Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-06-12
NELLIE GUSTS ANo LAWRENCE LEWIS
An Incident In the Home Lire OF the First
President.

As may be supposed. Nellie had q
great many suitors, and among them
some of the most brilliant men OF the
day. 1t was very natural that Wash
ington should desire to bind the dear
child, on whom he dotted, by still closer
ties. Accordingly, we find that when
Young Lawrence Lewis, his favorite
nephew, the son of his beloved sister
Elizabeth, came to reside at Mount YER
non as his private secretary, Washing
ton favored the young mans suit for
the hand of his foster-daughter. Nellie
was beautiful, gay, had the world be-
fore her where to choose, and was, per-
haps, like all bellies, little capricious.
.Grandmamma" had some other plans
for her; but no restraint was brought
to bear upon the young girl. There is
long letter, preserved by her brother
George, written to her by General
Washington when she was only sixteen
years of age, on the event of her first
ball 1t was full of wise and gentle ad-
vice to her on the matter OF love and
marriage, and he gives her number
of hints about avoiding coquetry,
to which, perhaps, Nellie was
little inclined. He begs her not to let
her impulses run away with her; but to
be rs reasonable in the matter Of love
as she was in everything else. He was
evidently afraid that some of the gay
wits of the day might deprive his dear
Lawrence of the wife he intended for
him.
Be that rs it may, n singular oc-
currence, related to me by one OF
Nellie's great-nieces, precipitated the
matter. Nellie" she said. had
great fancy for enacting the nurse
when there was anything the matter
with the health of her friends" She
was very fond of giving powders,
prescribing lotions" and doing all she
could, in the exceeding kindness of her
heart, to restore them; for it will be re-
membered that, in those more print.
tive days, women were better domestic
doctors than they are now, when every
ache and pain has its professional
specialist.
1t so happened, one day, that the
handsome young Lawrence, to whose
persistent addresses she had never
given as yet very earnest attention,
fell ill. He was living at Mount Vernon,
an inmate, with Nellie, of the family.
What was more natural than that
she should bring her medical skill to
bear upon him? She accordingly pre-
pared a powder. which was duly ad-
ministered. What was her horror, and
that of the family, to find, after 1t had
been taken, that mistake had been
made, and that the drug given was a
poison! OF course NolIie's agony was
intense, and she probably discovered
then. for the first time, how necessary
this life had become to hers. In her
remorse and grief, she vowed that il
Lawrence recovered she would marry
him. Lawrence did recover, and in due
time she became his wife.
The marriage was Il very brilliant
one. All the great people of the
neighborhood, distinguished officers OF
the army. celebrities from abroad, and
the Government officers of the new
capital were present to grace the
festivities, which took place on the 22d
of February, Washington's birthday, at
Mount Vernon. There was not a negro
on the plantation that day who did not
share in the joy of Little Missy's we'd.
ding.
The young married pair lived, for o
while, with the President, but finally
took up their abode on an estate, be.
longing to the Lewis family, called
"Wood!awn," which lay between
Mount Vernon and Arlington. This
was the home where most of Nellie
Custis's long and happy life was passed.
She devoted herself with noble assidu.
ity, and with all Virginia matron's
unselfshness, just as she had seen her
grandmother do before to the burden.
some duties of plantation peopled
with a large number of servants, to
whom she was the best of mstresses. tc
the exercise of vast hospitality, AZ
we'll as to the education of her scveral
acknowledgement j. Preston, IN 81.
Nicholas.