Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-06-17
A ssSPUNKY,, ONE.

A ssSPUNKY' ONE.
A correspondent of the Charleston Evnin-
ting Ne,0s, travelling on the Eastern shore
of Virginia, gives the following in one of
his letters:
We turned aside from our path for space,
to visit an object Of some curiosity which is
one of the ''lions" of the Eastern Shore
This is an ancient vault, belonging to q
member of the ''Custis' family, branch of
the stock with which Washington intermar-
ried. 1t lies upon fine old farmstead,
looking out upon ''the Bay" and occupies
the centre of large field, the only promi-
nent object, sheltered by some old trees
The vault is of white marble, elaborately
carved in London, in state of partial dilap-
idation The curious feature about it con-
sists in its inscription, which runs thus:
"Under this marble tomb lies the body of the
Hon. JOHN CUsr1s, ESQ.,,
of the city of Williamsburg and parish of
Burton; formerly of Hunger's parish, on
the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and county
of Northampton; aged II years, and get
lived but seuea gears phach aoos the time he
kept Bachelors Home at Arlington, on
the Eaztfsa Sha9f ae IT AE XiFsiaHa another
on the opposite side, was put on the tomb
by his own positive order. The gsst of it,
as our lady readers will be pleased to per-
ceive, consists in the lines we have italicis-
ed the force of which will be better felt and
understood from the additional fact, which
does not appear, that this bachelor who iv-
ed only in his bachelor condition, was actu-
ally married three times. His experience,
if we are to believe his epitaph, was great
ly adverse to the idea of any happiness in
the marriage state yet how strange that he
should have ventured thrice upon it! The
natural conclusion is that the Hon. John
Custis was singularly just and conscienti-
GUS man, who, unwilling to do the sex any
wrong by premature judgment, gave them
a full and fair trial, at the expense of his
own happiness, and pronounced judgment
only after repeated experiments. Tradition
has preserved some anecdotes of the sort of
experience which he enjoyed in the mar
riage state, one of which will relate. It
appears that he was driving out in his an
cient coach with one of his wives, (and to
do him justice, we must assure the reader
that he had but one at time, and in the
neighborhood of the very spot upon which
we ourselves are standing, Cape Charles a
matrimonial discussion ensued between the
pair, which warmed as they proceeded
The lord grew angry, the lady vociferated.
''It was diamond" said one.
"And insist, quoth the other, 'that
| it was club
"You will drive me mad? ~ cried John
Custis.
Il should call this admirable driving!'
retorted the wife.
"By!p' he exclaimed, s'if you say an
other word will drive down into the sea ~
They were even then upon the beach.
.Another word p screamed the lady,
sDrive where you please" she added-''in
to the sea, I can go as deep as you dare 60
any day"
He became furious, took her at her word
and drove the horses and chariot into the
ocean. They began to swim. He held in
looked in her face and she laughed in his:
"Why do you stop?" she demanded, ex
ultingly, not whit alarmed.
| .sYou are devil p he exclaimed, fling
ing the horse about, and making for the
shore, with all expedition.
''Pooh! pooh!" laughed his tormenter
''Learn from this that there is no place
where you dare 60, where dare not accom-.
pany you"
Given to h-p' he groaned.
''The only exception" she answered,
with chuckle- there, my dear, ! leave
you"
She had conquered. He never drove in
at Cape Charles again, but groaned with
the recollection of the seven years. bache-
lor's life at Arlington.
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