The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-04-30
A BACHELORHOOD EXPLAINED.
How George Peabody, the Philanthropic
Merchant, was Cut Out"

IF Cleopatra 5 nose had been longer
the whole political face of the world
might have been changed. and if Pea
body and Johns Hopkins had married
then had Baltimore lacked the two mu-
niticent gifts which, more than all tn,
rest Of her possessions. give her an indi,
viduality rs Il city. How very near Pea.
body came to marrying i very remark
ible girl with the substantial name @
Sarah Ann Brown. is not generally known
mt the story is worth the telling. b.
.,au>e OF the very unique way in which
peahndy rival Won the Young woman.
Ii the reader will consult the Encl cl"
tsrdia Biographical of the State of Mar>.
and. he will lind an article devoted /.
me &. G.. retired merchant and manu-
acturrr." hn is mentioned as the tir>
person in the United States t" manliiar
nrr cotton duck. lie was at the tim.
II his rivalry with Peabody very wealth
nan. while Peabody was poor. But wit.
Ill his money his mind had been ST. occu
pied with business that it had never SER
'u>ly occurred to him to get married
until one day Il friend suggested to hin
that he would be much happier and Ia
more comfortable if he had wife. Tn,
notion seems to have Impress Il him yer
thoroughly. and he ut oce began IL lo"n
I'll, mn him, fan, wifi. wit IA tl.. Z
If euergy and interest that he applied t.
Ills business enterprises. 1t occurred t"
him that Il very pretty girl. who. witt
her grandmother. odd Mrs. Brown
mad been in his store a week or so before
md had been weighed, might suit him.
He had some acquaintance with the grand
mother. and with Il trivial excuse he ven
urrd to call npan her that same dar
IL WAS fortunate in his visit that h.,
net the Houn. lady, fell in love with h,t
II the spot. and racked hi, brain as h,
vas leaving for an excuse to call again.
The gods of good fortune attended him.
N he had the grace to ask her about her
ra'ting-ha'i she read such book. No.
,ut she very much wished to. Then he
" 'uld bring her II copy. and he left her.
feeling that he W 'uli procure the book
';nr her ii he had to gallop on horseback
I'll the way to New York to get it.
Those were ante railroad days. when
lncient lovers had room for heroic en-
.leavors such as steam cars. telegraphs.
and telephones have dissipated. But he
found the book in his own library. and
al unskilled as he was in the arts OF
love, he presented himself the fnllnwin"
,.venng with the desired book in his
land. But the servant. who admitted
aim, informed him that Miss Brown was
.ngaged with Mr.. Peabndy. Would Mr..
:. call again? etc. Mr.. G. was too turf
,uS for courtesy; he left the book and
the house in great anger. feeling that all
,ope for him was lost. an. venting his
wrath upon the studinus ami poor Young
Ir. Peaboly. who he felt sure was in
,"sSessinn of the heart of the bright
we'd Sarah Ann. That he was in Il fai
rer hand there is much reason to believe
if the richest manufacturer in Baltimore
lad not CHANGED to cross his pa'h that
memorable night.
While Mr.. Peabody WIS pushing his
Init in the pleasant parlnr. the irate Nh L..
'. WIS walking around the city of Balti-
more at Il break-nrck zee to ease off his
grand passion About eleven o'clock he
tIund himself again in the neighbnrhoml
ii the Brown mansion and as he drew
nearer he espied tw, people on the front
porch. one of whom soon descended the
steps. and whom he recognized as Mr.
Peabody. At sight of him. ar rather nt
he Young lady lingering on the p rrh-
I WAS in the m;llnrSs nf the early Au-
'umn-hr WAS seized with species a.
frenzy. which he ALWAYS aftrIwarl de
cIared he could never account for and
mounting the steps like Il win reI M-r-
Jury, he seized the a>tnnished girl in his
irms. and kissing her with he fury of IA
mailman. he ran away as fast as his le.s
could carry him. lie had not gone far
before sense of what he had dome came
over him with overwhelming shame and
humiliation. and he could scarcely wait
until the evening of the following day to
20 and beg ,rl,n for his inc 'nprehen~i-
BILE act. But next i.ht. after he had
made ample apology to Miss Brown for
his behavior. and felt himself in wa,
r,irStated in her good graceS. he sud-
denl, turne and embraced her again a.
o. the preceding evening. The novel
aud ardent wnoins. or whatever it might
b. called. won the day for him. strange
as it may seem. and the wedding took
place soon arterward but not until the
triumphant manufacturer had prepared a
home for his bride furnished from cellar
t, attic with every conceivable article
that could he needed in 4 house. Much
of the furnishing of that house is still i'll
,
and the grandchildren of to-day distin-
.uish the grandmother that Sarah Ann
eventually became from all the other
grandmothers by speaking of her as
Grandma Brown
She lived to see the fortune Of her hus-
band diminish. as she saw that of Pea
body increase. but whether she regret ted
her choice or not, she was an excellent
wife and a brave and resolute woman.
At one time she saw in the night light
! in her husbands factory which she could
not account for, and Summoning her maid
and found man taking pennies from the
spindles-they having been placed on the
III ,chinery to serve some special purpose
He had already quite Il bag full of them.
with some other fixtures which would
prevent the operation of the looms. when
the large black eyes of Mrs. c. snapped
him in the face: GIVE me that bag?'
she said, in her direct way. and stretch
ing out her hand she had it by the time
Re words had escaped her lips Now
run for your life. aud let Baltimore see
you never again; only your poor old moth
er's broken he ,rt keeps me from sending
you to the penitentiary.' The man was
a disreputable person whom she knew;
but he acted upon her advice. and the
brave woman. with her frightened maid.
i -, .,E,