Page:The New Yorker 0002, 1925-02-28.pdf/12

10 Nick was accorded an ovation, surprising in that it Colombia would be indemnified and it would be pie was generously real and spontaneous. for our petroleum magnates. For every newspaper it was a front page story. A Anyhow, Harding scarcely had been sworn in when White House Baby had been born, born to the purple, a resolution was introduced in the Senate to pay Co. nineteen years after her mother had left the White lombia the $25,000,000. It had all the earmarks of House. No such romantic glamor spun about the mysterious prearrangement. Alice sat in the Senate children of the Wilson girls, even though those happy gallery, as she often does, when the vote was taken. events took place in the White House itself, and the Senator Lodge, Roosevelt's lifelong friend, voted for grandfather of the youngsters was President. The the resolution. His support put it across. nation reserved its rejoicing for the delivery of an A few minutes later Alice passed Mr. Lodge in a heir to the Princess Alice; for the daughter of T. R. corridor as she hurried from the capitol. She is still the Princess Alice and she succeeds by "Good afternoon, Alice," beamed the old Senator. means which would be the ruin of others to attempt. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wobbly," said Theodore She does no official entertaining, gives no large parties, Roosevelt's daughter. returns no calls. She breaks every rule in the book Some women will tell you that Alice Roosevelt is and in Washington the rules count. Yet an invita- without sentiment; that she is ruthless and cruel. Men tion to the Longworths is more prized by the dis- make few such complaints. Certainly Mrs. Long- criminating than an invitation to the White House. worth has the friendship and the confidence of men Mrs. Longworth gives no guest lists to the papers. high in public life who care little for women. She keeps her own name out of the published guest Some years back there was a brilliant Senator, now lists of others when she can. dead, who was a power in national affairs. He had An invitation to the Longworths is likely to come no use for women-Alice Roosevelt being almost the over the telephone: sole exception. The Senator lived alone, too much "Come over for dinner, Nick will feel like play- alone, and was given to long, solitary sprees impelled ing to-night." by introspection and a matured belief in the general Mr. Longworth is a dilettante in politics. Other- futility of life. Once in a tight place his counsel wise how could he have put up with it so long! For was needed in the Senate, but the Senator was on one recreation he plays a violin and could make a living of his toots. No one could do anything with him. at it if he had a living to make. Alice Roosevelt got in her automobile, drove to the If she does not feel like dressing, Alice—not the Senator's house and obliged the protesting butler to butler-may receive her guests at the door in a produce his employer. Alice bundled him into the Chinese silk outfit something like a swell set of pa- car and took him to her home, where Nick sobered up jamas. She will sit on her feet on a tiger skin before the confused statesman. the fire and smoke while Nick, after a wearing day It is too bad for the Roosevelt political dynasty on the floor of the House, fiddles with complete ab- that Alice wasn't a boy. She is the smartest Roose- straction. Colonel Roosevelt shot the tiger skin in velt there is left--the old Colonel's daughter in more Africa. Presumably there was a tiger in it. ways than one. She has a quick, inquiring, original Heavy politics are played at the Longworth house and penetrating mind especially equipped to cope with and Alice sits in. The Longworth place is the nearest political situations for which she has an instinctive thing to a salon that Washington has. Alice liking. Her fair for phrases is feared and Longworth never made a speech in her life famous. That "Coolidge looks as if he had and never gave an interview. She was not a been weaned on a pickle" is an Aliceism. suffrage advocate, never joined a woman's She is a great friend of the Coolidges, club, never is sponsor for or a member of the though, especially Mrs. Coolidge, who is all "honorary committee of this or that great right, and who probably has laughed at the movement. She dumbfounded a worthy lady pickle epigram if she has ever heard it. once by lightly declining to join the mighty Alice goes to prize fights with her husband Daughters of the American Revolution. Yet or her half brothers. At a White House gar- in her imperceptible way she is one of the den party last Spring she shook a crowd of most influential women in Washington. She notables and took young T. R. and a naval knows men, measures and motives; has an officer into a corner and started an argument understanding grasp of their changes. That's about fights and fighters. For Alice has al- all there is to what is grandiosely known as most as intimate acquaintance with the ring- "public affairs”-and all there is to under- sters as Mr. Rickard. standing them. A great affection exists between young With all her strength she opposed, though T. R. and his half sister. She is genuinely in- unsuccessfully, the payment of $25,000,000 terested in her brother's public career. Last as reparations to the United States of Colom- election day she and Nick had gone to Cin- bia for the Panama Canal. Roosevelt called cinnati to vote. That is about the only thing Colombia's demand blackmail and after he they ever go there for. Alice telephoned left office defeated several efforts to pay it. Oyster Bay three times that night to find out But in 1920 old T. R. was dead and Ameri- how young Teddy was coming against Al can oil men wanted the Colombian oil fields. Smith. Harry Daugherty is supposed to have fixed it It is too bad. A smart woman like Alice up at Chicago so that if Harding went over deserves a brighter brother. Quid