File:Recollections of full years (1914) (14579788799).jpg

Identifier: recollectionsoff00taft (find matches)
Title: Recollections of full years
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Taft, Helen Herron, 1861-1943
Subjects: White House (Washington, D.C.) Philippines -- Description and travel Washington (D.C.) -- Social life and customs
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead & Company
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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en; when the speeches had allbeen made, and the good-byes had all been said, Mr. Tafthastened off to Washington once more to meet his colleaguesand make final arrangements, and I was not to see him againuntil we met in San Francisco a week before the date setfor sailing. I asked my sister Maria to go with me for the first year,and she accepted with delight. So, one morning in earlyApril, with our world waving at us from the platform of thestation, we started south to join the Southern Pacific rail-road at New Orleans and to make our way from there toLos Angeles and so to San Francisco. I had with me my three children, Robert, Helen and Char-lie. Robert was ten years old, Helen eight, while Charlie,my baby, was just a little over two. It did not occur to methat it was a task to take them on such a long journey, orthat they would be exposed to any danger through the ex-perience. They were normal, healthy and very self-reliantlittle people and I made preparations for their going with- 36
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CHARLIE TAFT WHEN HE WENT TO THE PHILIPPINES RECOLLECTIONS OF FULL YEARS out giving the matter a moments unhappy consideration.But I was to receive a few shocks in this connection later on.One of these came when I learned that some members of theparty had left their children at home for fear of the Philip-pine climate. Then one day, at the old Palace Hotel in SanFrancisco, I was sitting on guard over Charlie as he playedup and down a wide corridor, and reading a book at inter-vals, when along came an odd-looking elderly gentlemanwho stopped to regard the boy with a smile of the kindliestamusement. Charlie was an attractive child. Even Icouldnt help but see that, and I was used to having peoplestop to watch him. He had big, dark eyes, soft, browncurls, very deep dimples, and a charming smile that wasalways in evidence. The elderly gentleman stood watchinghim for some little time, his face growing gradually verygrave, and I wondered what he was thinking about. Hedidnt keep me wondering

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