The Washington times., 1934-12-24
NOW
Rear Door For
Mrs. HdmLin
II Err REVENGE
BY HELEN ESSARY

Christmas Eve-a thousand
things to think about. A thou
sand responsibilities. And a
few good tales to cheer a con.
fused mind.
I like best the one about Mrs.
Charles S. Hamlin and her
Christmas call at the White
House. But, then, like all the
stories told about and by Mrs.
Hamlin. Some of them are so
remarkable that 1 "have me
doubts" about their authen-
ticity.
Yet I know Mrs. Hamlin to
be an honest woman. Not only
is she the wife of a Governor
Of the Federal Reserve Board,
and the president of the Wom-
ans National Democratic Club
but she is a descendant of a
long line of upright HollanderS.
It was the tradition of her
Dutch forbears that inspired
Mrs. Hamlin TO make the Christ
mas call at the White House.
Mrs. Hamlin thought it would
be a nice idea to give Mrs.
Roosevelt specially made,
specially baked Dutch Christ
mas cake.
Moreover, Mrs. Hamlin de-
cided to deliver the cake at
the White House herself. 1t
was too precious to trust to
unsympathetic hands.
The Hamlin family car being
at Mattapoisett, Mass, Mrs.
Hamlin stepped out of the Hay
Adams House, where she has an
apartment, on Christmas Eve
of last year, and hailed a taxi.
She noticed in a vague way that
the taxi was neither slick nor
new. But never mind. She
said:
''Drive to the White House,
main entrance!"
AS the taxi numbered through
the front gates of the White
House, the guards looked un-
welcoming. Mrs. H "a nj lin
smiled sweetly from behind her
cake. The driver, who, Mrs.
Hamlin noticed for the first
time, was wearing a ragged
sweater, headed stolidly toward
the big front door.
At the steps beneath the col
umns, another guard sprang for"
ward and said, clearly and
eoldly:
"Rear entrance!"
Mrs. Hamlin peeped out hope
fully.
"But I've got q Christmas
present. A beautiful Dutch
cake for Mrs. Roosevelt"
"Rear entrance!"
Mrs. Hamlin said:
"'YOu don't understand"
81 understand, all right. Rear
entrance was what l said"
What was there to do but
obey. The driver in the ragged
sweater drove to the back door
Of the White House. Mrs. Ham
lin meekly handed her cake to
Q kitchen maid.
But, as my laundress says.
eve amt all dead yet"
Mrs. Hamlin had her revenge.
It was unintentional. But it
must have been pleasant.
Last summer, while Mr.. and
Mrs. Hamlin were out calling
in the neighborhood Of their
summer home in Mattapoisett,
two young gentlemen rang the
doorbell. The new housemaid
had just come back from a
mystery movie. She peer d
cautiously through the screen
door at the strangers. The
taller of the young men said:
"We'd like to use your tele"
phone"
Said the maid:
"Humph. That's a good
one" Gn the movie, the muir
derer had entered the house on
the pretense of looking at the
telephone bookO The tall
young man said:
'But I'm James Roosevelt" !"
and he's Mrs. Hamlin's nephew.
You ought to know him!
"MrS. Hamlin's nephew, in
deed! Next you'll be telling me
you've got King George and
Lindbergh hiding out in the
bushes. Neither one of you will
get in this house while I'm
here"
And they didn't! And they
WE'RE James Roosevelt and
Mrs. Hamlin's nephew.
The third Mrs. Hamlin story
likewise concerns the White
House. It's about scrambled
eggs. Only they weren't scram'
bled eggs.
The Democratic Digest, is
sued by the Woman's National
Democratic Club, is planning
to publish a series of recipes of
famous Democrats. Mrs. Ham
lin asked Mrs. Roosevelt to tell
her how she prepared the Presi-
dents favorite Sunday night
supper dish.