The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-06
Continued )

(Continued) Tt grows late. You know that today the British minister. Mr. Merry. comes i to meet the president for the first time | formally-at dinner. Senor. Yrujo also and their ladies, of course. MT. Burr and MT. Merry seem already acquaint- ed. I met them riding this morning." Hand and glove, then, so soon ] What do you make of it? I. have a guess that those three-Burr, Merry, Yrujo-mean this administrat tion no special good, and yet it was I myself who kept our Spanish friend from set ting his passports back to Madrid. did that because of his marriage to the daughter of my friend, Governor Me you saying now?'
 q thought perhaps I should go to my rooms to ehange for dinner. You l see that am still in riding clothes" "And what of that, my son? I am in something worse."
 The young man stood and looked at his chief for a moment. He realized the scarce dignified figure that the president presented in his long coat, his soiled waistcoat, his stained trous- CTS and his woolen stockings, not to mention the unspeakable slippers, down at the heel, into which he had thrust his feet that morning when he came into the office.
 You think will not doY' MT. Jef- ferson smiled at him frankly. T am not so free from wisdom, perhaps, aft CT all Let this British minister see not dummies for finery. Moreover, I remember we'll enough how we cooled our heels there in London, MT. Madi- son and myself. They showed us little courtesy enough. We'll, they shall have no complaint here. We will treat them as well as we do the others, as we'll as the electors who sent us here!' Meriwether Lewis allowed himself a smile.
 "Go," added his chief. "Garb your self as would have you-in your best. But there will be no precedence ct ta ble this evening remember that! Let them take seats pellmell, the devil take the hindmost. A fair field for every one and favor to none! Seat them as nearly as possible as they should not be seated and leave the rest to me. 1 All these-indeed. all history and all the records-shall take me precisely as am."
 | An hour later Meriwether Lewis stood before his narrow mirror, well and handsomely clad. as was seeming with one of his family and his place a tall and superb figure of young man. hood, as proper man as ever stood in buckled shoes in any country of the world.
 The guests came presently, folk of many sorts With Mr. Jefferson as president the democracy of America had invaded Washington, taking more and more liberties, and it had many representatives on hand. With these came persons of rank of this and other lands, dignitariea. diplomats, officials. ministers of foreign powers. Carriages with outriders came trundling over the partially paved roads of the crude cap ital city. Footmen opened doors TO gentlemen and ladies in full dress. wearing insignia of honor. displaying gems, orders. decorations, jewels, all the brilliant costumes of the European courts.
 They came up the path to the door of the mansion, where to their amaze ment, they were met only by Mr\Jef- ferson's lowing old darky Ben, who ushered them in. helped them with their wraps and asked them to make themselves at home. And only old Henry, MT. Jeferson's butler, bowed them in as they passed from the entry hall into the anteroOm which lay be- tween that and the large dining sa- loon.
 The numbers increased rapidly What at first was a general gathering be- came crowd, then a mob. There was no assigned place fer any. no presen- tation of one stranger to another. Friends could not find friends. Nut teripgs arose. Crowding and jostling were not absent. Here and there an angry word might have been heard The policy of pellmell was not work ing itself out in any happy social fashion.
 Matters were at their worst when suddenly from his own apartments ap- peared the tall and well composed fig ure of Mr. Jefferson's young secretary, social captain of matters at the execu- tive mansion and personal aid to the president. His quick glance caught sight of the gathering line of carriages A second glance estimated the plight of those now damned into the anteroom like so many cattle and evidently in distress.
 Matters stood thus when, at a time when scarce another soul could have been crowded into the anteroom, old Henry flung open the folding doors which he had closed.
 "Mistah Thomas Jeffersonw was his sole announcement.
 There appeared in the doorway the tall, slightly stopped figure of the pres