FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



both the President and Mrs. Hayes. The President seemed rather 

 austere and was probably weighed down by official troubles, 

 but Mrs. Hayes was friendly, democratic and motherly, and 

 completely won the hearts of two rather lonesome boys. Her 

 beauty and her charm are readily seen in the portrait of her 

 painted by E. F. Andrews (my old and very dear friend) that 

 still hangs in the White House. 



The Presidential mansion was overrun with visitors in those 

 days, and they were admitted to almost all parts of the building. 

 They could even peep in the door (always open) of Mrs. Hayes' 

 sitting-room, where she was often seen at her sewing-machine. 

 As I remember it, her personal charm was like that of Mrs. 

 Coolidge, so wonderfully well known to people of a much later 

 date. Let me give you an example of the impression she made. 



One day an excursion party arrived from Ithaca. They called 

 upon their Member of Congress, Mr. Dwight, and asked him 

 if he could get them a chance to shake hands with the President 

 and Mrs. Hayes. Mr. Dwight arranged it readily, and they 

 were asked to assemble at the White House at eleven o'clock 

 one morning. Two of the excursionists, prominent Ithaca busi- 

 ness men, old friends of mine, called on me at my office and 

 asked me to go with them. The excursionists were a miscel- 

 laneous lot. We were ushered into the East Room, formed in 

 line, and the President and Mrs. Hayes and Rud came in. 

 Rud spotted me and called me off to one side, partly under 

 a curtain, where we watched the show. The excursionists 

 were greeted cordially as they passed the Presidential party, and 

 they were greatly impressed. A few of the earlier ones came over 

 and joined Rud and myself. Presently a man who had just 

 passed through (I am ashamed to say that his shirt and collar 

 were dirty and that his chin bore traces of tobacco juice) came 

 up to us, beaming all over. 



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