OCR Text |
Show Mount Vernon as It Now Appears. I To como upon "Tlts. Mount Vornon !l Hoods tho long- fjt'jgrM if tiled gallery, and ri fR liW 1110 funrds lazily jMP. SmJM stretch their legs LJvmIBR aml yawn nt your V"JKI approach; to lhv"'VM watch tho bluo Jit" jMk smoke, curling bfiiLW, 7?H fr()m 1,10 ch,m" EilMfrj rtttTiflB noys, and seo tho jjfHJ4l barn-yard fowls HKJq QH cluck noisily about fsHr--ii iiiolr wi,iKs HHHliisH run. Is to sco tho old plnco as whon Wnshlngton mot his friends half way down tho drive, or salutod them from afar. This Is as you find It when you aro sot down llko a duck In a puddle, right on tho edgo of tho most historic spot In America. You pass along In tho shadow of tho squat brick wall, topped off with ornamental orna-mental pickets, past the higher red brick wall mottled with patches of whitewash and topped off with its moss-grown coping, that winds ulong up tho hill llko n hugo snake, over which tho rod roofs show in utter doll-, anco of its great landlord's effort to hide their everj'-day oxlstonco and homely suggestions. Whllo you ponder pon-der why Washington's back door was his front door, and prepare to saluto tho shades of his greatness, a man with a cumora and a "taking" expression expres-sion whirls Into vlow, and before you know It yours Is ono of tho strange fnces that looks out from tho gallery, all wondering, even though knowing, what ho Is going to do. But It's of no uso to fret. Llko trouble, ho Is ovor with you thlckor than dandelions on a Btimmor greon. If ho divides tho honors with any ono, It's with tho womnn who wants a souvenir of General Gen-eral Washington. Horo In tho bnnquot room, on tho spot whoro Lafayotto, Rochambeau, Jefferson, Madison and Monroo, and tho Artists Houdon, Pealo nnd Trumbull, Trum-bull, besides many great revolutionary gonornls, dined, tho women hold their uxecutlvo sessions. Tho beautiful sllvor mounted mirror that ndorned Washington's bnnquot board Is removed, re-moved, and upon tho tablo thoy wrlto of tho progress that saved tho old houso from ruin. To tho Regents of tho Mount Vornon association, who como onco each sprlngtlmo nnd actually actu-ally Hvo, ent, and drink, nnd sloop undor tho famous old roof, docs tho placo owo Its air of homollko comfort, com-fort, as woll as Its preservation. It Is tho bnnquot room that was prepared for tho first tlmo by tho hands of Lafayotto and a company of Fronch noblomen, who chanced to bo houso guests. Tho story runs thnt a ball was to bo given, and tho Imported Im-ported papor hnd arrived, but no pnperhnugors. Mrs, Washington mourned, but tho chlvnlrous Lafayotto, always ready to do or die, consoled hor ho wns equnl to tho omongency, and ho and bin friends hung tho paper, assisted by tho genornl and his household. house-hold. In this historic room, tho women wo-men are lltornlly surrounded by tho priceless treasures that thoy have collected from tho fading past for tho bonellt of futuro genoratlonB, Tho Wnshlngton that Rembrandt Pealo pictures, facing tho difficulties of Yorktown, glorifies tho sldo of tho room, whllo from a mahogany cabinet cornea a substantial suggestion of tho convivial cheer that went around tho fcstlvo board through tho medium of tho ponderous punch bowl, or tho quaintly cut chnmpngno glasses. Many a trlflo thnt tells of tho lovo of fern-Inlno fern-Inlno finery fills nnother case rnro bits of lace, miniatures, silver and chlnn a delicious bit of feminine folly wovon Indollbly Into tho meshes of all time. It docs seem a bit ghnstly to turn In with tho ghosts of the great, upon tho bed whero Washington died, but It hns boon done; and, too, whoro Lnfay-otto Lnfay-otto rested. On the quaint little dressing dress-ing enso, whoro reposed his august cue, now, each springtime, lies a riotous mass of modern hairpins nnd fcmlnlno furbolows. Tho sitting room of Nolilo Custls, thnt of Martha Wnshlngton, tho fnmlly dining room nnd tho library, each with Its wealth of heirlooms,' tolls of tho painstaking enro and research of mnny yenrs. In thoso rooms tho Regents sleep, nnd work, and live, nnd Imbuo themselves with the spirit of tho WnshingtonB. The attendants, for tho most part, aro moro replelo with now uniforms than historical information, but thero Is reason for knowing thnt It was in the denr old library thnt Wnshlngton received tho ofTlclal announcement of his o'loctlon as president of tho United States. Thero nro 17 closets In three sides of this room curious Httlo closets within closets, nono perceptible Tomb of Washington In Summer Time. to tho passing trnvolcr, but clovorly conccnled as a part of tho walls and woodwork. You must wado kneo deop through chorry tokens to roach tho old conservatory, con-servatory, with tho qunlnt, rambling sorvants' quarters tucked away undor tho eaves on each sldo, whllo sloping roofs nnd whltownshod wnlls remind ono somehow of nobblo 11 urns. It Is curious how tho American trav-olor trav-olor prefers to pilfer Ills historic treasures rather than to pay a trlflo for them. Tho old gnrdonor thinks this Is tho enso, and It Is only by tho greatest vigilance that ho has for so mnny years prosorved tho'hlsto.lc out-lino out-lino of tho gardon as orlglnnlly plantecf nnd laid oft by Washington. Again, Mrs. Leltor's generosity and flno Judgment Judg-ment nro shown, for Bho Is chairman of tho committee on grounds nnd shrubs, as well ns Interested In tho garden nnd greenhouse Many n rare plant finds Its wny to Mount Vornon through hor efforts. Tho gardens nro maintained nt an oxponso of ovor $2,000, but between $G00 and 1700 or this amount Is rcnllzcd from tho sal of plants. Mrs. Phoebo Hcnrst Is a model farmor, and spends her monoy and tnlont freely. Sho has prosorved nnd beautified tho wharf ut an ex-" ponso of moro than $10,000, Sho directs di-rects tho superintendent ns to tho vegutablo gardon that supplies tho tablo maintained for tho uttondants, advises nbout tho dcor park thnt hangs on thu hill's odgo ovor the Potomac, and otherwise nets as a, beneficent power all nbout tho prom. Ises. Sho took a practical vlow of tho hord of Jorsoy cattlo that browsod around, and whon thoy failed to keep tho old-faBhloned mllkhouso as woll supplied ns necessary sho hnd them sold nnd a protty hord of auornsoys driven In. In tho spacious old kitchon whoro things run riot, tho traveler buyB elthor a glass of milk or a picture tu carry away ns n souvonlr. Somehow, ono can't holp but fool that ovon tho kino belonged to Wnshlngton, because thoy browse on his plantation. |