-c-v.s
v.
4 ,
I
II 15 R E nro few
more charming
spots than de
llKhtful old Mount
I SB fc!KEi' Vernon, with Ha
HI I y silent tomb, Its
I i I 1 1 1 n u I n t mnnslon
. Hi i I H Fl 11 ml Its undulat
ing acres on tlie
banks of the broad Potomac, nut It
was not to this mansion as It now
stands that George Washlnriin
brought the admirable woman wliom
bo mnrrlcd. Then the niaimlon was
but two stories In height, with four
rooms on each floor. Washington,
who was fond of visiting bore, In
herited this plnco from bl3 step
brother, Lawronco Washington.
Now nppronchltis visitors arc told
when they set foot within the limit
of the S000 acres which wpi-o owned
by George Washington, who himself
described this citato as "In a high,
fienlthy country, In a latitude between
the extremes of heat nnd cold, on
one of the finest rlrers in the world
n river well slocked with various
fish at all seasons of the year, and
In the spring with shnd, herring, bass,
carp, sturgeon, etc., In abundance.
The borders of the estate are wafahed
by more than ten miles of tldewnterj
several valuabla fisheries appertain
to It." ...
When at length Washington had
taken a "Riwrr, Affecting nnd affectlon-
me icuvtj 01 111s oiiiceiH, outer lur
Iiialllle3 being over, ho prepared to
settle down to' delightful domesticity
at Mount Vernon, he found that
quietude was not for him. Seeing
he had underrated his Importance, he
yielded to the Inevitable and Btralght
way planned to enlarge their dwell
ing, every line of It being approved
by Mrs. Washington. There's the
hall through the centre, with a splen
did staircase. Opening out of It at
the north are the west parlor and the
' music, room. Beyond them Is the
state dining room, running the length
of the north end of the house, and
quite corresponding to the east room
at the White House In Washington,
I). C. From the south of the hall
open the charming dining room (a
west room) and the sitting room.
Like the music room, It looks out
upon the river. Beyond these, at the
extreme south, Is Washington's li
brary (though some authorities sy
he had none and cared little for
books). By a private utalrway he
could go up to his bed chamber
above, a fine room, with two south
windows and two dressing rooms.
After the custom, this room was
closed upon his death, and his widow
removed to the attic room directly
above, and from the dormer window
of which she could see his tomb. And
there she died.
Curved around irom the' mansion
MRS. LAWRENCE LEWIS (ELEAN
OR CUST1S.)
From tho painting by Stuart.
away from the river are graceful col
onnades, paved and roofed, which
connect it with the offices at the north
and tho ereat kitchen st the south.
'-fir if ixtWi-
WASHINGTON.
Welcome- to t lie day returning,
Dearer xtill nn n;es flow,
While the torch of Fnilh ia burning,
Long in I'lccilom' ultai'H glow!
See the hero whom it nave ih,
Sltimlici ing on n ixot Iut'b breast;
l''r th nrm he Htietclicil to wire us,
lie its mom forerur blent!
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The gardener's domain nnd the but
ler's nro still beyond.
Peculiarly enough, the kitchen re
minds one of Lafayette. To begin at
the beginning, Lafayette sent Wash
ington a pack of French stag hounds,
thinking In times of peaco ho would
return to the pleasure of the chase.
Vulcan was one of the most nggres-
ft
v. 1,
v .. 7
li t i -t r a " i
V., f jjX' ftc
(John an fttfsy Cusflj,Hi lirfl
son and daughter of Martha
Washinton,"on vihom lhe Pro
lovnt luvoiK'u ins tieui luve
for children.
stve of these animals, and distin
guished himself by seizing a tempt
ing ham which had been done to a
turn In the great fireplace, and, In
spite of the attack of tongs and
pokers, bearing it off to his kennel.
The General and the guests thought
It amusing, but Martha Washington
did not feel safe In her capacity as
hostess until the hounds had been
disposed of, and the splendid slopes,
amid which Is the simple but dignllled
tomb of herself and our first Presi
dent, were stocked with beautiful
deer.
Mrs. Washington had a passion for
gardening and indulged In It not only
at beautiful Mount Vernon, but even
at such times as sho Joined her hus
band at his summer headquarters of
the army, notably at Newburgh. To
this day her favorlto rose, among
other plants. Is propagated, nnd vis
itors to this Fairfax County paradise
may carry away, for a consideration,
a Martha Washington reso bush.
After Washington's death Martha
Washington said: " 'Tis well all 1j
now over; I hav6 no more trlais to
go through." So the great law of
compensation works through every
thing. She would have been glad
enough to creep back to her White
House plantation, after which the
President's house was named, If she
could have found John and Patsy
Custls, the girl and boy she loved,
waiting for her there.
To Jacky, Washington sent the
letter informing bis family that ho
had accepted the charge of tho Col
onial forces. He feared the effect of
the news upon his wife. She, he
knew, realized the task he was under
taking, but hor ardent patriotism con
quered her fears. My heart Is In
the cause," she wrote to a .friend.
"George Is right. He Is always right."
She may have been terrorized by
those booming guns at Cambridge,
coming as she did from fifteen years'
sweet seclusion at Mount Vernon, but
under the guidance of his brave spirit
she learned to look all hardships In
the face even death Itself grew '.
havo no terrors for her. And so we
find her In his shadow through all the
war, always faithful, always loving
Organizing bis households nnd don
ning linsey-woolsey' for her house
wifely duties, as slio did to the dismay
of the ladles of Morrlstown.- She
planted nnd trimmed chance gardens,
mndo qucuo bagn for her husband's
young olllcers, ami tended tho sick
and weary; nnd sometimes sho could
put aBlde her own thoughts, light the
candles and danco a minuet with the
best of thorn. Anyone who has sucn
a pair of her tiny brocaded slippers
realizes that she could not have been
human and kept them hidden!
In a certain old Virginia family,
where traditions havo been garnered
and kept as fragrant aB tho rose
leaves In tho bowls of eighteenth
century Waterford glass that adorn
the low chlmnoy-pleco In tho tlmo
toned drawing rooms, Mrs. Washing
ton Is a vital memory. It Is related
that friends followed her rise on tho
nrm of Washington with rounded and
expectant eyes. Would she chango
for them and play lhe grent lady on
her sunimor visits to Mount Vernon?
They had known her, n simple South
ern housewife In tho humblest of
caps a mob, crocking her sugar-loaf,
directing tho mnklng of currant Jell
or mulberry wine, and they engerly
awaited her coming after each step
In her husband's advance townrd tho
heights whore the laurel leaves flash
In tho sunlight. But tlmo made no
chango In her affections. She was
faithful to all her early ties, and
talked morn to her neighbors of the
affairs of her household than the nf
falrs of tho nntlon her husband was
ruling. From the great coach, as it
skirted tho hill, sho waved her'hnnd
to them, and when.Bho tripped down
its side steps it was to fall Into their
welcoming nrms with tears and
kisses. Washington, himself, was not
expected to unbend to such a degree,
nnd it Is still whispered In Virginia
that ho did not even deem It correct
to shake hands after he became Pres
ident. A low court bow from tho
4 r?'
t
4
waist was his excellency's greatest
mark of favor.
In thinking of the couple-and
how few of us know them ns more
than shadowy names we are apt In
fancy to mold them Into cold and
austere beings; but they were not so.
No man of the Revolution contracted
firmer friendships than Washington
did, and as for his Martha, ber natur
ally warm heart was always 'going
out to somp ono In secret. To that
motherless young officer Alexander
Hamilton bIio became so devoted that
the Tory scribblers designated him
as her "yellow tom-cat," and take,
for instance, their mutual affection
for the little son of Tobias Lehr. It
hns been frequently asserted that
they had no liking for children, but
old letters and papers prove that
7 S r- vj.
1 1 4 lr'r J
ii J ' t ft
A h "jrl iz&Ktz J
JD13 TO THE 221 OF FEIJItt'AHV.
Livm of great men oft rf mind ua,
We may yet lie nlnninn Ihiiiim;
Ami, ilcpiirliiig, Iriiro luliiiul tin
Other licuils for pontage stumps.
Oilier hriiH'i o'er Hie Harlem,
Other niclicii, hii:li in nirj
Other murkeU, down in West street,
Cither utilities in tho Dipinre.
Other linlchetH, trecR nnd Btoiie
ItemiiiK morulH mill! to f:ize;
And - the pinnacle of plorien
Other Icirnl holiilajM!
J. M. Clutter, in New York Truth.
Washington either educated or adopt
ed nlno of tho offspring of his kith
and kin. Perhnps In his whole carocr
there Is nothing more touching thnn
tho picture drawn of him by Dumas
on the evening of tholr visit to the
town of Providence:
"We arrived there nt night; the
wholo of the population had as
sembled from tho suburbs; we were
surrounded by a crowd of children
cnrrylng torches, reiterating tho ac
clamations of tho citizens; all were
eager to approach tho person of him
whom they culled their father, and
pressed so closely nround tis that they
hindered us from proceeding. Gen
eral Washington was very much
affected, stopped n few moments, and
pressing my hand, said: 'We may
be beaten by tho English it Is tho
chance of war but behold an army
which they enn never conquer!' "
And ns for Martha Washington, she
will always stand first as a wife and
mother, although her ntmo Is high
on tho list of notable American
women. Very few of her letters are
extant, nnd very few of her speeches
have been recorded. Although she
followed her handsome Virginia col
onel tip tho most difficult slopes, she
sometimes rebelled at being what she
called "a prisoner of state." The
great Joy of her declining years was
her grandchildren. Eleanor Parke
Custls and George Washington Parko
Custls wero practically brought up by
her. Perhaps she shut her eyes some
times and protended that they wero
little Patsy and Jacky. Wo find
Washington writing to the boy ns
"your papa." Ho, too, was shutting
his eyes and dreaming of a Joy
missed. After all the storm and
stress we picture him In tho home
ho loved best of everything In his
life. Nellie Custls Is playing at her
harpsichord, nnd tho piece is ono he
bus given her, "The Way Worn Trav
eler." Ho sits on the long sofa you
can see It in the sitting room at
Mount Vernon to-day and Martha
Is by his side. As tho fresh young
voice fills tho room ho takes her slen
der whlto hand a trifle wrinkled
now and kissea It. It Is a sprlng
tlmo night like one he found when
traveling the road to Williamsburg.
Then the candles sputter and the
vision U gone. From tho Lndles'
World.
Hoy Wlir Sp'ilie "George Wnsblngton."
Once I knew a llttlo boy five years
old who stood up before a lot of folks
In a great big ball r.nd spoke n piece.
His uncle made it up for him. It
was the night of Washington's birth
day, so you see It had to be about
George Washington.
The little boy wns so small that a
mnn bad to lift him up on the stage.
Then, when he stood there and saw
all tho folks he felt frightened, they
all made such a noise clapping their
Ihands. But j list then he remem
bered his piece and spoke it. This
was It:
Now don't bpifin to clnp
When 1 lK'iiin to speak,
For I'm n little ehnp,
And rather lack the cheek.
I'm not ns old on Washington,
When nt his mother's knee
lie miid what lie had done,
fcfnid he'd cut the cherry tree.
Snid he cut it with his hntchct,
And when Ilia mother henrd,
Guess he thought he'd cnteh it,
Hut she never said a word.
Now I will be like Georgie good,
And try not tell n lie;
He loved by nil the neiuhborhood.
And a great man by nnd by.
What Wnsblngton Might Tell.
George Washington, If he had sur
vived, would have been a hundred
and seventy-six years old this year,
and might have been able to tell us
which of the various portraits of hlin
wns a likeness. If he were as lacking
in vanity as Cromwell, he certainly
would not select the Gilbert Stuart
portrait, for that Is admittedly some
what Idealized.
,- O t-!
'if.
j.
30
MARTHA WASHINGTON.
The Portrait is by Edward Savage.
FOX HUNTER'S EXPERIENCE.
Professor John F. Draughon, of
Nashville, Tenn., who doubtless owns
one of the best packs of fox hounds
In this country, whllo talking with
several fot-huntor friends recently,
told some practical Jokes on himself.
What makes the stories more inter
esting Is that Professor Draughon Is
a man of considerable means, being
president of thirty business colleges,
the biggest chuln of business colleges
In the world.
One of tho stories related by Pro
fessor Draughon is as follows:
"Nashville people will remember
that some months ago there was con
ducted In this city a very interest
ing religious revival the Torrey
Alexander meeting. Ono day, during
the progress of the meeting, I was
asked by tho pastor to take some of
those conducting tho mooting per
sons from other cities for an auto
mobile rldo, enabling them thus to
see the places of Interest in and
about Nashville. I readily consented
to tho .ride, nnd the necessary
arrangements were soon made. I
was introduced to those who were to
accompany me, and even in tho ln-r
traductions my business may have
been remotely referred to, but names
ond other details of Introductions aro
oftentimes lo3t so far as future refer
ence Is concerned. Anyhow, all being
ready, wo started briskly on our ex
cursion. One of the gentlemen sat
on the front seat with me. Our con
versation naturally dealt largely
with automobiles, the gentleman ask
ing mo ell about the machines. I
told him all I knew, perhaps a great
deal more; at any rate, it is likely
thnt he thought I knew as much
about automobiles rm ho knew about
religion. Pretty soon he asked me
bow Ions I had been driving cars.
I told him I had been driving cars
about two years. He then asked me
what enrs I liked best. I told him I
was then driving both a steamer nnd
a four-cj llndor gasoline, and ns be
tween the two, I had no special pref
erence. Ho nuked me If I had ever
had any wrecks. I told him that I
had had no serious trouble. Grow
ing a little nervous, I Bought to
change tho subject. I bagan to fear
that my companions would become
somewhat apprehensive, and this
served to recall to mo my first ex
perience ns nn automobile driver.
"My first car wns a second-hand
one, purchased from our local tele
phone company. Tho company kindly
volunteered to furnish a mnn who
could and would show mo all the
intricacies of the car Its Internal
anatomy, Its steering apparatus, etc.
and how to manipulate It. I in
vited Mr. Calllouctte, the gentleman
who was to teach me on Monday, to
go out with me on Sunday morning
knowing, of course, that I could
not learn to drive a car on Sunday
and I also invited some ok my
friends to accompany us on this ride.
We made n few trips up and down
the Granny White Pike, and the run
ning of the car seemed simple
enough to me; in fact, It seemed to
me to be as easy as the proverbial
'falling off a log. The simplicity and
ease with which It was run was so
Impressed upon me that I finally
said to Mr. Calliouette: 'That looks
easy to me; let me try it.' He prompt
ly changed seats with me, and I took
hold of the steering wheel. We were
then going downhill Just beyond my
borne. As we began to ascend the
next little 'rise,' Mr. Calliouette said:
'Open your throttle. If you don't,
you'll choke your engine down.' I
pulled the throttle wide open, nnd
immediately there was a very no
ticeable acceleration In our speed.
"We began going down ha pike at
a pretty good clip, when, Just as wj
got in front of the Bible school, the
car tipped over a ditch, into a wire
fence, and rolled over against a tele
phone pole. Now, I am not positive
as to which of two things that car
wanted to do, enter the Bible school
and enroll in a Sunday-school class
or, from sheer force of habit, climb
a telephone pole. Whichover It was,
certain it Is that the car was incapaci
tated for further service until It had
been detained for some time in an
automobile hospital. All the passen
gers escaped personal Injury. One,
however, needed a new derby hat.
"About tho time wo succaedsd in
getting from under tho car, Mr. J. C.
Symmes and Mr. John F. Davie enme
up at a very rapid rate, having seen
from a distance that we wero in
trouble. Cue of these gentlemen in
terrogated mo thus: 'Draughon, what
in the world aro yoa doing?' I re
plied: 'Don't get csclted. It looks
as if you could see what I am doing;
but if you want to know what I have
been trying ta do, that's a different
story. I've been trying this car to
seo if It could Jump ditches and
fences, while the chase is on, but I
find it an inglorious failure In these
particulars, for on the trial it turned
over with us and tried to climb a
telephone pole. It might, however,
te good for coon hunt'ng or for
fathering persimmons.'
"But back to my story. At the
time the Inquisitive gentleman of the
evangelistic party was plying me with
questions regarding my experience in
driving cars, the remembrance of
this narrow escape, of course, made
me a little nervous, and I frequently
tried to change the topi;, even shift-
I
lng a time or two to the subject of re
ligion; but the conversation would
Invarlnbly revert to the original topic
automobiles. Again I gave, In an
swer to questions, overy bit of Infor
mation I possessed regarding auto
mobiles in general, and particularly
the car In which we wore riding.
But ho plied mo onco more. 'How
much,' said he, 'do they pay you fel
lows dovn here for driving cars?' I
replied: 'The slzo of the salary de
pends very largely on thoamotint of
experience n man- has had, the
caution ho exercises, and tho skill he
exhibits ns a driver.'
"As I imparted this Inst bit of in
formation to my qtiostlonor wo were
rapidly nearlng tho end of our Jour
ney. The skyscrapers and steeples,
which but a few moments ago had
Beemed so far awny, now looked di
rectly down on us ns we threaded our
way through tho tortuous thorough
fares of our city, and In a little while
our evangelistic party were In the
midst of tho afternoon services in the
great Auditorium, safe and sound in
body and unterrlfledly fighting the
hosts of Bin. I nra sure thnt If ever
they come this way again and wish
to take a safe automobile ride, they
nrlll pnlt ihn trnrnen for the driver
who wears plain, ordinary specta
cles." BREAKING IN A RHINOCEROS.
There Is nn old story about a man
who had to have his arm amputated,
and began by cutting off his fingers
nnd then his hand, in order to get
used to It before undertaking the
lnrgor Job; It does not sound histori
cally accurate, and may have grown
up from a talo narrated by Richard
Bell about a rhinoceros which was
"broken In" to having his horn sawed
off. 1
This animal, which lived in the
Hondon Zoo, wns troubled by its
horn, which grew down in front of
its mouth, so that only with difficulty
could It eat or drink. To save Its llfo
the keeper decided on amputation.
Tho horn of tho rhinoceros is not a
horn at all, but an accumulation of
hair nnd skin which hns hardened
and become cemented together by
some gummy substances. Tho owner
of this ono had a very touchy temper
nnd was not easily approached. Its
keeper, however, decided to try what
ho conld do. l
For some days it required all his
skill to persuade the beast to come
to tha front of tho cage and pull Its'
horn through. Then for some days
ho stroked tho horn much to the
nnlmal's disgust nt first, Rlthough
later It seemed to like It. When it
found he meant no harm it let him
tnko tho horn in his left hand, and
then with the right imitate the mo
tion of a saw across It.
When this- had been done some
time, nnd the rhinoceros no longer
minded It, a piece of wood was. held
In the right hand, and at last, when
ever this no longer worried the ani
mal, a real saw was brought in and
tho horn cut off without the slight
est remonstrance from the owner of
It. Youth's Companion.
STRANGE SEA TALE.
A strange tale of the sea was given
by tho captain of the British steamer
Kilburn, which arrived at Yokohama
on October 4. When the ship, laden
with coal, was passing down the Red
Sea on her way to Japan, she went
ashore on the Arabian coast, where
Bhe was ransacked by about 300
Arabian pirates. They made away
with the personal belongings of the
crew, the ship's furniture, even some
of tho portholes, riggings, tackles
eyejythlng that was movable after
which they took the crew captive, ex
cept the captain, of whom they de
manded a heavy ransom. The cap
tain, to save his head, parted with
about $500. Later a few of the Brit
ish sailors escaped from the pirates
and applied for protection to tha
lurxisn government, wnich eventual
ly conducted them to a place of safe
ty. Subsequently the Turkish eov-
ernment dispatched a warship to the
scene or tne wreck, but the pirates
bad long since deserted the place.
FIGHT WITH LUNATIC.
Fighting a supposed lunatic for an
hour and eventually wresting a knife
from his grasp was the thrilling ex
perience of Ma9 O'Connor, the twen
ty-year-old operator for the Monroe
County (Iowa) Telephone Company.
mies o Connor was alone when a
stranger entered and asked to talk
with some one in Pella.
Pella answered that no such Dei
son lived there, whereupon the stran
ger broke Into a torrent of oaths.
Miss O'Connor ordered the man
away, and then he grabbed her
around tho waist and drew a knife.
The girl foug'at with superhuman
strength, finally secured the knife
and tha niaa vanished ia the dark
ness. When help arrived Miss O'Connor
lay in a dead faint, with her hands
bleedin; from the knife wounds re-
dived ia the struggle.
:.:adi: a flying rescue.
J. G. Holloway, a fireman on the
Louisville end Nashville Railroad,
running on a frelsht train between
Eransville, lad., and Nashville,
Tenn., made a heroic rescue of a
three-year-old girl.
A3 his train turned a curve neai
Sebree, Ky., the child was noticed on
the track playing with her doll. She
was only a few yards in front of th
engine. The engineer quickly re
versed the brakes and the firemi?
crawled out upon . the cowcatcherr
and, holding on with one hand,
picked up the child with the other.
The child was unhurt.
Ills came will be presented for
Carnegie medal. New York Worli,