The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-04-22
THE TENDER MEMORIES.
How General Grant Wooed and
Won His Wife,
AS NARRATED BY HERSELF.

) Tho Distinguished Widow of III,
Great Warrior Compiling It voi.
umc for tho use Of her Chill.
At4' rdrcn-nlattcrs OF Interest.
New YonK, April ol.-A reporter hal
had an interview with Mrs Gen. Gran
upon the subject Of her memoirs. When
she came down the stairway Of her city
home with step as light and sure as il
ever was, tho reporter told her he OK.
peeled to see her in IN invalid chair, and
she laugbingly remarked: .,l
"Most strangers do. l am G4 years OF
age, but have never been better in my
lie. Good health was the legacy Of my
family. My mother completed her three
score years and my father lived to be 81,
I read occasionally about my bodily all.
ments, but happily have not any closer
acquaintances. am Us well and strong
aS ever Whs.
"lIow did you enjoy your visit to Aus.
tria?"
"very we'll. l was only in Vienna a
short while. Most Of my time was
spent travelling through the German
aud Austrian States. had invited
friend to 90 with me because l wanted
TO revisit the places had seen with the
General. / went 10 Beyreuth to hear
Parsifal, oWortemburg, Dresden, Ischel,
Carlsbad and other places" .
Inquiry was made about the remnis-
cences Mrs. Grant is preparing and
about which she was very reluctant TO
talk. Il have been working on my
book some time, butiti is purely 4 family
volume that want for the children.
had no idea Of publishing it. WANTED
to leave it to my family as a sort OF his
tory, and il they cared to publish it they
could do so. Our home life has been
SO broken that feel the children know
little about it, except what they learn
from print. It was to enlighten them,
correct some errors and add new mater.
ial that l began this work. 81 I
my people were born in Pennsyl-
vania, and made the journey to Mis-.
souri, when that section was known as
The American Wilderness They went
down the Ohio on flat boats. The trip
from Shawneetown to St. Louis was
made by carriage. My father had a
pretty place. There were. plenty, OF
negroes to wait on us, numerous cattle
aud horses, and to my girlish fancy the
farm seemed boundiess. I often think
what good things we used to ret to eat
from the old nanny who bossed every.
thing and minded everybody. Nothing
has ever tasted half SO good since as her
cream biscuits, watll4s aud jumbles. and
| have sat at many banquets and feasts.
We children were rs happy and free as
the birds. My mother was gentle,
sweet woman, Of rare mental strength,
who made our home a heaven and en-.
shaved every oneby her love.
HOW suE MET LIEUT.. GRANT,
II lived in Missouri when my brother
went to West Point, and when he
brought Lieut.. Grant home to spend the
holidays we had many family frolics in
those days about which my sons are
wholly ignorant. There was no selfish
secrecy about any of them. We all
shared them-parents, brothers and
and the servants enjoyed their part as |
much as any Of US. 90. -
"1n those days I was jealously guarded
and never moved ten feet from the
house without my brother or q servant.
One summer day we were going out 10
morning wedding, and Lieut.. Grant was
also invited. He came for US on horse
back, and asked my brothers. permission
to drive me in exchange for his saddle,
to which he gladly; consented.
THE day was beautiful, the roads were
u little heavy from previous rains, but
the sun shone in splendor. We had to
crossa little bridge that spanned ravine,
and when we reached it, l was surprised,
and little concerned, to find the guch
swollen, most unusual thing, the water
reaching the bridge. Inoticed, too, tha,
Lieutenant Grant WAS very quiet, and
that and the high water bothered me, II
asked several times il. he thought it
dangerous to cross, and told I would 90
back rather than take any risk. He as
sured me, in his brief way, that it was
perfectly safe, and in my heart relied
on him, but Just as we reached tho old
bridge l said: Now, if anything hap.
pens, remember l shall cling to you, no
matter what YOU say to the contrary
He said all right and We were over the
planks in less than q minute, Then his
mood changed, he became more social
and asked ne to be his vito, using my
threat as theme.
I'VE had dinner in the afternoon, and
Lieutenant Grant asked to set the day.
i wanted to be engaged and told him it
would be much nicer than getting mar.
ried, a sentiment she did not approve.
We we're very quiet at, the house that
evening and neither said a,word OF the
secret. After supper he went back to
the regiment and few days later Gen
eral Tyler sent him to Camp Salubfity,
in Louisiana. He was too shy to ask
father, 80 he waited till he was stationed
and wrote to him. Father never, IN.
swered the letter. Il was his .favorite
daughter, and he thought, army life
would not suit me. Besides he said,
you are too young and : the, boy too
poor. lie has not anything to give you.'
rose in my wrath and said was poor,
too, and had not anything to give him.
GRANT CLAIMS HIS BRIDE.
1.-THE next year he came back on n
leave'o Of Absence aud I can remember
I just how he looked as he rode UP in his
new uniform. Father was going to
Washington on business, and We were
| all on the front porch, kissing him good
bye and stutIing his pockets with notes
OF what he was to buy. Lieut.. Grant
asked for my hand, and father, in q
hurry to get OF. consented. My soldier
love was in and about Mexico aycar,
including the war"
! And he wrote to you ~ ,:s6a;
"Yea, regularly; every mail brought
me a letter." ..'- ,'0 - :
"Real love letters ?n t.'si Z
Every one OF them ia fal! ofsweet
nothiugs, love and war, and now and
then some pressed leaves and flowers.
Some were written on drum heads cap.
I tured from the Mexicans apd Others on
sheets Of ioolscap, folded and sealed
with red waters. i read one each day
| nrfil Tho ~ sn,',,, =, i >,