The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, February 27, 1929, Page 10

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a series of articles by Rodney Dutcher, giving William Tyler Page's impressions of the inauguration ceremonies of other days. Page has been a figure in Washington public life since 1885. * * * By RODNEY DUTCHER (NEA Service Writer) Washington, Feb. 26.—Few young men receive bows simultaneously from two presidents of the United States. Few young men are permitted to in- vade the private chambers of a presi- dent at 1 o'clock in the morning. Both these experiences came to William Tyler Page, who is now clerk of the House of Representatives, while he was yet in his early twen- ties, They are outstanding in his memory of the inaugurations and surrounding events of 1893 and 1897 and are part of a rich, reminiscent narrative of inaugurals over nearly 50 years which Page has told to this writer. Prior to those incidents Benjamin Harrison was inaugurated in 1889 and Page, recalling that most inaugura- tion days have been wretched and calculated to give people pneumonia, remembers the weather during the Harrison inauguration as “the worst T ever saw.” eek * “All through the night before sol- diers and civilians tramped the streets in driving wind and rain,” he relates. “It rained all day long on the 4th and the parade was a miserable affair. Harrison's inaugural address was “nearly an hour in duration, which ‘was far too long under the circum- stances. “It didn’t stop raining until !ate in the afternoon and all the expen- sive decorations were soaked and . Then came the inaugural ball at the Pension Bureau and every- one there was played out and tired. Nothing came up to expectations and as I recall thousands of persons jam- ted the depot long before the parade started in a great hegria away from Washington. “The second Cleveland inaugura- tion was another bad day, but I prob- ably enjoyed it as much as anvone in Washington except Cleveland him- self. The snow fell the night before and blew all that morning. There was ® penetrating north wind and when the sun came out at 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon everyone again called it ‘Cleveland luck.’ “That day I had a morning engage- ment at the Treasury. A small bliz- vard was blowing, but the streets were crowded and I made my way round- about, avoiding main arteries of traffic. I arrived at about 11:30 and was soon done, intending to hurry back to the Capitol for the cere- mony. ne eh “As I came out of the Treasury a | ‘errific wind was sweeping down Fif- teenth street and the grandstands were not only empty but covered with snow. “I was the only person on that side of the street. “Suddenly I heard a fanfare of ‘trumpets and @ cavalcade of horse- men began to turn into Fifteenth Ten minutes later, when the hub- bub caused by her entrance had died down, and Faith's guests were danc- ing to radio music, Crystal lay back , in her wheel-chair, and watched the scene with wide, grave eyes. She was very still. Her illness-weakened body was deliciously relaxed. Her thin white hands were loosely clasped in her lap. She made no effort to dis- Play their fragile beauty, as the old Crystal would have done. She did not even trouble to smile and her eyes were as steady as if they had never been addicted to the habit of flutter- ing coquettishly. She was through with all that, Crystal reflected sub- consciously, as if she had indeed been born again, as Tony expressed it. While her translucent hazel eyes seemed to be watching the dancers, Crystal was really dispassionately ex- that real self of hers. really, gay—so I shan't be,” she told herself ser- » “Tony and Cherry are natur- . Paith is not; neither am I. ly intelligent, but I'm not clever, like Tony. I can't be udacious and sparkling in conversa- , a8 Cherry is, and I shan't ever try again.” A sudden clear picture of that old ittract as her ical mind smile street from the direction of the white house. “Down came an open carriage bearing Benjamin Harrison, the pres- ident, and Grover Cleveland, the pres- ident-elect. They were all wrapped up in overcoats and blankets and wore silk hats, “I stood at the curb and tipped my hat and they responded by taking off theirs. That courtesy was exclusively for me. After that I felt I had seen all I wanted of that inauguration. Two presidents had doffed their hats to me in that kind of weather and anything more would have been tame. * * OX Speaking of thrills reminds me of what happened at the time of the next inauguration. Cleveland was go- ing out and McKinley was coming in On the night of March 3 General Draper of Massachusetts, who was then chairman of the Committee on Patents and later an ambassador, came to me and said: “Young man, I understand you write a very fair hand.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ and he said: ‘Well, I expect to get the copyright bill through the house and I wonder whether I am going to get it down to the white house in time to have it signed.” In those days, you know, we enrolled bills on parchment with pen and ink. So Draper asked me to write the bill, which I did. It was the duty of the committee on en- rolled bills to take it to the White House after it had been enacted, but I took it down to President Cleveland myself at 1 o’clock in the morning. “My wife decided she would like to go with me. We hired a ‘night liner,’ which was a one-horse shay with the cabby perched aloft on a box, and drove down the avenue, up to the white house. “We were ushered in and I was told to go upstairs while Mrs, Page was given permission to wander about. I went on up and saw O. L. Pruden, one of the president's secretaries, and told him how anxious Draper was about the bill. “So then I was taken in to see Cleveland and he signed the bil! whil2 I waited at his side. I went back and reported to Draper and he gave me $20, which was quite a little money at that time. * * * “The sun shown intermittently on inauguration day. McKinley's mother was with him on the inauguration Stand. He held an umbrella over her to protect her from sun or rain—I forget which—and the crowd cheered. Later there was a whale of a big parade and all kinds of gaiety and festivities in connection with passage of power to the Republicans again. “Late in the afternoon I suggested to Mrs. Page that we go down town and look around. We walked on the south sidewalk, which was less crowded and had gone about half a block when, lo and behold, along came President McKinley with an escort, taking a stroll. As he came along he recognized me and when I said ‘Good evening, Mr. President,’ he doffed his topper and returned the salute. “You can bet that my wife got a great thrill out of that. We had only recently been married and my pres- tige at home increased immensely!” love with him. Why? Merely because Tony was in love with him, and be- cause all the other girls offered their hearts for him to trample on. But Tony had been wise enough not to marry him... . They were dancing together no’ ‘ony and Dick. The boy was arching one silken black eye- brow, quirking his too-perfect. mouth in a lazily provocative smile, holding Tony's blue-diamond eyes with his beautiful black ones. Not a hair was out of place on his sleek, dark head. A gardenia in the buttonhole of his too-perfect Tuxedo. As he swung Tony almost against the footrest of Crystal's wheelchair Dick Talbot caught the girl's grave, appraising eyes and smiled deeply into them. Crystal did not smile, simply because she did not feel a genuine impulse to smile. Surprised, intrigued, Dick Talbot turned his head and flashed her another, more challeng- | ing smile—eyebrows arched high, lips quirked whimsically. Still Crystal did not smile... . “He's practiced that smile before the mirror hundreds of times—just as TI used to do,” Crystal decided, and was gravely amused. “Why, he's nothing but a professional male beauty, as conscious of his beauty and Sex appeal as any girl flirt could be.” “What are you smiling that Mona Lisa smile about?” Harry Blaine de- { manded, as he dropped into the chair drawn close to Crystal's wheelchair. “Well—do I pass?” Harry Blaine laughed, flushing. a NEXT: An undesired triumph. 1929, NEA Service, Inc. Two days and two e ~ ~ ~ aN ts 2 fia Ke’ ibs = to WERE THAT HELL ALMOST JUMP OUT THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE aht: Bist Tug Aysseent Leseere orqet~ I TELL YOU, TAG: Yov 60 IN WHERE HE 1S AND TELL HIM TO SHUT KIS EvES= TAAT YOU WANE A OF WIS SKIN! THE 6500! WHEDE ON WAS IT BROUGHT IT rere Ou HOME 1 WORE. MONEY OUT OF MY COAT AND Pur \T IN HERE AND FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT HE CAME RUNNING OUT WITH THE MISSIN $ S00 > ALESMAN SAM B (AY. COP SENT ME AFTER SOME. CANOY, MISTER, AN’ HE AIN'T GOT ANY TEETH. GIMME & POUND of Tacey! OuMe, are Ya, KIO? WELL, WHY DONTCHA 2 1 LIKE VTIAKE A | GO ON—Tn LOOK PIN WS MY PLANE | r Ht ai IN THIS OLD JACKET, THE DAY I (\T WHEN T CLEANED THE. StoRE-| ROOM. NOW 1 REMEMBER. I TOOK THE 4OURE NoT so ! MISLAID. STEADY SIR- ITS SLIPPER Y- FOUR DOLLARS I WANE A SURPRISE FoR You, FRECKLES: JUST WELL,OF ALL THINGS ! SWT YouR EYES - AND DON'T OPEN THEM ONTIL ZL MY STARS! ALL THIS IF ITS PATRICIA PENELOPE FITTS I DONT WANT \/ CAN Vou BEAT iT! HULLABALOO! POLICE WORRY, GO INTO THE DAYS OVER 6500 THAT YOU /CHASE THAT CAT WHAT A MAN! DOMOU HAPPEN To HAVE ANY PEANUT, (M@RSHMALLOW, cHoc- ) Have, Maoam! Li | i i AND FIND THE MISSING FIVE CERTAINGY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1929° SAY! How Lone Do Z HANE To KEEP AY EYES CLOSED 7? ITS SONGBODY THAT CANE IN A TAXI BECAUSE I SAN THE TAXI GO Any! UNCLE HARRY! ZL KAEN THAT IT WAS YoU ALL POP, STOP THAT NONSENSE! WILL YOU? AND CHASE THAT CAT OUT OF THIS WOUSE RIGHT NOW BEFORE \T BRINGS ANY MORE BAD V4 ous WHAT! RUN THAT PUSSY INTO) WELL OF ALL THE STREET! DON'T YOU THINGS! ONE REALIZE THAT IF IT HADN'T BEEN/ MINUTE You'RE FOR THAT CAT 1 MIGHT NEVER HAVE FOUND THIS $ 500? THAT FELINE 1S My GOOD LUCK AND THIS 1S IT'S PERMANENT ADDRESS, MIGO6H, LAOX'! (T COULON'T PossIBLY SE ANY HARDER Tran (T (s