The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-04

later they were still under the same roof, that of the Union League Club, both as hale and hearty as ever.
 THEY SPOKE-Col. Roosevelt and MT. Taft-spoke to each other, and the language they used was all that it should have been on such an occa- sion. They said How dyou do!' No more; no less.
 THEY SHOOK HANDS-one with the other, the same two men; shook hands politely, cordially, just casu- ally, or coldly, according to the va rious versions of the on1ookers. Shook hands just as, little later, they shook hands with about 1,200 men who at tended the reception for Charles E. Hughes, which was the occasion for the meeting.
 Only Depew Between Them!
 They stoo6 in line together, not four feet apart, on the same Oriental rug. in the same alcove of the library ol the club. Behind each was green light, but that was merely coincl- dence. Between them-all that was between them-was Chauncey M. De-
 pew! From the time they shook hands until they marched away to the
 dining hall, where both afterwarc made speeches, all that separated them was MT. Depew, at one time rather widely known as "the Peach
 Before them, about 10 feet distant from the waistcoat buttons, was rope. No, just an ordinary rope, such as bne might expect to see at Madison Square Garden or the Manhattan Athletic Club, hut a velvet covered rope, supported on rather ornamenta. brass standards. There was no rope between them, only MT. Depew. The rope was before them, and between them and showing Republicans. all in evening clothes, who sought the priv ilege of shaking hands with both ex- Presidents of the United States on the same evening. Not one of the visitors wore gloves.
 All Peace and Forgiveness.
 And down the line, to shake the hand first of Col. Roosevelt and then of MT. Taft, came two especially well known men, lormer Governor B. B. O@en of New York and Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania Both shook hands with MT. Roosevelt, just as if-but why Gig into history?
 Who it was actually brought the two together is a point that historians may fight about. Some say it was George R. Sheldon and some that it was Charles s. Whitman. There are SUD- porting statements for each from Re- publicans of undoubted veracity. At the Union League club, reporters were not permitted to see the actual meet ing, even had they sought to intrude on the sacred ceremony. Thus 1t may be some time before it is definitely es- tablished whether the great honor be longs to MT. Whitman or Mr. Sheldon.
 It happened thus: MT. Taft arrived at the club frst.\ He, like all the oth- CTS who followed him, marched into a veritable sea of shirt fronts, for the stairway which faces the door of the club was packed with night blooming Republicans. So closely were they packed that their black coats did not show at all. Shirts and studs and faces and bald heads composed the scene upon which the three great men rived
 Select Few in the Library.
 MT. Taft was cheered roundly. George T. Wilson, acting, it seemed, as cheer master, saw to that. Then MT. Wilson and others escorted the to the guarded elevator and up to the librslv.l Soon Governor Whitman joined the party. He was cheered also, and so was Senator elect Calder they called him that) and Robert Bacon. Only the secre, few were allowed in the library; the crowd, despite it's evening clothes, were kept out. Ropes were every uh fr-af hod been on the job.
 Next in order came T. R. A mighty shout greeted him, and he doffed the black slouch hat he wears with eve ming clothes and bowed as he shook hands with-guess-ES1ih Root; tne same MT. Root, the toot of whose steam roller once fioated over the water of Lake Michigan and sum- moned the wild Bull Moose out of the wilderness.
 night was not to be prolonged. It had hardly started before Mr. Hughes came through the door. With him was William R. Wilcox. The band was playing 'The Red, White and Blue." Everybody cheered. The cheer, as they say in sporting circles, went I entered the elevator.
 A loving Moment With Crane
 At the second floor, when the car stopped, pretty scene was enacted. Every one walked out except T. Is. and--who do you think-W. Murray Crane! MT. Crane, well known for this habit, took the Colonel by the left lapel and whispered in his left ear. The Colonel, touching MT. Crane lightly with a piece of paper, leaned over and whispered in Mr.. Cranes left ear. MT. Crane whispered back. The Colonel whispered yet once again and then left the elevator to face an- other cheering group, Tor on tn1s gathered thick-al1 behind ropes.
 The Colonel went ingo the library and started around the room. He shook hands generously, with every one he met. These included MT. Cal | der, MT. Bacon, George von l.. Meyer, Senator Depew, Gen. Horace Porter and half a dozen otherS. By the time he reached the Oriental rug, he might | be said to have been in second speed | for his hand was going out automat- | cally and he was smiling just as regu- | Iarly as if he never expected to see the man in front or him again. |
 Now comes the trouble. Either | George R. Sheldon or Gov. Whitman took the Colonel by the arm-there