Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
BY ZOE BECKLEY.

North American Newspaper Alliance.
AS the clocks of the Capital struck
noon on Monday, March 4, a tall, good
looking woman In smart black turned
to the woman next her, gripped her
hand and said:
Representative Ruth, I want to be
the first to congratulate you: good
luck!"
1t was Ruth Bryan Owen newly elect
ed Representative from Florida, greet
ing her friend, Ruth Hanna Nc
Cormick, equally new member from
Illinois. Mrs. Mccormick responded
cordially. smiles were exchanged-and
the little drama was over. Or was 1t
just beginning?
The thrill is not in their acquaintance
ship which covers some half-dozen
social seasons In Florida, but in the
fact that their high-heeled feminine
slippers are about to be fitted into
certain roomy footprints deeply i'm
bedded in the sands OF craftsmanship.
In Footsteps Of Fathers.
The footprints are their fathers
William Jennings Bryan, the peerless
one" thrice defeated for the presidency;
and his political arch enemy, Mark
Hanna. called "the President maker"
Can you picture the spirits of Lucretia
Mott and Susan B. Anthony jubilating
together on high as these two daughters
of those two fathers struck hands to-
gether at the outset of the climb that
could lead ooh, yes it couldD to a
comfortable little chair in the White
House?
Uncle Sam should have wife," said
Mrs. Owens to me the other day.
An impressive figure she Is, this lady,
as her father was before her-erect,
energetic and finely muscled, above the
average height of woman, with straight,
strong features and head SO beauti-
fully shaped and coiffed that 1t could
serve rs a model in beauty shop.
She is 43. has shining, loosely waved
gray hair, darkish eyes, not brown but
a sort OF olive-gray, with droop to
their outer corners; a generous mobile
mouth, firm nose and chin, and a
white flashing smile not only gracious
but full Of humor.
Still Wears Black.
Widowed two years, she still wears
black. Not mourning; just black. !
saw no wedding ring, but on her right
hand was one with two big stones. A
short necklace of pearls that looked
really real. No other adornmentS. She
needs none, for she possesses rare per-
sonality-again a heritage from her
father, should say-the Smoothest sort
of poise, an agreeable voice which she
sends without effort into the farthest
reaches of q convention hall, a quick,
winning wit and the gift for telling q
story.
The Owen home is at Cocoanut
Grove. near Miami, and is what Is
called a show place. It's mistress has
four children: Ruth, I'd. "a years old
wife Of William Painter Meeker of Bal
timore, and mother of Ruth, Sd, aged
4. and Helen Owen, who is months
old. John Is %, "a handsome blond
kid, 6 feet tall" scholar and some
thing Of poet. Bryan Is Is and still
at school, Helen Rudd (they call them
by both names In the South, you know
Is 8, and being trained, as her mother
was, to known citizenship and states
manship, government and politics from
A to lizard. She loves 1t, is already q
good speaker, and knows every nail and
knothole in the Democratic platform
Maj. Reginald Owen, the daddy. ar
EngliShman, taught her astronomy
A college woman, Ruth Owen gets
more sheer JOY from her work with the
young folk of Miami University than
from any other one thing she does, and
she does many. When the university