Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-07
WASHINGTON WAITS.

WASHINGTON WAITS.
OfficialdOm's Amusing Suspense Before
National Election.
marian Kendall In Boston Transcript)
Whichever way the cat Jumps In No
vember there are bound TO be changes
radically affecting certain proportion
OF those living In Washington whose fate
and fortunes hang IN the political bal
| ance Even now. one realizes the ten
sion Of suspenses in the atmospheres, as
the uneasy householder. whose lease ex-
pires in October, hopes to evade the spry
| landlord until long enough after the
fifth OF November when he shall know
beyond the shadow of doubt just how
much OF house or apartment he is to
occupy at the national capital. or wheth-
er II is his turn TO open the windows and
tack down the carpets. and dust Off the
marble top center table at the old home
stead.
The thrifty housewife sees. with
pang. the most excellent chef slip through
her fingers into the domestic corps OF an
! embassy because. perhaps che Will not
require chef next winter since Bird
get (who nursed the children) will be
turning huckwheat cakes for them in
the kitchen back home. She sets her
face steadfastly against the sale of rugs.
| advertised in blatant red letters there
by losing the chance Of buying for next
to-nothing a beautiful rug to spread be-
meath the feet of her tea parties nexr
winter. Because, forsooth there may be
no tea parties.
The children enter school with the ex
| listing doubt whether they will remain
| throughout the first semester. or not,
and altogether. every presidential cleo
ton has a meaning all its own. which
becomes not only critically political, but
acutely personal TO the people Of WASH
ington. Just at the present stage Of the
game the suspense and unrest Is third
greater than II has ever been before.
II the republican candidate succeeds
himself. official life Will stop turning ner-
vously in Its swivel chair. and settle
down TO the desk with enough compare
tive security to Justify renewal Of the
lease. Mrs. Official will regret the chef
she allowed the embassy to gobbie. and
mourn tho rug. while over the tea cups
each woman will say to the other. how
silly to have been 80 scared, Men are
such alarmists.'
II. upon the fourth of March. the pro-
| gressive candidate drives down Pennsyl-
vanla avenue to keep an appointment
with the chief justice of the supreme
court out on the big platform beneath
the Capitol dome, and then drives back
again to the White House, Official Life
will not have nervous prostration be-
| cause OF q stranger within the gates.
| There will be the touch of a hand that
! never vanished. the sound of voice that
was never still. No one Will suffer from
| the shock Of unfamiliarity. but rather
preen himself with the Psalmist when he
| said. Il behaved myself as though no
| hal been my friend and BROTHER" even
while he asks the weather man. What
next?"
But II the democratic candidate should
| shake the dust Of l6 years from Off
| his feet and hang his hat upon the White
House peg. there will be series of NOV
ing pictures which Will reel out rhe
gamut of political and social and econ
| omlc emotions
All those on Uncle Sans pay roll en-.
titled TO the civil service tag will wear Il
|
while those less fortunte will turn grim
~ to the column headed-Wanted-Help
| Male-Female. The dressmakers who
are paid from democratic purses will be
| rushed to death; there will be a shaking
| out OF old brocades and a furnishing
Of family Jewels to adorn the first pres
| idential levee: there will be a scurrying
| about for houses and social secretaries.
| and cooks who can also do the market
| ing, and a constant comparing OF visit
Ing cards with certain paragraphs In
| Who's Who, Altogether 16 years mako
sensational difference.
| II has been that long since the Dan
Lannon'S occupied beautiful old house
on tho north side Of Lafayette square,
directly opposite the White House. 1t Is
of yellow brick with white trimmings
and pretty colonial doorway, over
which the wistarta blossoms in May; It
| Is the only leasable house In that block.
since the Corcoran House IL Its neiRhbor
on the west, and the residence of Mr..
Henry Adams. litterateur and scholar. is
to its east. The remaining house in tho
block is that Of Mrs. John Hay, widow
of the late Secretary of State, all of
which only enhances the value OF the old
Lamont house as desirable official res
idence. But It has been unavailable for
sixteen years, because during all OF that
time the music room where Mrs. Lamont
held her charming at-homes has been
the centre OF girls school, where pu-
pills worked out the MELODY in f." and
other things. Juat now, however the
house is untenanted a large sign an.
nounces this fact to the passersby who
can hear and see the decorators within
Another fact unannounced but known
and smiled at is that three persons
dream OF occupying this house almost
any time after the fourth OF March. one
Is a republican, another Is a progressive,
and the third is a democrat: each has a
large buzzing Cabinet bee In his bonnet.
and his wife knows exactly how she is
going to arrange the furniture In the
music room on her Wednesdays
Whatever the answer NAL be. looked