door again until the cong estion in the
ception room was relieved. Like a whirl-
wind the President swept into the room,
and bumped into the youthful soldier in the
big chair.
'Ah. so this is Master Carl Gustafson is
it?' inquired President Roosevelt, as he
seized the right hand of the lad. WELL Mr..
Gustafson, L received your telegram from
Baltimore last night telling me that you
would call on me to-day l am delighted to
see you, sir-delighted to see you"
MIR. President" began the little fellow,
in determined effort to fire off his care
fully prepared speech, 81 am the travel
ing"
Yes. yes" interposed the President. 81
know you are, Mr. Carl Gustafson, and 1
am glad to see you. Mr.. Cortelyou will
was swallowed up in the eddying throng
brave little Master Carl Gustafson, aged
twelve, continued his pretty little speech
thus: 81 am a travelling salesman for
typewriter. My father was a miner in
Pennsylvania, and when he died, a few
months ago, he left my mother a large
family of children, but no property. l am
making the living for the family, and L
have brought you as a Thanksgiving pres
ent one of my typewriters. Accept it, Mr..
President, and make my mothers heart
glad All our family think you are the
greatest man that ever was President of
the United States
There was a kind. gentle, fatherly tone in
the Presidents voice as he held both the
hands of this courageous little American,
fighting his own way through the busy,
busting world in an effort to earn a live
lihood for his mother and sisters and broth
ers back in the coal-mining regions of
Pennsylvania. "God bless you, Master Carl
Gustafson,' said the President as he en-
countered this courageous mite of human
ity in another part of the room. A merry
faced old lady, who was awaiting her turn
TO greet the President, wept when she
heard this benediction.
1t was now II o'clock. Five times had
the big reception room been damned with
callers. For an hour and half the crowds
continued to flock in and out. A pompous
individual accompanied by a party of
women, grabbed the Presidents hand and
proceeded to crate after this fashion:
Mr.. President, we could not leave Wash
ington without calling to pay our respects
to you L sat on the stand when you spoke
in my town in Colorado last year, and
told these ladies you would remember me-"
TALKS ON MANY SUBJECTS.
Certainly, why certainly" asserted the
President TO his Colorado admirer, and be-
fore the women finished their speeches of
congratulation Mr.. Roosevelt landed in an
opposite corner of the room, where a man
wanted to impress upon him the desirabiity
of speaking out in no uncertain tone in
his message on the currency question"
II believe my message will please you on
that point" assuringly said the President
to the well wisher of the Nations financial
system. Here. III read you what 1 have
written on that topic And the President,
in his usual way, read that part of his mes
sage to the infinite delight of his listener,
who signified his agreement by such vigor-
before the President had ceased to read
the visitors head was bobbing around
like buoy in a storm.
OF his broad learning and catholic tastes
the President gave a fine exhibition to a
portly, gray-haired old man, who turned
out to be Sir Henry T. Wrenfordsley, of
the Carlton Club, London, but formerly of
Western Australia. When Sir Henry men,
ern Australia the President remarked upon
the pleasures he had derived from reading
the books of a certain Mr.. Fox, who lived
and wrought in that distant corner of the
planet, and had been gathered to his faith
ers a year ago. The Englishman
pressed establishment that so busy a man
as President Roosevelt had found time to
read the books of an Australian author
whom comparatively so few people away
from Australia had ever heard of.
One of the Western senators who called
to-day declared that he was glad the mes
sage was finished, and that none of the
oldtime mystery obscured it's principal
points from general knowledge. But
know the President has put in some mighty
hard work on that document" said the
senator, land l feel certain that il will be
one of the most notable State papers of
modern times. Before he prepared it the
President consulted everybody in whose
judgment he had confidence. He even did