Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-18
WHY HE NEVER MARRIED.
A Romantic Passage in the Life of George
Peabody.


the whole political face OF the world might
have been changed, and II Peabody and
Johns Hopkins had married, then had Baiti-
more lacked the two munihcent gifts which,
more than ali the rest OF her possessions,
gave her an individuality as city. How
ye1y near Peabody came to marrying a
yery remarkable girl with the substantial
name of Sarah Ann Brown is not generally
known but the story is worth the telling,
because of the very unique way in which
Peabody's rival won the young woman.
II the reader will consult the En-
cycIopedia Biographical of the State Of
MARYLAND" he will find an article devoted
to one sc. c., retired merchant and
manufacturer, who is mentioned az the
first person in the United States to
manufacture cotton duck. He was at the
time of his rivalry with Peabody very
wealthy man, while Peabody was poor
But, with all his money, his mind had
been so occupied with business that it had
never seriously occurred to him to get
married, until one day a friend suggested
to him that he would be much happier
and far more comfortable if he had a
wife. The notion seems to have i'm
pressed him very thoroughly, and he at
once began to look about him for wife
with the same sort of energy and interest
that he applied to his business enterprises. 1t
occurred to him that very pretty girl who,
with her grandmother, "old Mrs. Brown y
had been In his store week or SO before,
and had been weighed, might suit him.
He had some acquaintance with the grand
mother, and with trivial excuse he ven
tured to call upon her that same day. he
was 30 fortunate in his visit that he met
the young lady, fell in love with her on
the spot, and racked his brain as he was
leaving for an excuse to call again. The
gods of good fortune attended him, for he
had the grace to ask her about her reading
had she read such book ? No, but she
very much wished to. Then he would
bring her copy, and he left her, feeling
that he would procure the book for her II
he had to gallop on horseback all the way
to New York to get it.
Those were ante-railroad days, when
ardent lovers had room for heroic endeav-
ors, such as steam cars, telegraphs and
telephones have dissipated. But he found
the book in his own library, and, all un-
skilled as he was in the arts of love, he
presented himself the following evening
with the desired book in his hand. But
the servant who admitted him informed
him that Miss Brown was engaged with
Mr.. Peabody. Would Mr.. c. call again
etc. Mr.. G. was too furious for courtesy;
he left the book and the house IN great
anger, feeling that all hope for him was
lost, and venting his wrath apon the studi-
GUS and poor young Mr.. Peabody, who, he
felt sure, was In possession OF the heart OF
the bright-eyed Sarah Ann. That he was
in a fair way to possess both her affections
and her hand there Is much reason to be-
lieve, if the richest manufacturer in Baltl-
more had not CHANGED to cross his path
that memorable night.
While Mr.. Peabody was pushing his suit
in the pleasant parlor, the irate Mr.. c.
was walking around the city of Baltimore
at breakneck pace, walking to ease off
his grand passion. About II o'clock he
found himself again in the neighborhood
of the Brown mansion, and as he drew
near he espied two people on the front
porch, one of whom soon descended the
steps, and in whom he recognized Mr.. Pea
body. At the sight of him, or rather of
the young lady lingering on the porch-it
was in the mildness of the early autumn
he was seized with species of frenzy,
which he always afterward declared he
could never account for, and mounting the
steps like winged Mercury, he seized
the astonished girl in his arms, and kissing
her with the fury of mailman, he ran
away as fast as his legs could carry
him. He had not gone far before a
sense of what he had done came over him
with overwhelming shame and humilia'
ton, and he could scarcely wait for the
evening of the following day to go and beg
pardon for his ineomprehensible act. But
next night, after he had made ample apol-
ogy to Miss Brown for his behavior, and
felt himself in way reinstated in her good
graces, he suddenly turned and embraced
her again as on the preceding evening. The
novel and ardent wooing, or whatever it
might be called, won the day for him,
strange as it may seem, and the wedding
took place soon afterward, but not until the
triumphant manufacturer had prepared a
home for his bride furnished from cellar to
attic with every conceivable article that
could be needed in house. Much Of the
furnishing of that house is still in use by
the descendants of the family, and the
grandchildren Of to-day distinguish the
grandmother that Sarah Ann eventually
became from all other grandmothers by
speaking of her as sc Grandma Brown"
She lived to see the fortune of her hus.
band diminish, Rs she saw that of Peabody
increase, but whether she regretted her
choice or not, she was an excellent wife
and a most 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,
she went to the mills, entered noiselessly
and found man taking pennies from the
spindles-they having been placed upon
the machinery to serve some special pur-
pose. He had already quite a bag-full OF
them. with some other fixtures, which
would prevent the operation of the looms,
when the large. black eyes of Mistress G.
snapped him in the face. "Give me that
bag :" she said, in her direct way, and,
stretching out her hand, she had it by the
time the words had escaped her lips.
"Now, run for your life, and let Balti-
more never see you again; only your
poor old mothers broken heart keeps
me from sending you to the peniten-
tiary." The man was disreputable person
whom she knew but he acted upon her
advice, and the brave woman, with her
frightened maid, returned home with the
bag of pennies some of which are still kept
by her descendants as souvenirs of her
heroism. Upon another occasion she de-
clined to attend church in the morning, as
was her custom, much to the surprise oil
her husband, who with all his business
ventures, was very religious man. After
he himself had left for church, his wife,
armed with her maid 1.-THE servant still
lives to recount the adventures she had
with her mistress, who she declares was
always frightening her to death with her
pranksl directed her steps to an unoccupied
building that belonged to Mr.. c., in which
she heard that some tramps had made
rendezvous, passing the day in card play
ing. By a careful reconnoiter of the
premises she found that the rumor was
true, and, entering the room where the
fellows were busy at their amusement, she
walked directly to the back of the man
whom she took to be the ringleader, and
soundly boxed his ears to right and left,
ordered the gang to leave the building.
"Oh, how shook in my shoes, said the
maid, when talking now of the affair
"and the men seemed to shake in theirs,
too" for, like SO many amazed and fearing
sinners, they one by one complied with the
lady's command, and if they formed anoth-
er rendezvous it was certainly not in any
building within the jurisdiction of the
brave and handsome Mrs. c., who never