Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1927, Page 41

' MAGAZINE SECTION ILLUSTRATED FICTION AND FE ATURES The Sundiy Staf HUMOR .Apirl 5—8 Pa WASHINGTON, D. C “SUNDAY MOR? i, DECEMBER 25, 1927, Jackson, as President, Was T 87 %4 4 SSING A YOUNG WOMAN UNDER THE MISTLETOE WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO ANNOUNCING HIS ENGAGEMENT.” BY THOMAS R. HENRY. {that he had held in his arms at the HE din of firecrackers and tin! 4 o ipanage the memories of his whisties had heen in progress ymg Pennsylvania avenue for half an hour. { A tali, bony old gentleman in s woolen nightgown emerged, bare feet foremost. from behind heavy red dam- ask curtains of a fourposter carved mahogany bed in the front chamber of the White Houxe 5 Getting out of bed required a pain ful effort, and was not to be accom- plished at any time without some grumbling. Jt was painful especially in damp, heavy weather. when there was an almost unbe: his old bullet wounds. At last stood upright beside the bed—a bat tered. trembly figure. His decpset eyes were overhung with hushy gray evebrows, his forehead deeply seamed, snd his wiry, white hair cut in mill tary fashion. Tt was cold in the room for one whose blood was thin with years. The furnishings were indistinet in the wolving: darkness of the Win dawn. Not often now was the old man's sleep | liked it to lie disturbed o early. He . the abed until broad syl broken slumbers came his drean in of ¥ morning richest with memors It would ot be long, he thoug he staod on the cold floor, when th would be 1o necessity up in the morning any would be beyond the 4 fireerackers, tn whistics, hug whoops and sl the noiscx world. “The devil in hell!” the old man mut tered 1o himself. This was the nearest 1o swearing he allowed himself 1o come now- Aechine for one who hud becn one the most proficient on &il the wild fr X Rachel died he had tried 1o b a better man #nd had been given 1o reading the Bible, ‘There was a Preshyterian wraditfon In hix fambly e uh sorbed traces of it in hie very brief hildhood back in the Caroling moun Tains—which frowned on rursing the greater part of hix Bife jad been spent §n en ensironment where vure Ing was us much a part of fie st shere w8 10barCo SINoke ' w pot eursing st all, in i of the word, but meyely a of had frontier ;.",]'“.mm 1 the window . 1iized the curtain and looked put wver Ve bire oupanse of the Vresident » siuare. L Cawcedin common of that part of the wity where. mome uf the CGiovernment 1icrke umed 10 graze s cows In the Bumimer, I one corner i Cluster of whike gruvestoncs wax ke Bl fingers thrust oy ;fitr‘:’yw Church bells were Family groUDE, Carrying pray were moving -up the Avenue o way Lo enrly mass i S Pabock's Y snoon wis & ghoktly crescent b i wcampering clouds, Beyond the Copr. sentiered o e north ovange wnd davender froth Lpwn off by Uie flow Buny s ed pyer the horin wutiered once e Abis bones inore than wsusl e had kol o bed e night before. The diy betore o nas.” G Dwew Dard on e Lutteped. 1empestuonus 1resident of the Brates, with so many detaile anded bie pereonsl aiten war o much misery Wb ul of able aching in | he | fu | the world. The little crippled boy own starved childhood, revived by Johnny Donelson’s thoughtiess ques- | Uons—these things went to the old | man’s heart. They had disturbed his | dreams. { * %% | OMEBODY was stirring down be- low. It was Mammy, the White | House cook and 200-pound maid of all | | work. | “Christmas gif’, Christmas gif', you sleepy heads,” he heard the old col-| ored woman saying, | He must hurry with his clothes. The six White House children would inot wait 1o dress thix morning after | | Mammy had awakened them. Doubt- | lews for an hour already they had been tossing in their feather’ beds. They would be upon him still in his nightgown if he did not hurry. Christmas morning—the devil in hell—what did Christmas mean to An drew Jackson? The old man didn’t know exnctly— enpecially now that Rachel wan gone ~except that he felt xo strangely in clined 1o break into tears all day long. onsiderable part of the New pt. which he had been promined [ ceept only with cryutions, try ax he did 1o get himself nto mental and spiritual tune with the Gospels, The Sermon on the Mount, for instance, he didn’t think was very pructien), This matter of forgiving Inemies and turning the other cheek-— it probably was all vight, but it was for u later and better thne, when the wmlex themselves were less ohnox. | ous, Thers wan one passage, how v, which he ped without servations. 10 always brought tears | Ment. He must keep his eyes open 10 hix eyes—just why he didn’t know, | 10r those mateimonial trupw Spntrer Wtle children 1o come unte| Martin Van Buren would he at the Me and forbid them not, for of such today, He wondered which of i« the Kingdom of heaven.” g Mesven, thought Andrew Juckson, | 3'-"';1“”“\‘\,,"‘;" yiust b 2 ¢ place for a tired Wido st ol Sy {enongh 1o avold being canght under But be must be eareful not to be |m» mistletos? It would he amusing any of hix silly sentiment that | 10 watch the strategy of these women Ao I e mot I eeping with the | Ve Dinmelf wonld rather enfoy a gomd JAignity of a President of the Unit It personnlly Hiate especially one whose tion wis that of a ronring Prauiiont. | e thitel Ss DarSTIS B pefiected, abodt one other it ter Cora Livingston would be at the White Houre atmost all diuy e the chaperone Ftor his children s gty —Cors | W ton. the personable young womah whom Weshinglon gossip Wis men | ioning ns Wkely 1o become the s [ Mis dwckson. A0 might I her as sny of the ol | smbitious widows hd ten to him i the st two years (o adnt him with their ssninent gqualincations for the position of White House mistress. | 1t 3 wouldn't be uny of them He vesented and yet wan amused by the efforin of the matchmokers in | Waxhingion's officis) set, e wox pected thnt Mrs Madison had s hianet i whie war Visiing in the cily il would e his guest todny N Wung sprigs of il onen b | Phwir plun of bim with un ol thew Lipige and 0y 1o ke b kise L Phe devil in hell—the President of the | United Beater caught kissing o young Vwoman unfey the milstletos would e Lantamount Lo announcing his engage joke on Van | e mnst took Buren, put Wi the envtain and started o Wi slow ahont diessing the operation none 1 putled 1o diess | and compl soon There wan ehild footwteps already on the statr when he pulled g the curtal The fog witn DIHE from the comm Phe costern wky wis on fire—an ad vineing ovean of five that consumed the duwn elouds in s path, 1t would be n hot day, This was (he hottest Cheistmas wenson Washington had known. “The room wis Nghter now and the furnishings could he din ungulehed eanily, LR 1 the tog had front of the freplae Kruy ashes, where Pirned ont during the night, hung twar enormonis Wlick stockings stafted with oy and enmly They were M Kipgs which she had T 1 Donelsan oya (he aight hefon my's leks Were exeep Ganally Lavge, Under each of (hem wis piled w hobhy hovee and o dyom which old Bell - Bnickle or - Hanta Clans bad biought down the chimney during the night, . Niad with ™ o eatih - i Thus Andvew Jackson mused as he | “HE WONDERED WHICH OF THE GIRLS WO ULD R | ¥rom the foot of his hed wero sux | pended two amalier stockings, simi- | Inrly wtuffed, Under ench was piled {a doll and a tea wet. They belonged son glvis. - The litte chent und hung wi hosery, expeeting that santn Claus would appreciite honesty and reward them for it In the opposite corner of the room wan hix mishogany writing dexk ahrine of blewsed memories, On it stood i dagierreotype of his wife and n front of the pletire lay he prayer book. There he ofien in praver, From the desk hung two Thaty stockings Hin own thick woolen sock hung from the untel - the childven hnd in winted that ho hang 10 up the night hefore, to e whint Hunta Clas would bring him. Hanta hud hoen gener It wan stuffed with a corncob p A palr of warm slippers and o tobinceo b, He knew who had stolen into the room after he supposedly had kone to sleep and Hled that siocking Dlews the ehild whose ngnosticism regurding Banta Clius had advanced 0 the winks where it wan alimost eyn teal negatlon, The general had sus pected . much on the way fo the orphatske yosterday when Johunio Donelson (he aldest of the six White House ehildren. had tvied to trap him It an affirmation of his own skep Helwm, CIid you ever men Ranta dahnnte had usked him, “No, my by, 1 never did," My thinkas mayhe he'll wot come tontght, Dl you ever kinow Hanta to behave that wayi" % ! Claun" thelr | \\\m | il il \ ETTING HER FOR We can only o knew a hoy | of Nanta Claus “Yes, Johnnle, I have, walt and wee. Hut 1 o who never sven heard and this boy never had o toy in hix Iite, n his oth he ne in the workd why, uncle, wax that | your s “Yesw-Johnnle~1." . The hoy had ot heen very talkn [ thve on (he vest of et trip about the elty How different was the lot of ehildven In these duys the Prest dent thought, ppired (o that of hiw own ehildhond haek In the moun. | frvins when such things as toys--even [ Chrintman el —were nnheard of Heve wan Johnnie Donelson, with everything o ehild's heart would long for, and still not satisfied But life hove in Washington, with {1t sehemtng women, woulil he unen | hurable - without these childven -the § | familien of his seoretury, Maj. Donel son, and of his stepson, Rachel's boy Even in the wildest of his tighting [ days he hud Known o great tendey | noss for ohildven —he had paced up and fdown in front of hix tent ¥ Iy al night, one A divty, squalling papooss in Wi arms, trving 1o get 110 wivep aftor one of the hattles in the Flovida - war when s pavents probably hnd heen Kiled. Now these HIX chillen el n great voll (0 the Lol man's heart cempecially winee. | Raehel had dlod wnd ett him in such Jan unutterable loneliness, with only sehemers and self seokers around him, They had enjoved stuting those stockings the night hefore, after the Lehiidren had gone to bed - himself, Maj. Doneison and Martin Van Buven, I i) { i fl MARTIN.® e had promised the yvoungsters that he-would try to sty awake and wateh for Hell Snickle coming down the chimney, This was to be a glovious Chvistmas for the children, with the kreat party he had planned for them. The Invitations had g a weok hefore 1o half the childven in the vity ta come to the White House for a grand frolic about the Christmas trea that afternoon, This idea of a decos vated tee wan an innovation and w pretty ane, the general theught Wea had come from some of the Ger man famdlies Who had settled in Washington With his clothes on, and after he had maved about a bt he telt better The stiffness had begnn to leave his jaimts when the door of his chamiber wan thrown apen, and the childven Yn aoross the floor and jumped in his arma Johnnie Donelson was in the load, n vedoheeked, tow hended boy, dressed fn a Heoteh plaid suit, Ry dently his mother or Mammy had in winted ressing hhm before allow. ing him K0 10 the Pvesident's room, But the two givls still were in thelr nightyowns. . PR dQoor of Andvew Jackson's bed vhamber was open to these chil dren at any hour, nlght or day, They Were free 1o vame to him with thele fof ate, & halt baveel of heer, thies hot | Confidences, or even to snuggle in bed Dealde hine Por that matter, the deor wan apen To anyhody. The servanis The ! Christmas Host to City’s Children | T . especially about one big colered man !who served him as a handy man and | whom some suspected of being in the | pay of his political enemies. | “Let him rummage my papers.” An- drew Jacgfon had said. “Thers will | be & lot of bad spelling and bad gram- !mar, but nothing at all that 1 am ashamed of.” . The children assured him that Santa Claus had brought them just what {they wanted and insisted on dragging 1 him down to breakfast he morning | meal was at § o'clock. The o'der mem- ihers of the White House famdily al ceady were in the room when the | President entered with his escort of children and took his seat at the foot of the hoard. Mrs. Donel: son sat facing him at the head of the table. She was the official hostess at the White House. They all stood while he asked a blessing on the meal, and he then started serving the children— & task which he particularly enjoved and would not leave to the servants, Conversation was lvely at the breakfust table and conce mostly with the events of vesterday, Had 1y one ever known so warm a Christ mas in Washington® The grass in front of the White House was as green as it It were Mavday instead of Yule tide, A green Christmas, a fat grave yard, 1t didn't look natural without a {few patches of snow. There was a frightful amount of drinking this holi day. especially among the foreigners {whe had come here to work on the | canal and settled in the Capital, The Chief Justice was against Whisky—be. [ lloved Congress ought (o pass a law Agalnst 1, He might be right, Jack won said; he hadn't touched a dvop of anything stron than cider since his wife died, “1never Knew wild rases to hlossowm twive before” said Mrs. Donelson, al luding to a vaseful of pink fowers the center of the table “1 pieked these Mysslf out on the common yes torday, right tn the burial ground.™ “Rad weather,” said the President, “Well, 1 wonder how Martin liked my present, Pretty good, | thought, fer the old chap's reom.™* They alt laughed, This was a joke and iU was eustomary te laugh at th Fold man's jokes, He and the chiklven had eft at the Necvetavy of Quarters & hand miver, s handle painted pink and with a flower destgn They had left & package of snuft tor AMrst. Madbson at the home of friends Where she was visitiy W penknives At the homes of various Gevernment clorky and offfofals whom the Prestdont Wished (o remember, Liquor, Andrew Jackson vemarked WaR expensive that v, The coats of running the White House were pro Abitive, and he must draw on the pro I--pnl- of hix cotton crop at the Her Witage to meet hin hitls. Far this one Bolidiay. o Keep the servants satiatied and dispense w proper hoxpltality, i had been necessary 1o arder & baveel | tox of Chiateauy May (les 0f Chateau Latu of London parter and a gallen of Jamatea vum, o say hothing of the cauN, thive bhot ‘ 1) Ntato's | A dosen hattles | {again to ponder over his bills, Mrs. Donelson sent the el ren out on the | common to play until dinner time. * e SHURTL\' after noon the guests be- #an to arrive and the rooms re- sounded with childish greetings and laughter. The bovs and girls from all the prominent Washington families were there—the Woodburys, the Blakes, the Jonas. the Lees. the Ma- | combs, the Carrolls. the Grahams, the Turnbulls, the DPleasantens, the Tanevs. the Corcorans, the Peters and the Hobbics. Besides thers were the city orphanage children and a muiti- tude from Georgetown that the Prest dent did not know by name. It was n invitation affair body asked for the invitations. Every child was welcoma to make free of the White House that day | Little groups erat rounded the gen- and listened to his hairoaising storfes of Indian wars-—stories which ho had repeated so often that they had becoma stale to Johnnie Donelson and the other children of the White House family, But the sreatest interest was shown in the sames. direc Livingston Ars ware forfeit gumes and DU, hide andseek and corner. The Donelson the advantuge i the » es. They covll [ dirty shoos and al, President’s bed. Aartin Van Buren was the les of e party. He plaved all the games [WIth the chidven, Once he was caukdt for a forfeit and the children el o we the Necretary of State stand on one les and repeat solemnly Mere 1 & d 1 ragesd and diriy 180 S S s we, 11 rum Ne a This proved sueh a Bit that he ad Towad Nimselt to be canght again for A forfeit. He had to stand on ons log fand repeat and hide in the L Wi} gl veu | o A vager of was | Fae a0 At e dectns Wy we There was a present for every ¢hikt ] ~tin whistles, cakes, molded Wke horsas and WA candy solders mounted on them, dalls, Jack-amie 1hox, toy cannons. No ohikt wha had AN invitation was forgotten and therw WP presents KT over o mest e the athers. Gen. Jackson had pres [ pared e this party with o lavish | Theough the thinty furnished rooms {the ohillven rompad. The windows | Were wpen and the bisds singing eut. Daide. Thus passed the westy after { noon and carly evenm | AU ok the childven were favs fing The Prosident and Mrs. Madisen fatosd at the o 10 bl them good Pasht The sivups disappeared inte 1 Ahe starlit NiEBE aorss the conuman. | UCenernl” sl the goad BMde wha not g hofre had herself boen mibs tress of the White House, “they ve- LI me uf the Becess o of fairies Mo Nights Disam CTROY oWt Temind e of that* | said Andrew Jacksn “They remind Wern (e 1o go through his desh and | iatertals for the great howl of egg-nng | M o of the anes that came 1o the hia Vivate papers 1F they wanted to He Lml been rum\uu\-d about this= D which must be hept dlled 4l day tons After lreahfast ho vetived (o hia oo nees of Jesus and of whom he s Wontiaued on Seventh Paged L]