Norwich bulletin., 1912-06-22

When few weeks before Christmas,
 1911, I received an invitation to visit friends in Washington, It did not take
 me very long to make up my mind to
 accept. | had never seen our national capital and 1 was very anxious to see
 my friends, and I felt that here was
 a chance for me to kill two blrda
 with one ptone."
 1 wish l had the gift of narrattng
 in brief yet interesting way, for then 1 could tell about all the interesting
 sights I saw in that beautiful city
 Not having that gift, am only going
 to write of what interested me mosl
 of all, and perhaps 1t may prove oi
 some interest to readers of the Cor
 ner.
 As my visit was to be a short one
 my friends asked me to tell just which
 places l had rather see, so as to pc
 sure and get them in anyway. l an
 swered that Washingtons home at
 Mount Vernon was the place wanted
 to see most of all. They were having
 in Washington the same unusually warm weather for December that we
 were having in Norwich, and the day
 we set to go to Mount Vernon was ike
 day in the early spring. The day be-
 ing so fine, we decided to take a little
 lunch for the children, so that we
 could stay as long as possible on the
 estate. We also decided to go on the electric cars rather than by the Httle steamer.
 The trip was very interesting After we had been going perhaps nall an hour the conductor told us to raise our shades up high, that we were about to pass through the old city ol
 Alexandria, Va, and he pointed ou' the different places of interest rom
 there on. He also had books, post cards and souvenirs of Washington and Mount Vernon for sale, and end ed by presenting each one Wltn 3
 booklet. By the time we reached oui destination every one was in the best
 of spirits. As soon as we left the car we start 1 ed LID the path which led to the en- l trance gate. We had taken but lew steps when a man stepped up to my 1 friend and very politely asked her l the bundle which she carried m hel l hand contained lunch. Being told lhd it did. he informed us, still very DO 1 lItely. that no one was allowed 10 car rv lunch into the grounds. when we came out we could call Tor IL aI ulit waiting room or station. Of course WF
 gave it up. but as we walked on ul the path we did hutie Sputl0l HE among ourselves.
 The incident was forgotten as soor as we paid the entrance fee and enter ed the old-fashioned box -hordered gar den. I suddenly felt as if 1 was living in an earlier generation. The chll- drer. too. 1 noticed, seemed impressed with the place; for they did not have to be told to be quiet. but were qule1 of their own accord as they walked slowly in front of us through the beautifully kept walks of the old gar den. which, so we told them, George | Washington had owned and loved SC many years before
 As we made the trip by car, our tlrs' view of the mansion house was th' west view. so we decided to go arounc to the front or south view, where standing on the broad piazza we had magnificent view of the Potomac anc the surrounding country for miles | Then walking down a few yards WI turned and stood gazing (like personI 1 from the country gaze for the frs time at the tall buildings In New YorN at the outside of the home o George Washington. AS l said before l it was very mild weather for Decem | per. I ne grass N3S 1iiApoI dA SASo as in the summer, the sky was so blue
 and the sun as it shone on the pur'
 white paint of the house made pic 1 ture which I shall long remember, | A sign. Enter Here" we noticed a l d rear door, and so we thought tn
 kitchen would be the first room w
 would see. But the room proved to b
 the banquet hail. The attendant wor
 a police badge (and one felt his eye on one constantly, but he was yer. courteous, however, and he told us il genttemen's houses in George Wash i ington's day the cooking and baidnl
 was never done i'll the house proper
 that we would find the kitchen a sep
 arate building by itself, connected t
 the house by a covered archway, wit
 some kind of a stone floor; but I an getting ahead of my story,
 The banquet hall was a 1aFgo room
 I was more impressed with the though of who had banqueted there than l was with the furnishings of the room