Evening star., 1924-06-15


not put up there on his travels be-
tween the elm tree at Cambridge,
New York, Philadelphia. Germantown
and Mount Vernon. Not yeti has the
Rambler met that man who remem-
bers that his grandfather's mother
saw George Washington's coach at the
tavern door, or that when the general
emerged-he did not simply come
out but "emerged"-fromt the tavern
taproom he took a hollyhock from
his coats lapel, handed it the f1ower)
to the child. patted her golden curls
and said: Bless you, little girl,"
That lis a tradition that has been
handed down in our family from gen.
Grafton TO generation"
1t is like most traditions. OF course,
TINS old tavern stands far off the road
which Washington was apt to take
between New York and Mount Ver-
non. but such facts would embarrass
only most modest tavern Many
taVerns as far as this one from the
New York Mount Vernon road were
visited by George Washington every
day or so. Some of these taverns are
so far off any road that the great
American had to walk two miles
through brush and swim a creek to
reach them
Another of Good Hope tavern's
claims to fame is that Braddock did
not stop there for cup of tea on
his way to Fort Duquesne. This
shows a lack of enterprise in the
Good Hope tavern. 1t is we'll known
that Braddock, after leaving Alex
andria in 1855. marched over every
road in Virginia and Maryland. Some
or the roads were not built in Brad
COCKS time. but such trivial disfi-
culties are quickly overcome by his
torianS
The Rambler has made computa-
tion that if Braddock marched over
All the Braddock roads, left Alex
andria in 1855. travelled three miles
an hour. eight hours a day. and is
still going, he must be nearly half
way to Pittsburgh
know that history says that Brad.
dock marched over this and the other
roads, but history says a good many
1hlngs that are not. Miss Clio, one
OF the talented and sometimes inter-
estlng daughters of the Ramblers
old friend. Mnemosyne of the Olym-
pus neighborhooG. has been shown up
many times to be what the Roman
Pagans called "mendax" knew
Clio and her eight sisters quite well.
1'hey were noted for poetry, music
art and theatricals, and you know
what bore it is to visit a family
where all the children are talented
But | used to ride out to the Olvmpus
neighhorhood on an old mare called
Pegasus. The neigh borhood is very
much changed since the Rambler's
felioW-writer, Homer. was there |
Realtors have cut Olympus up into |
suburban building lots and a gas |
station has been put up Sometime |
the Rambler means to write a story
about the place, but he doubts if
deeds to Zeus. Hera, Athene and the +:
other early settlers arc to be found
at Annapolis or Marlboro, though he
will ask Arthur Trader of the land
office at Annapolis, and Summerfield
Hall, clerk of the court at Upper
marlboro, about this.
X
A MOTHER historic fact about the
Good Hope tavern must be re-
corded here. 1t is that Lafayette,
when he visited America in 1924,
seems not to have been accorded" or
given a reception by the citizens of
Good Hope in this ancient house of
conviviality and vinolentia. There
must have been an. oversight in this.
70
ings in this part of the country es-
capped being "the scene of a reception"
to Lafayette that the Rambler be-
lieves that the Good Hope tavern was
undergoing repairs and that the roof
was off when Lafayette came this
way. The Rambler has not even been
able to find that Gen. Ross and Admi
raj Cockburn made their headquar-
ters in this tavern on the eve, or the
morn, of the battle of Bladensburg.
The village of Good Hope is a place
of young people. There are groups
Of pretty children, fair mothers, and
husbands not so handsome as their
wives, but the last of these facts may
be observed at Chevy Chase, Cherry
dale, Cleveland Park and Twining, as
well as at Good Hope.
Old people are scarce. The Rambler
has found none who has distinct rec
objection of men and women who
lived in that neighborhood hundred
years ago. Even among the kindly
colored folk who live In the country
west of Good Hope the Rambler has
met with disappointment A few of
the body servants of Gen. Grant may
be found, but the body servants OF
Gen. Lee live in Virginia and the body
servants of Gen. Washington have be-
come strangely scattered. The Ram
bier knows that he can hnd a few OF
the body servants of Gen. Washington
around Piscataway and Port Tobacco,
hut thew have become scarce near
Washington.
The Oldest dwel1er in the Good
Hope neighborhood whom the Ram
bier talked with Is Ed Jenkins. For
some reason many men pronounce
this name "Jinkins." The Rambler
docs not know the reason. Ed Is an
;nteJlisent man. well muscled. well
nourisbed. and with a good memory.
He appears to be between hfty ano
sixty years old, but, according TO MS
6pures. he has accompanied the eartn
on seyenty-eight voyages around the
sun.
ia 10 co,ored man, and is what
nersons who are original ana uncoh-
strained in the matter Of past par.ici-
pies call dark complected. sat IN
Eds garden the other day. 1t Is
small lot, so close-grown with httie