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"Mr. Wilson's golf game was nothing to brag about. . . . Mrs. Wilson played with us a great deal. Often I caddied for her and cheated. I don't mean, of course, that I cheated on the score. But if a ball got in a ditch, I lifted it out when they weren't looking. . . . The worst job was to keep the President from knowing about it.
"In those days I met Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a long-legged young man with a good stride and he carried himself like a gentleman of good breeding."
Mr. Harding and Colonel Ed "used to go horseback riding a lot, and though he didn't have a good seat, still he enjoyed a ride around Hains Point. We used to go some Sunday mornings before church and Mrs. Harding always asked me to get him back in time to dress. . . . Naturally, I warned him on the way that we had to start back soon and he'd say: 'Why don't you and the Duchess forget about church sometime?' "
Only the most rash and insensitive man would dare quiz Colonel Ed about the Little Green House on K Street. Protecting Presidents has been a habit and a responsibility for 29 years. Those who want spicy chitchat about the places where he followed Warren Harding must ask elsewhere. With a stiff back and a calm, cool eye, Colonel Ed states: "Mr. Harding was a very delightful, natural and kindly man."
Mr. Coolidge was "full of the devil in the White House. When Mrs. Coolidge gave parties, he went around ahead of time pilfering the cakes. And I would help him. They would have dinners . . . and sometimes for days afterward he could mimic anybody who was in the crowd." Sometimes Coolidge pushed the call buttons in the White House. Then, sober-faced, he would stroll out with Starling for a walk, leaving the great mansion in a dither of excited maids, butlers and guards. "He was full of fun and chock-full of wit. He never overlooked anything funny."
Mr. Hoover and Colonel Ed just sat on a log at Rapidan Camp and fished, or walked around the camp. "We talked about fishing. He really was very fond of fishing. We just kept up a light conversation, and that suited me, because I knew it would rest his mind. Mr. Hoover was very quiet and studious. It was a treat to be around him."
Mr. Roosevelt is ". . . understanding, bighearted and courageous. He is at home with any kind of a jaybird. You've got to hand it to him, whether you agree with him or not. He's got guts."