The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-26

1 But In those early years. during the war, and
/ the first portion of his presidency; indeed. dur
i ing all the period in which General Grant
achieved his greatness his children were only
| playmates and objects of affection for him.
They were too young to understand his efforts,
and duties, and anxleties. Jesse, the only one
/ whom ! ever saw much with him in the field,
was child of only seven years, toy. delight
| to his fathers and. of course, cherished deeply;
but that was all The others were at school, he
hardly saw them. and when he did, of course,
they could not influence his action or perceive
| its object or results In Washington, all through
| the terrible anxetes of the Andrew johnson
/ time, they were still children. He was fond of
| them, but he did not then impress me as more
tender than many other fathers, though def
cient in no paternal duty or sentiment.
l left his side after the first months of his
| presidency, and saw little of him for the next
seven years, but met all of his children in Eu-
! rope-the daughter first. She was then just
seventeen, the sweetest. most natural delight
| full of American maidens She was received al
| most as princess In England. General Schenck
was American minister at the time, and he de-
termined that the daughter of the President
should be treated with respect according to En-
/ gish rules. He called on the Minister of For
! egn Affairs and announced that the daughter of
| the President of the United States had arrived
/ in London In day or two the Foreign Score
| tary replied that the Lord Chamberlain had in
formed him her Majesty would be happy to re-
ceive Miss Grant at private audience at Buck
| ingham Palace, together with the lady who
| accompanying her and the minister of the United
| States.
| Now Nellie Grant," as the country called her,
| had been sent abSoad by her mother to take her
| out of the way of haf-grown admirers; she had
never worn long gown in her life till she ar
| rived in England but as the Presidents daughter
| she was the object Of a very natural attention.
! Mr.. Borie. the recent Secretary of the Navy.
| was going to Europe with his wife and Mrs
| Grant asked Mrs Bore to take "Nellle" with
her 1t was great favor on Mrs. Borie's part,
| but she was happy to consent She thought,
| however that she was TO take a schoolgirl,
and she found she had a half-fedged rrin
! cess her hands. She did not want to
| go to Buckingham Palace, and asked if the
| daughters of the minister could not accompany
| Miss Grant But the Queen had not invited
| those young ladies. and they could not suggest
| themselves Then Mrs. Bore had gown to
| wear to court but this difficulty was overcome.
and she went to the palace like a lady lin at
tendance on the little girl she had expected to
| chapePone
gave mademoiselle garden party while she
wac in London and was delighted with her
and sef-possession. She stood by my side and
smiled with democratic grace on duchesses and
| marchionesses as they made her the same cur
| tesy they made to royalty; the higher their own
rank the more profound the prostration they
| performed
| On the return voyage the young lady met her
| fate. Mr.. and Mrs. Borle were both i'll and kept
/ their staterooms, while Miss Nellie remained on
| deck There she fell in with Young English
man. and before they reached America the mis-
| chief had been done that she was sent to Europe
to avoid. Nellie Grant was engaged-and to
| an Englishman. Sartoris told me how he asked
| General Grant for the young lady's hand. With
| ali the awe of all Euglishman for the head of
| State, he was invited to dinner at the White
! House. knowing what was expected of him.
| After dinner the President led the way to the
billiard-room and offered him cigar. "'rhen,"
| said Sartoris, II knew my time had come. l
| waited and hoped the President would help me,
| but not word did he say. He sat silent, look
| ing at me. I hesitated. and fidgeted, and
| coughed, and thought / should sink through
| the floor. Finally, exclaimed in desperation
| Mr. President, | want to marry your daugh-
| ter" 1t took bold man to say that to General
| Grant, but doubtless the boldness recon-
mended him, for Sartoris carried away the
| prize
| His mother, Adelaide Kenble Sartoris, said
| something TO me which, as she is dead,
may repeat; it shows the English notions so
/ completely.
l paid the young couple visit soon after
| their marriage. They were living with the
| father of Sartors, in the south of England and
| one afternoon, when the pair off together
/ In the garden. for the honeymoon lasted long
while. Mrs Sartoris the elder, was telling me
! how she liked her daughter-in-law "Nellie is
! not at all bumptious," she said. "Soon after
her arrival We were making O'Clock tea. and
| Nellie asked to help. / consented of course
and she exclaimed. never made tea before in
my life'' Then Mrs. Sartoris gravely re.
| marked ut had not occurred to me before. but,
| of course, Presidents daughter had never
made tea" | said. Certainly notl I suppose
| she had never before made teal" but didn't ex.
| plain because o'clock tea was unknown in
| America at that time. [ was not going to take
/ down my princess peg.
| Another of General Grants children visited
| England while was there Buck" as we called
| Ulysses junior, was law clerk in New York,
| and went to London with one of the firm with
| whom he was studying The lawyer had bust
ness and took Ulysses to do the copying but
| when they arrived he was worse off than Mrs.
| Borie. The son of the President and ''the gen.
| tleman who accompanying him" we're In
| vited everywhere When they drove out Mr.
Grant" was put In the front seat and 1.-The gen.
| tleman" behind; when they were announced at
| dinners and parties after English fashion,
| 1t Mr.. Grant who preceded; and their
| real relations were reversed In the most
| ridiculous manner. l was having holiday at
| the time. aud they took my house off my hands
| for o month or two. They went about immense
| ly in London. was told. and were both more
| than popular, and 1.-The gentleman who accom-
| panied Mr.. Grant" made the most of his oppor-
| tunities
| But all this passed away. The children of Gen.
! Grant had their day. Then came sorrow and
/ humiliation. Every one knows that the beloved
| chief went into business and was wronged that
he and his lost their ALL that the of his dis
| grace rather than the loss of fortune. struck to
the soul the man who had been honored by the
world The long terrible story has been told
/ The Nation Is familiar with II. And then in the
sorrow that was worse than q cancer, Gen. Grant
chung to his family. Then land believe even
they-6rst fully discovered how dear they were
| to him. His love for his wife remained what il
| had always been-al that the love of husband
could be for the partner of his greatness and
his poverty, his joys and his griefs, during more
than thirty years--a beautiful spectacle of do
nestle affection in as great and striking vicss-
| tudes as earth know. But the
passion for his children now developed
into something exceptional and almost unreason-
ing He admired the talent of his sons as
if it had been extraordinary; be declared Ulysses
had a marvellous business capacity; that Colonel
/ Grant was fit to command armies; that Jesse was
mathematical genius. All the world knows
| how he labored for them after he had been given
up for dead; how he struggled on their account
1 His passion pathetic 1t reached out almost
from the grave towards those children for whom
| he was suffering He never believed for a mo-