My Brother, Theodore RooseveltRobinson, Corinne Roosevelt
History
My Brother, Theodore Roosevelt
Robinson, Corinne Roosevelt
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
individuals, each one thinking, and feeling and acting according to his
own will,--and that all, just for that one night, came together for a
common purpose, to see the President. Soon an open place appeared in
the throng before us, and the President and Mrs. Roosevelt, and behind
them Vice-President and Mrs. Fairbanks, walked to the other end of the
hall and back, while the people cheered and cheered.” And soon it was
time to go back to the White House, and then, best of all, came what
we used to call a “back-hair” talk in Theodore and Edith’s room. What
fun we had as we talked the great day over in comfortable déshabille. A
small round bottle of old wine was found somewhere by Mrs. Roosevelt,
and the family drank the President’s health, and we talked of old times
and childhood days, and of the dear ones whose hearts would have glowed
so warmly had they lived to see that day. We laughed immoderately over
all kinds of humorous happenings, and we could hardly bear to say “good
night,” we still felt so gay, so full of life and fun, so invigorated
and stimulated by the excitement and by the deeper thoughts and
desires, which, however, only took the form that night of increasing
hilarity!
Shortly after that March inauguration my daughter Corinne, just
eighteen, was asked by her kind aunt to pay a visit at the White House,
and I impressed upon her the wonderful opportunity she would have of
listening to the great men of the world at the informal luncheon
gatherings which were a feature of my brother’s incumbency. “Do not
miss a word,” I said to my daughter. “Uncle Ted brings to luncheon
all the great men in Washington--almost always several members of the
cabinet, and any one of interest who is visiting there. Be sure and
listen to everything. You will never hear such talk again.” When she
returned home from that visit I eagerly asked her about the wonderful
luncheons at the White House, where I had so frequently sat spellbound.
My somewhat irreverent young daughter said: “Mother, I laughed
internally all through the first luncheon at the White House during my
visit. Uncle Ted was perfectly lovely to me, and took me by the hand
and said: ‘Corinny, dear, you are to sit at my right hand to-day, and
you must have the most delightful person in the room on your other
side.’ With that he glanced at the distinguished crowd of gentlemen
who were surrounding him waiting to be assigned to their places, and
picking out a very elderly gentleman with a long white beard, he said
with glowing enthusiasm: ‘You shall have John Burroughs, the great
naturalist.’ I confess I had hoped for some secretary in the cabinet,
but, no, Uncle Ted did not think there was any one in the world that
compared in thrilling excitement to his wonderful old friend and
lover of birds. Even so, I thought, ‘Mother would wish me to learn
all about natural history, and I shall hear marvellous ornithological
tales, even if politics must be put aside.’ But even in that I was
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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