The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-06
Married for aoncy, n DIV orceo
Before the Second Baby.

CLk,NALAxp, May l5.-'nid 7ou
know thar II Va in tbi,towu that hate
Chase and Governor SpTauge first met
asked Colonel Dick Parsons. toying lily
with an after dinner cigar, q We sat to-
day in the cozy library Of his home %
Prospects street.
Yes ~ / introduced them my>c.'
aud they i,il I'D love with each uttc
ri.ht of wsatt the TINE ~ the -
ye!.ing u the Perry monument down 10
The PARK, early in the war. GoyerpoI
Chase sni his tamllt always eioIne.' Z
IL, house when III 4 iea,,.and, Anl A.
was visiting u then Over ;lrle
pointing t. 4 "a her covered ert c1al
III the corner, "I- Win fs Gos erur to-
u>,i Is iii. IN he ault III AL. aud n The
same spot. ard the room - eau
used to gccu We have away cal -
Il the governor room. X vas ~ hat
chair that he decIied 10 accept the caiei
su-ti.e>hip. He came here one u1.h'
AID W talhed il all oyer, the lea>oLs III
and aeaius, ms acceptance. ~ Hsh'
be ought t. take it. We sat W late, but
before he went 10 bed hl- deol-lon Was
reached, and the next day N thls room
he wrote out his acceptaucr- 'itu -
came here the second day after h. uiul
nation lie sal in the governor : ch,lf
for 8u hsur or Two taking about me
nomination, aud feeling pretty b'ue tha'
day. Then he opened IN mai. ana au-
swer,d a lut 81 dispatches from thai tiot
"Ab0ut Kate Chase Oh yts. We,
the Perry ceremonies lasted over several
DAYS. ending with a tall Al the kenaaic
house Ny wffe and Kate and Grove
down in my ctIIiace. We had barei!
entered the house when We met Srrague
prese,ted him to the laiie. lie and
Kate went of toge. her, and tor the resi-
of the evening whenever we saw one ol
them we were pretty sure 10 see inc
other. 1t was a mutual and instant IN
fatuation, Sprague being rich aud
stylish Rhode Island had sent a
/, derutation to share in the cclebratlon'
because Parsons, OF my iami.y. oS .ns
man in tie fight on the Lake. was a
Rhode Islander. Sprague was attended
by his full staff and a governors 2uaru
: Of about a hundred, with a fine band OF
; music. They made a gorgeous display
and stanning impression. he was III,
: only man in black clothes IN the whole
party, and being young and hand>om,
t and ~splendidly surrounded he seemed
: exactly suited to Hates brilliancy ano
beauty. for she was not only the most
/ brilliant girl but the most brilliant wo
i man. | ever met. Her vivacious man
: ner and graceful figure, clear complexion,
chesDut hair and expressive eyes com
manded every ones admiration. SO was
/ it a wonder they took to each other?
/ remember very well how, when IT wa:
getting late that night and we wantec
to 20 home, Kate came over to US witt
Splague ard persuaded US to stay 10 ger.
| believe the celebration ended with the
bail. eau remember whether Spragut
? called here before he left for home, but
I! IN any event he went to Washington the
! next winter. Kate was living there.
? hey met again, and within a year O
n their introduction were married. ! be
/ lieve that meanwhile Sprague became IN.
terested in "a widow who atterward mar
red here aud lived il the big hous,
i on Euclid avenue. now owned by Unior
. club. But the flame was famed, he torg,
: the widow and "a wedding soon followed.
they came here on their bridal trip, anC
of course had "the governor ) room.
Il don't know much OF the early pc
Rod 81 their marriage life, because >oul
after the wedding | Went 40 consul tc
JaneIro and didn't hear about them. But
some years before publicity was giveI
to their relations Hates friends knew
that 1t had been a hasty and mistaken
: marriage, Spragucs di>sipated habits
: however varied, were not ali that made
hem unhappy. The trutL was they
we're not OF c~ongenlal temperament Oh
, disposition. As far back as 1878 or 1875
Kate informed me that their relation fol
two years had been of the most distant
+. character, and long before that they had
! ceased to be attractive 10 each other. 1t
was sad indeed that one SO well fitted To
! make home a paradise should have found
deplored the misfortune, it was but nat
ural that we should have been gratiGed
! when at last the certainty appeared OF
! her release tiom a mismated alliance.
! The mistake was disccved and the end
: torshadowed long before Conkling az
peared upon the scene in any capacity