The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-12-07
BY PAUL HARRISON

their washington nome, ana an uN'
Outstanding that their father was 9
very busy man and not be worried
with childish troubles, the tenor OF
life ran fairly quietly through the
World War days.
The youngsters had a succession OF
governesses-"who. am sure" said
Anna, believed that we were the
worst kids on the surface Of this shin
ing earth" There was q legend
around the Roosevelt nursery to the
effect that whenever Anna, Jimmy or
Elliott could think of no fresh mis-
chief to do, one of them would pro-
coed to catch the measles or the
mumps.
They went to private schools in the
capital--Anna to the Misses East
mans. and James and Elliott to St.
Adams. There they apparently con-
Quoted themselves with angelic pro-
priety. and won more distinction with
their knowledge Of French Caught
from babyhood by their governess)
than with their position as the chill
dren of a government executive. At
ter all, their father was only q $4,000
a-year assistant secretary of the
navy. and it was not until postwar
days that there was a general realiza-
ton of the extent Of the responsible
ties he had assumed.
But there was one time, at least,
when they were literally thrown into
the limelight. That was the evening
when a Sinking radical, carrying one
or more powerful bombs, stumbled as
he crossed the yard between the
houses of Attorney General Palmer
and the Roosevelts. There was a ire
mendous explosion, a crash of glass
from scores Of windows up and down
the street. fire, apparatus and ambu-
lances changing, policemen shouting.
X X X
NO CASUALTIES!
Both Roosevelt parents were out OF
the house at the time. but they
rushed in a few minutes later. gasping
with fear as they realized that the
skylights and windows Of the big
sleeping room had been wrecked by
the blast. But the first thing that
met their eyes was widely grinning
Jimmy. No one had been hurt, for
none of the children was sleeping IN
the glass-inclosed room.
Jimmy, however, had followed the
sound of unearthly, muffled wailings
to the lower regions of the house, and
had come upon the spectre OF the
negro cook, sitting in bed with q
sheet over her head, rocking and pray
ing to the uttermost heavens.
There was a guard stationed at the
home after that, but 1t
was not his business to forestall minor
explosions within the effervescent
BIG AND LITTLE HATES
A number Of people. for instance,
still remember the mince-meat cpl
sode. This is Anna speaking:
Il know that we must have COM
oletely be-deviled our colored servants.
It wasn't fair, either, because most of
hem really adored us and let us take
advantage of them.
And sometimes, usually for no rea-
son at all, we'd swear q hate on
somebody and make him the object Of
OUR attentions until the big hate or
he little Understanding to our fan
cieS-waS satisfied.
well, this time we had very big
hate against the butler and the Sec
ond man. And it was on the evening
Of q big formal dinner that mother
and father were giving. Our inspira-
ton came when we found the buffers
and second mans shoes all newly pol
ished and sitting side-by-side in a
rear hall. And then We remembered
the huge jar of mincemeat that Cook
always made up to last throughout
the winter.
I'VE smuggled it out and filled
those shoes with mince-meat. It was
quite moist and sticky, and remem-
Der how satisfactorily it squished as
we stuffed it into the toes. But we
were so pleased with ourselves that
we made far too much noise getting
away, and were discovered. And the
last thing I care to remember about
that incident Is being chased around
and around the kitchen table by Cook,
who had broom in her hand"
+ X 4
BATTER UP!
When the Roosevelts moved into the
r street house, the back yard was
called 'the garden" Ivy luxuriated
on the side of the house, and flower
ing vines trailed over latticework.
Flower beds were here and there, with
grass plots between-a good place to
play, not quite large enough for the
rollicking Roosevelts.
I'm afraid we turned that garden
into something like a shambles," Ell
lott reminisced. II know we tore
down the vines, trying to climb them,
and trampled the flowers lot.
Jim and Sis and used to play
baseball there. Sis wasn't such q
poor baseball player either. I'm sure
that between the lot of us we broke
at least a dozen windows In q big
apartment house that backed on the
edge of our property. We paid and
paid for those windows. It seemed as
though our allowances always were
suffering deductions for damage Of
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