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[[checkmark, bullet point]] Ed, Mat and Marshall all flew the coop this afternoon for the weekend, leaving me and Vic to hold the fort.  It has rained here steadily for five days and the river today is above [[underlined]] flood [[/underlined]] stage so they sent all people living in Virginia home about 2 PM for fear the Potomac bridges would become impassable.  No trains are arriving or leaving for south or west but the Pennsy still seems to be functioning after a fashion.  [[underlined]] I finally decided not to try to go home [[/underlined]] and stay here and work - I may not have been able to make it anyway on account of the flood.
[[x, bullet point]] I had an interesting taxi driver tonight - he had been an expressman for years up in the swank district off Connecticutt Avenue and he pointed out to me the places where Senator Harding, Taft, John Hayes Hammond, etc. used to live, how they would give him money at Christmas, feed him when he came around delivering etc. etc.  He said Harding always took a morning walk across the Connecticut Avenue bridge and if he saw the express wagon he would always inquire if he had anything for them and if so, would tell him to be sure to stop in the kitchen for hot cakes. 

[[x]]  The hotel was jammed this evening with high school kids who were having some sort of party.  At first I couldn't get into the bar or the dining room but at last, after a long walk through the hotel's endless corridors, sunrooms, halls, lobbies, etc. I got in the bar for a ball before dinner.  A major-general and his party of ladies and men including a brigadier general soon sat next to me for a drink or two.  The major general looked for all the world like Ainlay who used to be with Cummins - and he had more ribbons on his chest than even Admiral Leahy as I recall him.  In the party were a colonel and a major and apparently the four wives - they were well behaved,

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