In the opening days of his administration, President Hayes gave a brilliant state dinner, which was long discussed and over which there was much speculation. Secretary Evarts had expressed his distress over the lack of wines long and fervently. When the dessert of oranges was served, there were expressive glances exchanged between guests. They enjoyed the delicious concoction and were frankly not averse to more. They were convinced that the chef had been liberal with Santa Croix rum and were accordingly delighted to think the First Lady of the Land had been hoodwinked. The President, “one of those demmed literary fellers” as he was often called, appeared to be wholly ignorant of anything to cause unusual satisfaction. He did not partake of the fruit. Rumour claims that he enjoyed the situation thoroughly. No one suspected that he was aware that his guests were of the opinion that the white ribbon rule had been rudely jarred, if not broken. He kept his counsel. The guests whispered the story around and the popularity of the orange dessert grew. It was often served. None discovered until long afterward that the joke was on the guests--the President and the chef had conferred--a flavouring had been found that so completely duplicated the taste of the famous rum as to require an expert to detect the difference. President Hayes was addicted to the scrapbook habit. This was his method of keeping up with current information. One clerk was detailed to go through daily papers, clip and classify all news and information. The clippings were pasted in books under the subjects to which they belonged and were immediately available to the President’s call, whether his query related to cotton exports, international treaties, or the country’s finances. Young Webb Hayes found his time pretty well occupied with a diversity of duties, as his mother clung to her old Ohio habit of filling the house with young ladies who had to be squired and beauxed on sight-seeing trips, and escorted constantly to social affairs. Often, when some impromptu expedition was gotten up, he had as many as eight girls to look after at one time. Asked recently how he managed this part of his White House job, Colonel Hayes merely shook his head, gave his Rooseveltian smile, and _looked_ so reminiscent that it seemed even the illustrious example of Coolidge silence was in danger of being forgotten, and perhaps a delightful story of some of the romance of a twenty-year-old lad might be forthcoming--but it wasn’t.