The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-18

come and go with the utmost freedom.
 They frequently chat with the guests
 and offer wise suggestions about the
 progress of national affairs.
 It may surprise many people to know
 that neither the President nor Mrs.
 Roosevelt has personal attendant. The
 valet and the maid have no part in the
 present administration. When Mrs.
 Roosevelt is at her toilet she is aided by
 one of the maids who perform variety
 Of services around tho mansion, or by
 seamstress, who Is kept employed fash
 ioning house gowns for the three ladies.
 Mrs. Roosevelt Miss Alice and Miss
 Ethel. She "does" her own hair and per
 forms all the services for herself that
 some society women hire at least four
 assistants to accomplish.
 Mrs. Roosevelt gives some part of her
 day always to talking with the President,
 generally the last hour before the fam
 fly retires; and perhaps, the only time
 she does not have to share her husband
 with hundreds of other people. She
 takes keen interest in all public bus
 mess and though so modest and retiring
 a woman that few people know her ac-
 degree that ir' ion which is so valuable and rare a She just feels things is the way this has been expressed, and 1t has been noticed that when Mrs
 Roosevelt feels a thing the President Is
 chary about acting to the contrary
 Christmas Season Strenuous. Just now, however, life at the White House Is at a high tension. and Mrs Roosevelt probably is the busiest wom- an in the country. Gift making Is se- rious task for the wife of any public
 man, but when the family happens to be one like the RooseveltS that clings to ,11 md lo simply an overwhelming avalanche. It has been estimated that Mrs. Roosevelt gives between 200 and 250 gifts. In the
 selection of these she bestows endless time and pains Her Christmas shop ping begins when most women are buy ing their Easter hats. She has some
 dozen or two friends for whom she al-
 ways fashions her own gifts-a handker- chief, hems stitched and edged with dainty real lace; a pin cushion cover, linen cov- CTS for trays and dressing tables, and a dozen more such trifes. These she makes during the summer, picking up a stitch here and there when she sits on the veranda or on rainy days when it Is i impossible to go out. Even in the White House she frequently may be seen with some work and her intimate friends al-
 ways go to her for ideas about novel de- signs.
 To give 200 presents means to keep your eyes open and your brain alert For two months, at least, an hour or two every morning has been devoted to visiting curlo shops, jewelry stores and the department houses. Usually Mrs Roosevelt drives in her high yellow cart with the handsome brown steppers, but she enters the stores so unostenta-
 tiously that few clerks or shoppers dis cover her Identity. She Is a careful, slow shopper. and not infrequently looks at
 goods several times before she pur- chases. She carries a pretty little note
 book, wherein are the names, arranged
 alphabetically, of all those for whom she must select a gift, and besides the name is inscribed the presents which the same person received for two years pre- l yious This list was made out by Miss | Hagner and each year there arc addi- | tfons to the list. There are new babie1 1 and new husbands or wives. These first
 gifts require much attention. and Mrs. l Roosevelt gives it. Then she must re- member the wives of the cabinet officials | and their children, if there be any, and there are the wives and widows of for | mer cabinet officials and other great men who expect a gift from the White ! House Mrs. Roosevelt sends present. usually a pretty book or calendar or some small trifie, to Mrs. Mckinley and
 Mrs. Hobart
 Them there are scores of Roosevelt kin and friendr scattered broadcast. Mrs. Roosevelt wants every one of her gifts to be opened on Christmas morn ing; consequently she and Miss Hagner pore over sailing and mailing lists as industriously as Cook tourist. Some of the White House gifts went off six
 weeks ago. and every day since the ex-
 press companies vans might have been
 seen under the great porte-cochere of the mansion, heaped up with neatly tied packages. Another interesting little feat
 ure of Mrs. Roosevelt,s gif. making is