St. Mary's beacon., 1862-05-08
WHY IRVING NEVER MARRIED.

WHY IRVING NEVER MARRIED.
"MUcu mystery has attached to the cell
b.cv Of Washington Irving. While upon
other poiuts Of prculiarity Of his charac-
Ter and career his familiar friends hsve
taken u.ius to inform the wide circle OF
his admirers. mn aggrav.sing rr''ccnce has
always met the que,tio"ings OF those who
we're curious as to Why n'atrim"ny made
no mart Of his experience. There were
occasional and very vague references made
to a lang syne" lovc-ss dimly distant
in the rsst N to have the mir Of traGIti"i,:
and ,h. manner Of mentioning which
,.ade Irving appear the model OF coustan-
ev. il not tho hero Of . romance. but
The circum,tance Of his bachelorhood re-
u,aihed simple. patent unexplained fact;
the thcnc Of many wonderings. the warp
and woof Of much imagining-nay more.
,he sub. structure of a thousand sweet
aymp.thies outgusling from others hearts
Ihu.e love had not been list but gone
before. 1t is doubtful if secret Of the
.ort-.ll thugs eonsidrrcd-was ever
b.forc 20 carefully and completely kept.
Fur once the impairment were held ut
L.y. the pryiug were b.lked aud the syn
.,Lc,is even discouraged. The set time
f.r its disclosure had not come. and sure
" when Lis iutimates and relatives were
icbsrred from the rem"test reference to
the subject in the hallowed home circle Of
the literary bachelor. it was but pr"pcr
that the truth should burst forth upon
the world, If mt all, in Irvings own &C.
lscs.d time and in his own pathetic Ian
guage. >. =.
Ii was while engaged in writing his
'.Hissory IT New York" that Irving then
Q young m.n twenty six. was called to
n,.,uru the son,cwhai sudden death OF Ma
tilds Hoffman, whom he had hoped to
call his wife. This young lady was the
SECOND daughter Of josiah Ogden Elof-
man. xnd the sitter of those two t.leuted
men. Charles Fenno Hoffman. the poet
and Ogden Hoffman. the eloquent lurlst
I'm her father's Office Wsshingtop Irving
had cssaysd ia study law. aud With every
rrospect, If Industries aud studious. Of a
Partnership With Mr. Hoffman as well
m matrimonial alliance with Matilda.
Thess high hopes were disappointed BY
the dcccsac Of the young lady on the 10th
of April. 1900, in the 18th year Of he'
There 10 q pathos about Irving's reel
tsl Of the circumstances of her death
and Of his own feeliugs,. that is truly
rainfu: snd tear impclling. lie says
:.Shc was taken III with colo. Moth.
ing was thought of it At 6rst: but she
RAPIDLY grew worse, and fell into con-
.umptioa. l cannot tell you what suf-
fired saw her fade rapidly
.way; beautiful and more and more besu-
tifui and more angelic to the very last.
Was often by her bedside and in her wan.
dering state Of mind she would talk u
me With . sweet, natural and affecting
eleaucnce that was overpowering.
II saw more Of the beauty Of her mind
in chat aelirious state than l had ever seen
before. Her malady wac rapid in its ca
ree.. and hurried her of in two months.
Her dying stsuggsls were painful and pro.
traeted. For three days and nights | did
not lsave the house. sc>rcely slept. l was
by her when shs died; all the family
were assembled round her. some pray.
ing. others weeping. for she was sdored
by them oil. l was the last one she looked
upou. ~ . ] cannot tell you
vhst horrid STATE Of mind / was In for a
lssg time. seemed to care for nothing.
ths xerA was blank 20 me. went into
tho country but could not bear solitude.
vet soul6 pot endure society. There was
: dismsl horror continually in my mind.
thst made me fear to be slone I had
slten to get up in the night and seek the
bed room Of MY brother. as ii the having
q human being by me would relieve me
from the ftightfal gloom of my own
thoughts.
M"uths elapsed before my mind would
resume its tone; but the dependency
hsd suffered for . long time in the course
.f this attachment. aud the anguish that
ssssaded is catastrophe. seemed TO give
/. turn 90 ny vhsle character. snd throw
alnc clouds into my Disposition which
have eyer since hung about il. . . =
] sccmcd 70 dsift about without aim or Oh