The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-07
SOCIETY IN WASHINGTON BUSY
Diplomatic Contingent Leads Return
to City From Resorts Senators and
Representatives Families Not
EIurrying Back-Many Officials
Turn to House Hunting

they landed. Unless something unfore-
seen calls him back to Washington
Secretary and Mrs. Lansing will prob
ably stay up there through most Of
this month.
Secretary Houston is back. Mrs.
Houston and the children will come
within the next fortnight. Secretary
and Mrs. Redfield have also returned
to Washington from a series of visits
on her part, and from a combination
of visiting and speechmaking on his.
Mrs. Adolph Caspar Miller, with whom
Nancy Lane went out to the coast a
couple of months ago returned last
Thursday, but Miss Lane did not come
with her. She is to remain out there
visiting friends and relatives for six
weeks more. Mr.. Miller came back
some time ago.
Secretary and Mrs. Lane i'm the
meantime have been in the throes of
moving, and successfully accomplished
the work early in the week. Neither
has been away this summer except for
an occasional week end. Last Sunday,
for instance, they and the Lansings
went together-very much as the
Lansings and the Davises used to go
spending the week end at Rose Hill
Manor at Frederick Md. But Mrs.
Lane has not been in the best Of
health and has not felt equal to the
effort of getting away. She has been
devoting all her energy to getting out
of the house she has been in for years
to go into a sort of sublimated apart
ment In one of those big, handsome
"one apartment to a floor" buildings,
where, as Secretary Lane seems to
feel, one enjoys the combined disad-
vantages Of hotel life and housekeep-
ing. but whore the business of keep
ing the menage running smoothly Is
greatly simplifed.
Some one in discussing the Lanes
giving UP their house advanced a
theory that they were driven out OF
their house by servant trouble" But
that was not so. For Mrs. Lane is one
of the few housekeepers who does not
seem to have servant trouble. The
youngest in point of service of her do
mestics is her cook, who has been
with her seven years. The butler has
been with her a dozen years and
more, and the others still longer.
The Raymond Bakers are still I'M
settled, though Mr.. Baker seemed to
believe that Mrs. Baker the last time
she came from Lenox had found sew
eral houses that would suit her. But
they have not yet decided on one.
They, however, are more fortunate
than some others.
Wanted TO Rent White House.
There is a story that Senator Dial
of North Carolina attempted to rent
he White House. He saw a house ad-
vertised and telephone number given
and instructed his stenographer to get
that number and the Senator would do
the talking. Whatever the stenog-
rapher asked for she got Main 1853,
which is one of the White House tele-
phones. Senator Dial asked If they
had house to rent. Rather gurglingly
the answer came that they might be
needing a new tenant after a while,
but not just yet.
When Senator Dial insisted on
knowing when the present occupant
would vacate 1t was finally admitted
that there might be a vacancy about
eighteen months hence, whereat he
not unnaturally asked who in thun-
der they were anyhow. And when he
was told that he was talking to the
White House he wanted to start a
new telephone inquiry.
Nor is Senator Dial the only mem
Der of that High Cost of Living Probe
Committee who has a personal in
terest in getting to the bottom of the
situation. Senator l.. Heisler Ball of
Delaware has been having anything
but pleasant time trying to rent a
suitable house. Finally he bought one
of those new houses out on Massa-
chusettts avenue extended in that new
subdivision near the cathedral, which
is being built up with such wonder
fully attractive homes. But apparently
he is entirely convinced that he can
not get anything at any sort Of
reasonable price in Washington, for 1t
is said that he and Mrs. Ball have been
up in Philadelphia buying furniture.
However, the Senator has probably
forgotten his troubles in that line.
For he and Mrs. Ball went down to
Atlantic City for the last week end,
and making people forget their
troubles is one of the resorts success
full specialties. Anyhow, he came back
to the probing job with renewed en-
ergy this week.
The diplomatic contingent is slower
getting back for the winter than our
home grown officialdom: at least those
that established themselves at the re-
sorts is staying at them until October.
But that, after all, is a small part Of
the diplomatic corps in Washington.
OF the Embassies, only the Brazilian
attempted any summer establishment,
and the Brazilian Embassy is a mere
skeleton at present having been in
the hands of a Charge d'Affaires since
last october. The latest rumor has II
that the Da Gamas are not to return,
but that Fortoura Xavier, at present
Brazilian Minister to Great Britain,
will come here.
Members of the British and French
Embassies have been in town all sum-
mer except as now and again some
Attache has gone away for few days
or a week end. Just now the French
| Ambassador and Nine. Jusserand
having gone to New York to take part
in the Lafayette-M Marine celebration,
are to continue into New England for
a week or ten days. The Italian Am
bassador himself has been at the EN-
bassy virtually ever since he returned
to this country except for an oc'
casional week end at Newport with
| the Countess di Cellere and the chill,