Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-20

friends. Then the bridesmaids were dis
missed until exactly week after, when
they assisted the bride at a brilliant
reception given in the White House and
during which President and Mrs. Mon
roe mingled with their guests and left
the bridal couple to act as host and
hostess
A brilliant ball was given to this first
White House bride by Commodore Deca-
tur just two days before he fought the
fata duel with Barron, and Commodore
Porter had cards out for another bail
arranged in her honor. when the Decatur
tragedy ended all further festivity Of the
season. So the couple went on to New
York to set up housekeeping in the home
whi.h they shared with their distin-
guished parent after he left the White
House and fell into poverty.
Two other bellies of presidential house
holds were Gen. Washington's adoDted
daughter, Eleanor Custis. and President
Buchanan's niece, Harriet Lane. Nelly"
Eustis (who was Mrs. Washington's
granddaughter, by her first marriage)
was never a White House BELLE for the
simple reason that the Washingtons
never lived in that mansion. She left
her finishing school at Annapolis soon
after the capital was established at Phil
adelphia, and when the first President
took up his abode in his small brick
house next door to hairdresser' MS
foster daughter began her social reign
under that roof. 1t is said that the
general often left his study In this pro-
visional executive mansion to enjoy the
society Of Nelly and her young friends.
with whom he sometimes danced the VIZ
ginia reel. But the social reign OF tnls
first american princess was cut short
by her marriage before she was twenty
to President Washington's nephew. Law.
renee Lewis.
X
OF all White House bellies. she VINO
had the greatest social responsibilities
was Miss Harriet Lane. the wealthy
orphaned niece of President Buchanan.
who made her home with him when he
was both minister to England and Frssi-
dent. While living with him in London
she became a favorite at court. and while
presiding over the White House In 1850
she acted as hostess to the young Prince
Of Wales (afterward Edward vID during
his five-day stay under President Buchan-
ans roof
The prince several times suggested a
dance during his visit. but the bachelor
President forbade such diversion on the
ground that many good people would re-
gard 1t as ''profane gayety in the saloons
of the state" all of which must have
bored the royal visitor exceedingly
However. he managed at last to get his
dance with Miss Lane and her girl
friends. the deck OF the boat that con-
veyed their party to Mount Vernon being
cleared for that purpose After returning
to London the future King Of England
sent his former hostess a set OF en-
cravings Of the royal family. Five years
after leaving the White House she mar
ried Henry Elliott Johnston of Baltimore.
All of these former White House
bellies are new dead. save. ~ cLu-sa. tn.
Roosevelt girls and Nelly Grant. But we
still have with us quite a numoer o.
the little American "princesses'' who
once were White House girls, although
too young to make their debuts in that
historic mansion. Esther and Marian
Cleveland have lately been completing
their Quotations abroad: Ellen C'Nelly'')
Herndon Arthur was married seven years
ago to Charles A. Pinkerton and with
her husband holds a high position in New
York society: Molly" Garfield after leav-
ing the White House was sent away to
finishing school and then married STAN
ley Brown. her fathers private secretary.
They make their home in Washington.
And Fanny Hayes several years after her
father left the White House married En-
sign Harry Eaton Smith. u. 8. N, who
for the past seven years has been a pro-
fessor of mathematics in the Naval Acad-
envy. They live most of the year at An
napolis. JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.