This kind of commission was specially pleas.
ing to Mrs. Madison whose love of shopping
was only second to her love for her friends.
The winter of 1802-3 was one of the happiest
and gayest of her life. Her young sister Anna
who lived with her, brought to the house much
company, which was always specially congenial
to Mrs. Madison, and she found much unselfish
de light, too, in the social success of the Presi-
dent's daughters. In after years, she loved to
tell of the deep impression made on Washing-
ton society by the brilliancy of the older sister
and the radiant beauty of the younger. Their
stay in the capital was short, however, for
Mrs. Randolph had left a large family of small
children at home in Virginia, and in January
they bade farewell to Washington, one of them
never to see it again. In little more than a
year, Mrs. Eppes, always delicate, faded out of
life and died in her sister's arms, leaving two
little children to that sister's care.

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