Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-12-27
James Buchanan Early Romance,

w nen u young lawyer IN Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, he was engaged to be
married to young lady to whom he
was devotedly attached. The biographer
has given us in a brief but deeply in
teresting sketch the history of this sad
episode. "A .'lovers' quarrel" origi-
mating in the gossip of village girls,
separated them. Trifes are causes in
the philosophy of life, as in nature,
which sometimes produce commissions,
catastrophes. Young girls of the past
generation in a country town were mar
velously like young girls of the preced-
ing and OF the present generation. The
gossip of thoughtless children. scarce
grown to womanhood, produced effects
which they little imagined. The lovers
were parted. The separation would
have been only temporary, perhaps,
but for her sudden death. In very
touching and eloquent letter he begged
to be allowed to see his dead love- In
this he said: my prospects are all cut
off, and feel that my happiness will be
buried with her in the grave. 1t is now
no time for explanation, but the time
will come when you will discover that
she, as well as |, has been much abused.
God forgive the authors of it! My feel
ings of resentment against them, who
ever they may be, are buried in the
dust. l have now one request to maze,
and, for the love of God and of your
dear departed daughter, whom loved
infinitely more than any other human
being could love, deny me not. Afford
me the melancholy pleasure of seeing
har hnd.y hofora itc iptQrn,apt -
Perhaps to the unsentimental reader
this is but trifing incident in human
life. But, after all, the mighty forces
which move humanity are the forces
which come from the affections rather
than from the cool intellect. Men have
died, and worms have eaten them, and
this for love. He who endeavors to
measure the soul, to analyze the moral
and intellectual part ofman or woman,
and who ridicules what we call senti-
ment, leaves out the most important
element in the whole subject of consid-
GRAFTON. When in later years Mr.. Buch-
anan became a public man, political
antagonists, according to the accepted
American style of political campaigns,
raked out of the history of his youth
this incident, misrepresented and falsi-
fled it. The old politician, who knew
better than any man in America how
to meet and reply TO all the attacks
aid accusations, true or false, of OPP
ponents, never allowed the solemn
sacredness of this memory to be tar
nished by any allusion to it on his part.
Once he told a trusted friend that there
were among his papers, letters and re-
lies which, when he was dead, would,
if necessary, set this history truly be-
fore all who were interested. 1t would
seem that before his disease be came
to the conclusion that the story of his
love belonged alone to himself and to
her, and that it mattered little what
was said here when he and she should
talk it over where there are no gossips
or scandal-mongers. His executors
found a sealed package endorsed with
directions to burn it unopened, and they
obeyed the direction.
The course of true love, says our BIZ
ographer, in terms of very simple elo-
quence, ran in this case pure and I'M
| broken in the heart of the survivor
through long and varied life. 1t be-
came a grief that could not be spoken
of. to which only the most distant alu-
sion could be made; sacred, unceasing
sorrow, buried deep in the breast of n
man who was formed for domestic JOYS;
hidden beneath manners that were most
engaging, beneath strong social tenden-
cies, and chivalrous old-fashioned de-
| ference to women of all ages, and all
climes. His peculiar and reverential
| demeanor toward the sex. never varied
by rank or station or individual attrac-
tons, was doubtless in large degree
caused by the tender memory of what
he had found or fancied in her whom hc
had lost in his early days by such a cruel
| fate.'
The immediate effect of this sorrow
was to change the course of his life.
He had previously determined not TO
enter political life. He now sought ex-
element and associations with men,
and accepted nomination and election
to Congress The village gossips who
parted the lovers are responsible for q
vast deal that has since occurred in the
history of the United States William
c. Prime. in Harper's Magazine.