The Coolidge Week

P: To escape the heat of a Washington summer, the President went to the Black Hills. Last week, however, to the Black Hills came a hot spell; showed temperatures higher even than in the East. While Washington thermometers read 88DEG and New York's 84DEG, those in Rapid City danced about 96DEG. Even the trout stopped biting, and, though the President made no complaint of the heat, he discarded his coat and sat shirt-sleeved on the State Lodge porch. From the heat waves rose rumors, unconfirmed, that the President might shorten his western visit, leave for the East about the middle of August, spend a few weeks in Vermont before returning to Washington.

P: Outside the schoolroom which serves as the President's Rapid City executive office runs a corridor. In the corridor is a bench on which sit those awaiting a presidential audience. On the bench one morning last week sat a Wyoming dirt farmer, his wife, his daughter. From ten o'clock until noon they sat, patient, vigilant. On the stroke of twelve the President came out of the office, bowed to the trio, passed on. Called the farmer to a nearby Secret Service man: "Is that the President? 'Well, come on, Mandy; now we can say we seen him."

P: When President Coolidge was mayor of Northampton, Mass. (1910-11) he and Mrs. Coolidge could frequently be seen driving home from a shopping expedition, their car loaded with provisions purchased by Mrs. Coolidge. The same sight was last week seen in the streets of Rapid City, as Mrs. Coolidge had again become her own housekeeper. For Miss Ellen Riley, who came out from Washington to act as housekeeper at the State Lodge, fell ill, was sent to Rochester, Minn., for an operation. Instead of appointing a temporary successor, Mrs. Coolidge herself assumed the duties of directing the State Lodge domestics. She began her new work by rising early and picking a bouquet of wild flowers for the State Lodge breakfast table.

P: When tourists, natives, other unofficial persons near Rapid City chance to meet President Coolidge,. he returns their greeting with a polite bow, does not usually stop and chat with them. He broke his rule, however, for the sake of a stranger encountered on the steps of the Rapid City High School, temporary White House office. The stranger wore a hat wider even than the President's ten-gallon fishing headgear. In his silk shirt and flowing neckerchief clashed vivid colors. He wore high-heeled, embossed riding boots bearing the letters "put" in white just below each knee. Not even Hollywood could have produced a cowboy attired in more complete accordance with the traditions of his calling.

The cowboy spoke to the President; the President spoke to the cowboy. Later he asked the cowboy into the Executive Office, where they chatted for some time, presumably about the big roundup which the President is to see next month at Bellefourche. At length the cowboy departed, having secured that none too readily accorded privilege, a personal audience with the President.

That night, at the Harney House, Rapid City hostelry, the cowboy told newspapermen that he was no cowboy but a Chicago hat salesman. The "put" on his boots stood for his name--W. C. Putnam. Mr. Putnam, it appeared, had bet a friend that he could get, without an introduction, a personal interview with the President. The friend had $100 on the negative side of this question. So Mr. Putnam, who never rode a cow pony in his life, donned cowboy regalia, hoaxed the President, won his bet, added a brand new traveling salesman story to the world's collection of commercial travelers' yarns.

P: The South Dakota legislature, which last fortnight (TIME, July 4) changed the name of Sheep Mountain, S. Dak., to Mount Coolidge, held another session, changed the name of Squaw Creek, to Grace Coolidge Creek. South Dakota's only woman legislator, Mary E. Kotrba, introduced the resolution in the House, stating that the State was 'honored no less by the vacation visit of President Coolidge than by that of his cultured wife." Later President Coolidge went fishing in Grace Coolidge Creek. P: Every firecracker shot off, every ice cream cone eaten, every celebration incident to July 4, Independence Day, was also significant as an observance of the President's birthday. For it was on July 4, 1872, that Calvin Coolidge was born; July 4, 1927, therefore found him 55 years of age and in the most fortunate situation of having a famed career both to look back upon and to look forward to.

Unique among the many birthday greetings (one day's mail alone brought 6,801, letters) was a birthday "card" from the 48 state Governors. The card was a map of the U. S., measured six feet by four, carried 48 candles, one for each state capital. Underneath each candle was the signature of its state's governor, so that by pulling out the 48 candles the President could look upon 48 gubernatorial autographs.

The entire objet d'art was prepared by Governor John E. Weeks of Vermont. In the space occupied by the Gulf of Mexico was written the following message:

"These greetings, Mr. President, that come from far and near

Are from your friends, the Governors, who wish you birthday cheer;

And with each candle that's pulled out their signatures appear,

And while these written names may be those of a noted few,

Uncounted hosts on land and sea wish a birthday cheer to you."