Stranica 402 [402]
De. 4 PPD OOD DECLrLON
SS Se — _— — = = — a
it is not so much of the distinguished stateman that we think, as
of his lovable lady—Dolly Madison. ‘Time has not dimmed her
charm. Washington Irving speaks of her ‘plump beauty” in con¬
trast to her husband’s delicate and feeble figure and wizened face.
Even in his prime, Madison was as Henry Adams says, "a small
man, quiet, somewhat precise in manner, pleasant, fond of conversa¬
tion, with a certain mixture of ease and dignity in his address.”
But Dolly was sprightly and lovable, with gifts of mind and char¬
acter and a vivid personality that has made her name beloved
through all these many years. Strange, is it not, that such a
beautiful butterfly should have burst forth en seconde noce trom
the drab chrysalis of Quakerism? ‘That Dorothea Payne Todd,
of Philadelphia, should have become the first lady of the land
and the most brilliant mistress that has ever held sway in the White
House? True, she was originally from Virginia, and that accounts
for many wonders.
Indeed, Montpelier was a suitable setting for the far-famed
Virginia hospitality that was so freely dispensed by its genial
master and his gracious lady.
In a letter of Mrs. Madison, in 1820, she says, “Yesterday we
had ninety persons to dine with us at one table fixed on the lawn
under a large arbor. The dinner was profuse and handsome and
the company very orderly. Many of your acquaintances were here,
among others, the two Barbours. We had no ladies except Mother
Madison, Mrs. Mason, and Nellie Willis. “The day was cool and
pleasant. Half a dozen only stayed all night and are now about
to depart. President Monroe’s letter this morning announces the
French Minister. We expect him this evening or perhaps sooner,
though he may not come until tomorrow; but I am less worried
here with a hundred visitors than with twenty-five in Washington.”’
Great indeed was the social talent of this charming chatelaine. In
the words of one of her contemporaries, ‘She never forgot a name
she had once heard, or a face she had once seen, nor the personal
circumstances connected with every individual of her acquaintance.
L258]