Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-08-02
Mrs. GRBRLRI.


House, Is legitimate subject Of discussion,
and Mrs. Greeley now stands before the
public no more sacred than Mrs. Grant, or
no more sacred than were Harriet Lane or
Mrs. Lincoln. The Queen and her house,
hold nre legitimate themes for the Court
journal. Mrs. Greeley Is somewhat older
than her husband, who was sixty-one on
the . Of last February. She is described
as having once been quite beautiful. For
years she has been an invalid, with inter
mitlcnt spells Of love and kindness toward
her husband, and then showing long sea-
sons Of eccentric stoicism, ingratitude and
even tyranny.
"What has caused this unovennoss in her
tompcr2" / asked my lady friend, who
knew Mrs Greeley intimately.
"well, she was born in the ordinary
walks Of life. Her mind IL strong and
without culture. Sickness has broken her
constitution, and she is governed entirely
By impulse. We all consider her little
insane. She was formerly accustomed to
occupation, and even TO hard work, as
mother and head OF family; but Of late
years Mr.. Grcelcy's financial position pre-
vents the necessity Of labor on her part,
and her mind has become uneven and her
temperament spasmodic."
"iiow did she used to be?"
"She was much better suited to Mr.. Gree
ley years ago than now. Then she entered
into all of his cold water and vegetarian
ideas with a zest worthy of Roman moth
er Mr.. Greeley tells even now with great
pride with what Spartan stoicism Mrs.
Greeley used to preside before company at
their Grahamte meals when he was rum
ming the Morning Post in 1S33.'
GLOW do you mean?' | inquired.
"Why, Mr.. Greeley then lived in cheap
way. Neither he nor Mrs. Greeley ate
meat or drank tea and coffee. Their diet
was Graham bread, boiled beans and salt,
and cold water. Mr.. Greeley has told me
about it dozen times" continued my la
dy friend "and lie has told me how Mrs.
Greeley acted when she had friends to visit
her from the country
GLOW was that?"
"Well, she would set her little table with
Graham bread, milk, beans, salt and wa
ter and when they all sat down she would
never apologize, or even explain anything,
but leave her company 10 do the best they
could"
"Sometimes," said Mr.. Greeley, ~ used
to suggest TO my wife that we ought 10 ex-
plain matters TO our visitors, but she said,
NO, no, Horace! What is good enough
for US, il, good enough for themr The re-
suit was" said Mr.. Greeley laughing, THAT
people who came to stay week generally
stood Mrs. Greeley's cooking about two
days, and never repeated the visit till com
PEELED to. They never came back for pleas
ure."
GLOW are their relations nowadays?" l
asked.
"Well, Horace lets her alone. He never
frets, and never chides her, even though in
ome of her tantrums she acts badly enough
to drive him crazy"
"Once," continued my friend, 81 was in
vted out to spend Sunday at Chappaqua.
| Mrs. Greeley was in one of her disagreed
bic moods. She made Mr.. Greeley walk
into the farm on foot from the depot to
drive two goats then when we got hall
way there, she inquired of the driver his
price. This she refused to pay, and we all
got out and walked the rest of the distance.
When we got TO the house she declared she
had lost the key, and when Mr.. Greeley
came up she made the poor man crawl
th rough a side window and unbolt the door
on the inside, when, to the astonishment OF
us all, she quietly showed us the key,
which she kept in her pocket all the time"
"Was Lot this done as joker
"No, not at all. 1t was done out OF pure
devitry, Just to bother Mr.. Greeley"
"And Mr.. Greeley?"
WHY he neither smiled nor complained.
In fact, in his treatment of Mrs. Greeley
and her whims, he is the best man 1 ever
knew. lie never forgets her, but waits on
her and takes her scoldng like young
lover. Indeed, do believe Mr.. Greeley
loves his wife with all her faults. He says
he had hard work to get her, that he mar
ried her for love, and that he always shall
| love her no matter what she does"
Don't she ever try to please him?'
"No, she tries hard TO perplex him. She
use d to believe that children ought TO be
brought up in state of nature, untram-
meled by clothing. To carry out this idea
she used to have straw placed on the par
lor floor, have the children undressed, and
max them run up and down like Rapha-
els cherubs, and then laugh with the chill
dren at their harmless but queer frolics.
Once l called and found Mrs. Greeley thus
exercising the children. suggested that II
was about time for Mr.. Greeley TO come
| I'D aclyn I NJ hnI ~
her dress the children.
"'No, nor exclaimed Mrs. Greeley, ii
Horace don't like my theories he can stay
away. don't do anything TO please any
fool of man.
zone of Mrs. Greeley's fancies was tC
have her chidren's shoes made three-cor.
n6red, so as to fit their feet, and she actual
ly kept her chidren's feet in these out
landish things for years"
"How long will Mrs. Greeley remain II
Europe?' l asked.
"Sbe will probably remain in Europ,
with her two daughters until after the elec
tion, unless she takes 1t into her head tC
come home. If she should take freak tC
come back, neither Horace nor ten mel
can stop her. II she should return she
would certainly do something to jeopardizC
his election. She don't know what the
word policy means. She would, as like as
not, do and say ridiculous things, just tc
bother her husband.'
Would she go TO the White House9"
"She most certainly would if she took O
notion, No one has any control over her
except her devoted daughters. They have
really shown something of the angelic in
their care for their mother. They have
worn themselves out waiting upon her.
Cor. Chicago Post.
1t isa pitiable thing for a man to base