“When Taft went into the Province of Bulacan to introduce civil government, he naturally inquired for the most prominent citizen of the place, who proved to be a former captain of volunteers and a former presidente, Senator José Serapio. The Senator was oozing dignity. He was uniformed like a bandmaster, and he had medals pinned all over his chest. He expected to see the great American Governor coming with resplendent ceremonies and in gorgeous array. But Taft came along in a suit of light linen, and when he was introduced to the grandee he grabbed him by the hand and said ‘Howdy,’ in the most approved American manner. “Taft appointed the Senator governor of that province, and when the latter appeared to take charge of his office, the natives were surprised to see him in plain white clothes. He had laid aside his dignity with his uniform, and went around shaking hands and saying, ‘Howdy! Glad to see you.’ “Mr. Taft, in the Philippines, preferred to ride a mule, because, he explained, a horse usually saw him first and mutinied, but the mule would stand it a couple of days before showing he preferred not to be ridden. He once kept a formal and gorgeous dinner waiting until he made sure that his hard-worked mule had been fed. [Illustration: WILLIAM H. TAFT AND HIS FAMILY] “The story, much to the credit of his humaneness, was known to a Minnesota mayor whose observation of mules had been limited to the smaller breeds. He asked Mr. Taft how big his mule was. “‘Oh’--indicating the lowest button on his vest--‘about so high. Weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds, I should judge.’ “‘Mr. Taft,’ the mayor remarked solemnly, ‘I believe you’re a nature-faker.’ “So he was, too, for the mules he rode in the Philippines were big and mighty beasts.” On account of his size, his friends always made commiserating jokes in regard to the beasts which Taft rode. Another Philippine story refers to a long and tedious journey he made to the mountains of Bengat. The Department at Washington knew of the trip, and Mr. Taft reported by cable direct to Secretary of State Root: “Arrived safe and sound after riding one hundred miles muleback.” Secretary Root replied like this: “Congratulations on your health. How is the mule?” The native Filipinos fairly worship Mr. Taft. They have a way of calling him “Santa Taft,” and think, in order to be a great man in America, one must have a gigantic stature. When Mr. Taft was appointed Secretary of War, his wife at once became a popular hostess whose drawing room was always filled with interesting people. Her knack of remembering faces and names and her evident interest in the people she met offset a certain austerity made noticeable by contrast to the geniality of the head of the house, but due, in her case, largely to a certain diffidence that was lost entirely during her public life.