Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-04-01
COL. COOLIDGE FORCED TO STOP
WORK FOR 8Oth BIRTHDAY PARTY
ICdfse From White House
Is Divided Anong Ply
T, mouth Friends.
|,
Housewives Famous as
, Cooks, admit SeIues
OutdOne.
BY VI. f. HENNEssEY.

|
PLYMOUTH. Vt, April 1.-Col John
lie. Coolidge, father of the President,
WAS back on the job making maple
ksugar for his own use today, after
La partial holiday Tuesday enforced
Thy his neighbors in celebration of his
%eightieth birthday anniversary.
\ Col. Coolidge had not intended to
nay much attention to his birthday,
Isn't as the forenoon heightened and
nlsore and more neighbors arrived 10
congratulate him, he concluded that
he had better enter into the spirit OF
the occasion and Joined heartily in
the ,merrymaking.
HIS son, the President, and his
daugSnt er-in-Iaw the first lady of the
land, didn't forget him. They sent
him al birthday cake made by the
White House cook, with messages OF
congratulations and wishes for many
more anniversaries.
OF cotrse, the home folks wanted
very nAEch to see the White House
cake and Col. John did not disappoint
them. Hle led the way into the sit
ting room of the little farmhouse atop
of PlymoUth Notch and there they
Toasted THAR eyes on a great, white
frosted caA,e with a lot of fancy
scroll work on top of 1t. 1t rested
on the little marble-top center table
on which the family Bible rested on
which Vice President Coolidge was
sworn in by his rugged father when
news reached the little hamlet that
Warren Harding had died in far-off
San Francisco&
shows Birthday Cake.
The. women folk expressed a wish
to taste the w bite House cooking and
Col. John informed his callers that
if they would come around in the
afternoon he would cut the cake and
let them sample it. Word spread
around the village that there were to
be big ddngs at Col Coolidge's in
midaftern01n and a score or more OF
the villag srs wendell their way over
the hills to be on hand at the ap-
pointed hour Some brought along
the youngsters, who were promised
a piece of cake if they would behave
like good children. The callers had
to do most of the talking, but Col,
John beamed a lot.
While the colonel was asking re-
porters to tell the world at large
that he deeply appreciated the mail
sack loads of congratulatory letters
he had received. even though he was
physically unable to answer them. all,
his callers kept eying the White
House birthday cake. Mothers had
to keep Juggling at their little ones
to prevent them making a raid on
the bewitching specimen of White
House cookery, but after all had been
seated and some OF his callers sug
gested that he ought to decorate the
ca'a. with. candles, the colonel smil-
int = observed that he guessed that
the. white, House cook forgot the
candles" But" he added, I'm afraid
that. So would crowd the cake too
much. and besides YOU can't eat tallow
anyhow
Each Guest Gets Share.
There was great craning of necks
and popping of eyes when Aunt Au-
rora Pierce. the housekeeper. came in
with a pile of plates and a big knife.
Aunt Aurora is some cook herself. but
she acknowledged that she couldn't
hope to bake a cake as big or as rich
as the colonel$s birthday present from
the White House. FINALLY she tackled
the carving of the cake and placed a
piece on each CRe of the plates, and
Col Coolidge handed each one of his
guests a portion.
The ears of that White House cook
must have burned, for. as the guests
munched away at the cake they We're
loud in their. praise of its composition
and richness All acknowledged that
they had never eaten such a fine cake
and that is going some in Vermont,
where housewives pride themselves in
cake and pie making
With the birthday cake came a let
ter from Mr.. and Mrs. Coolidge of the
sort that dutiEul sons and daughters
write to a fond father on such happy
occasions. The old gntleman's eyes
welled up more than once as his call
ers referred to his son and his rise in
public life.
Before his guests left they all join
ed IN extending their fluctuations and
wishing neighboG John many happy
returns of the day. He might have
said that he was glad that they had
come and that he was proud of his
son, but he didn't That is not. his
way, but the way he beamed meant
to these old friends and neighbors
more than any words. They know
that he is proud of his boy Cal" but
nobody ever heard him say SO. The
Coolidges have a way of REFRESHING
their feelings. Actions speak louder
than words with them.
Outside of the cake cutting, Col.
Coolidge made no further effort to cele-