Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-02-02
Mr., AND MRS. GLADSTONE.
=. Il. O'Connor Writes About the Grand
Old Mans Family Life.

las family and he adorcs them in re-
turn. One can see this in a thousand
facts. For instance, when you get TO
rising ground in the park you see a
fine red brick house, this is the resi-
dence of w. H.. Gladstone. his eldest
sou. Further ON in the village is the
house Of the rector of Hawarden,
another son. i may mention that MIR.
Gladstone a~pologized for the absence
of Mrs. Gladstone because a new grand
son had just been born to them, the
rector's wife being the mother. Her.
bert, the Benjamin of the household,
and Mr.. and Mrs. Drue- his daughter
and son-in-iaw live with him.
But of all the comforts of his home
life Mrs. Gladstone is the greatest.
She arranges every detail of his exist
ence. i saw an example of it Just as
we were speaking. One of the SER
wants brought in a note. 1t was from
Mrs. Gladstone; and / hope nobody
will blame me for having an eye sharp
enough to see that even this little
scrap of a note began with the word
dearest"
I'm to dine at Mr.. Williams to-
night" said Mr.. Gladstone to the SER
want. as though he had received his
orders and was bound to obey.
The candle was lighted aud we kept
talking on until at last it was 5:40.
and very unwillingly ] had to rise and
leave him. He was glad. he said, that
/ had come, and he would have been
even more glad if | could have spent
the night with him.
The small family party with which l
dined consisted of Mrs. Gladstone, Mr..
and Mrs. Drew and Herbert Gladstone.
After dinner we all started for the
meeting; but saw Mr.. Gladstone once
again before / left. | told Mrs.
Gladstone that had heard that John
Bright's health was much worse than
the public journals seemed to indicate.
Mrs. Gladstone had communicated the
news to Mr.. Gladstone, and it dis
turbed him greatly. He cane into the
dining-room to ask me some further
questions on the subject, and, though
he remained composed outwardly-for
composure is Mr.. Gladstone's chief
Characteristic in private life-he APP
peared anxious.
On the way to the meeting | had
some scattering bits of conversation
with Mrs. Gladstone. How beautiful
Is the affection of II wife for husband
when ii is perfect, uniform, absolutely
absorbed, as IN the case of Mrs. Glad
stone! She didn't want to talk on any
other subject than Mr.. Gladstone, but
ON that subject she was willing To talk
forever. One might almost imagine
that it was a young girl speaking of
Ai.n N-ntth tl,n, h,,l ,.,,r,. l,n,. l.,r,N,
first fancy. There was "a strange
pathos about her whole conversation
the stranger and stronger because of
its innocent Inconsistencies.
She was very anxious about the
meetings at Bennington next week,
which will certainly put a great strain
upon Mr.. Gladstone. One meeting
especially, | think, should never have
been allowed. 1t is in BingIey Hall,
that holds some fabulous number of
people-ten To twenty thousand.
II hope" said Mrs. Gladstone, THAT
the people will be satisfied with seeing
HIM, and that it will be explained that
he can't be heard by them all. | am
afraid OF the meeting because he has"
and then she used an expression
which think splcndidly, though sim
ply, describes Mr.. Gladstone's character
-''because he has such "A heart that
hell try to make them all hear, and
that will strain his voice and prevent
his speaking in Parliament
What she meant by his "hcart" she
further developed III reply to a question
/ put to her. | said that | had always
thought that Mr.. Gladstone ought to
u. X-p laon npty,n ,,jpiufa, ln,tr l.f,r,
NE was. SNc gave as an explanation
that he had always thrown himself so
much into any work he had under
taken, that he was always immersed in
his w department. As an instance
she referred To the time when he WAS
vice presto ut of the Board Of Trade.
He was j" despair when first appointed
60 e.. office by Sir Robert Peel. "Sir
Robert" nc said, 'thinksI know some
thing about business because my
father was a merchant, but really |
know no more about 1t than Il baby
But he ~persevered, and became
thoroughly master of il. He never
could DO anything by halves and, per-
haps, he has often thus done a great
deal more than he need have done.
One other little incident will illustrate
Mrs. Gladstone's feeling toward her
husband. Herbert Gladstone PLAYS
Oh the violonccllo, and | asked him
whether his father played on any
instrument
NO. he sand.
add he singP" | then asked.
Herbert hesltated, as though he we're
doubtful whether or not ne could CON
cedc to his father the possession of
vocal powers, but Mrs. Gladstone had
no such doubts.
"Oh, beautifully" she interrupted
emphaticaiiy. Then she told me that
when she and Mr.. Gladstone were first
engaged they were at Rome; there was
nc piauoforte there, and she had no
idea that he had Il voice. But one day
after her return she heard IA beautiful
voice, and she didn't know in the least
whose it was. She wcut to Che room
whence the voice proceeded and dis
covered, To her great delight, that it
was that OF her iiance.
Ireland was Mis-. Gladstone's main
theme after her husband. Almost the
last words ! heard Mr.. Gladstone say
was when his daughter came in with
n bundle of letters.