sionally; but from a layman’s point of view
there was nothing to
suggest mental impairment, unless the combination of egotism, faith
in his own doctrines, fondness for power and present hostility
to Taft,- of which I will speak
presently- can be termed symptomatic.
On the contrary, I have never spent a more absorbing twenty four
hours. He was a most delightful guest. He had his usual laugh at
the people who said he drank,- and this story has been revived with
the new one that he is crazy. He drank nothing but the wines we
had at dinner and he took tea in the afternoon. As you well know,
his habits are simply normal. Next morning the news was in the
news-
papers, and
211 Bay State Road became until 4 P. M., when he left
for Grafton Cushing’s (who published a disavowal of sympathy
with
his political doctrines) a political head quarters. I fled to
Court promptly at 9 o’clock, but my wife stood by the Penates. The
Colonel had possession of the drawing room and dining room down
stairs, and visitors were numerous, coming singly and in delegations,
- some from other states. One of our maids stood constantly at the
front door. In the midst of it all the chimney in the library
caught fire, and when Mrs. Grant told
T. R. of this later he said
that it was doubtless due to the conflagration down stairs.
I think I have covered now all the facts, and we will come
to his statements. I asked him, as soon as he said that he wished
to tell us all about it, and that he was willing to accept the
nomination, whether that matter was absolutely settled. He replied
that it was and that the announcement would emanate from
New York
and appear in all the newspapers of the country on Monday morning.
"Has not every one of your friends advised you against it"? He