For the distaff side

[Eva Elisabeth]

And the poor ladies with the corsets! I wonder if anyone asked for a doggy bag?

I wonder who was in charge of the dinner, Mary? Laurie's question regarding the bill reminded me of the quarrel she had with C. Smith and W. Seward about her $900 bill she handed in for the dinner for Prince Napoleon. Seward had dined the Prince and the same number of guests, giving them a duplicate of the White House dinner from the same restaurant, but he only payed $300. Smith had accidentally learned about that from Seward. The sum was finally covered up in a gardener's account.

Roger, this is the wrong thread, but your post reminded me of how astonished I was about Thomas Lincoln's and Nancy Hanks' wedding dinner, since he was always said to be poor.