church officers.  But he could not move from his chair.  His doctor had told him that if he put his foot to the floor he would not be able to attend the inauguration of Major McKinley on the following Thursday.

    “After Dr. Sunderland and the officers of the church had shaken
    hands for departure, the President said to me: 

    “‘Doctor, remain, I want to see you.’

“The door closed, he asked me if I had followed the Chinese Immigration Bill that was then under consideration.  We discussed it fully.  The President read to me the veto which he was writing.  He stated to me his objection to the bill.  Our conversation was intimate, but somewhat saddened by the thought that perhaps we might not meet again.  With an invitation to come and see him at Princeton, we parted.

    “During a conversation of an earlier period at the White House, I
    congratulated the President upon his improved appearance since
    returning from one of his hunting expeditions.

“‘Oh!  Yes!’ he said, ’I cannot get daily exercise in Washington.  It is impossible, so I am compelled to take these occasional outings.  I approach the city on my return with a feeling that work must be pulled down over me, like a nightcap,’ and as he said this he made the motion as of someone putting on a cap over his head.

    “I congratulated him on the effect of his proclamation on the Monroe
    Doctrine as it would set a precedent, and really meant peace.  He
    agreed with me, saying: 

“’Yes, but they blame me very much for the excitement I have caused in business circles, and the failures consequent.  But no one failed who was doing a legitimate business, only those collapsed who were engaged in unwarranted speculations.  I wish more of those people would fail.’

“‘Mr. President,’ I said, ’I do not want to pry into State secrets, but I would like to know how many ducks you did shoot?’ He laughed, and said, ’Eleven.  The papers said thirteen.  Indeed, the country papers before I began to shoot said I had shot a hundred and twenty.’  I spoke of the brightness and beauty of his children again.  I remarked that the youngest one, then four months old, had the intelligence of a child a year old, and the President said: 

    “‘Yes, she is a great pleasure to us, and seems to know everything.’

“March 3, 1896.  Started from Washington for the great Home Missionary meeting to be held in Carnegie Hall, New York, President Cleveland to preside.  We left on the eleven o’clock train, by Pennsylvania railroad.  I did not go to the President’s private car until we had been some distance on our way, although he told me when I went in that he had looked for me at the depot, that I might as well have been in his car all the way.  No one was with him except Mrs. Cleveland and his private secretary, Mr. Thurber, who is also one of my church.  We had an uninterrupted conversation.  The servants and guards were at the front end of the car, and we were at the rear.

    “I asked the President if he found it possible to throw off the
    cares of office for a while.  He laughed, and said: