Evening star., 1952-01-13
(continued From PAGE D-l.l

&|o1acAAAASu rAUlA rage O-lJ
joke out Of It," she declared.
we tease the cook, and ask her,
'Bobbie, how do you think you'll
like being chief chef OF the White
House?'"
The Kefauvers live In an attrac-.
tive but unpretentious white
painted brick house In Wesley
Heights, into which they moved
three years ago after his election
to the Senate. The household con-
sists at the moment Of Estes,
Nancy, Linda, David. Diane Gage
-. Gail IA months, nurse, a
cook, two cocker spaniels, and q
pet skunk. Periodically it is in.
creased by large litter of puppies
casually 6 at timeJ, and for q
while there was also a live coon.
The skunk tdeodorized) was q
Christmas gift to the children.
The racoon joined the family cir
Icle when a Tennessee hunter
shipped him up after reading that
the Senator was worrying about
how to deliver on football bet he
lost to Senator Herbert O'Conor OF
Maryland. !.
Mrs. Kefauver says she super
intended the 'coon's transfer to
Senator O'Conor just as rapidly
as possible, and 'ran interference"
to stop delivery Of several more,
whose imminent arrival had been
heralded by wire.
They're hard to take care OF"
she explained. II know, because
we travelled all over Tennessee
with them, campaigning. They
have to be exercised each day.
Sometimes we would get into q
town just before a meeting, and
volunteers would come up and
ask what they could do to help.
We would say you can exercise
the coons. Were they surprised ~
Mrs. Kefauver said she finally
persuaded her husband to dis
continue taking the coons to
meetings because I thought the
audience was paying more atten-
tion to them than to Estes"
The mere possibility of the Sen
ator's being presidential candi-
date already has considerably
complicated the Kefauver's home
life. Long distance calls came in
at all hours of the day and night,
Washington friends call up to ask
what it's all about, newspapers
and magazines are besieging them
for interviews. and their mail is
filled with invitations to parties.
The Senator. of whom his family
has seen little since the crime
investigations started about a year
ago, now is home less than ever.
We've never been invited so
many places in our life before,
but he's SO busy we can rarely
accept" Mrs. Kefauver says.
The Senator is ''the most popu-
lar daddy in the neighborhood, I
suppose partly because he is home
the least" his wife says. Word
gets around the neighborhood
quickly when he is home, and the
kids all collect in the yard. The
big boys take turns borrowing his
motor bike" It's an ordinary
two-wheel bicycle to which the
Senator, who likes "to tinker
around with TOOLS" attached al
small motor.
For the smaller youngsters the
Senator always has some gadget
he made-stilts or pogo sticks orI
what have you" she said, and
he also goes roller skating with
them.
The Senator's penchant for
carpentry extends only to making
something new-wl1ich he rarely
has time to finish, !" his wife says.
HE can't be bothered repairing
things she added. "I have to do
that myself. or hire somebody toI
do it,
He is 'like most men when he's
making something" she observed.
HE has to have a crew standing
by to hand him the right tool. Sol
I discourage the projects"
He did do a splendid ioh n, the