The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-21
GRANT s CQlJRTSH|P
Romantic Episodes of the Young
SOLDIERS Life.


West Point. Grant had as one of his
classmates-and a portion of the time
as roommate also-one Z. T Dent
aater brigadier- general, and afterward
United States minister TO Denmark
whose fathers family lived five nlles
west from Jefferson barracks on
farm-or plantation, as large farms
were usually called in the south III
those days-known as White haven,
1t was beautiful estate, and the nome
of refinement and culture.
There were TWO unmarried suns
home, and two daughters, aged 10 , ssnu
9 respectively There was ahotHe,
daughter still ofder-aS Grant wen
knew from the West Point Drolhe-,
but when he made his advent dl the
Dent home soon after MS ARRIVAL a
Jefferson barracks, armed with oen-
catelv written and most cordial GRE
dentials from young Lieutenant Dent'
Miss Dent was not at home
Tjeufanant Grants intercourse with
the family during his frequent visits
had gained him the esteem and con-
fdence of the elder Dents, as well as
the four young people at home. Hence
before the return OF the accomplished
Julia a cordial friendship had sprung
into existence between the family ana
horseman-none better in the army
ana Miss Dent was one OF the most
clever, graceful and expert horsewomen
in the country-a region then ceie-
brated for it's superior horsemanshlp'
An old colored servant, relating recoi-
lections of that time about Miss ) una
skill as a hOrSeWOman, said 10 me;
"Oh, massa, 1 tell yo' she was de bes
rider l cher see! Den yo' orter see
Massa Cam Grant help her on her
hossi She touch her to- to Cap n
Grants fingers wild his gloves on, an
spring into de saddle like bird nlttln
from one limb oh a tree to anodder!
Den Cap'n Grant-oh, massa, 20 orter
seed him git on boss. He neber
spring, neber ben his back or neck; he
1is' put one foot in de stirrup an r-sa
up easy an straight, an quick as
wink he would be a-settin' in his sad
die straight as a general! Oh, massa,
] tell yer / never seed two ride IKE
Cap'n Grant and Miss Juliai" And she
clapped her hands at the memory OF it.
And, 700, Grant loved nature, was
fond of exploring the country. Miss
Julia knew every foot of it for miles
around her fathers house.
In later life General Grant modestly
admitted that his visits to the home of
the Dents were possibly little more
frequent after Miss Dent arrived at
They certainly became more enjoy
able"
Their walks and talks were frequent.
Miss Dent was a botanist She knew
where the rarest plants and the most
beautiful flowers grew. To these
charming spots frequent visits were
necessarily made, with botany" and
glass and needles to analyze the flow
ers, while the attendant would have
Lady of the Lake. or some other
book Of poems in his pocket or lunch
basket, in case botaniZing and eXplor-
ing should grow tedious.
On one occasion while Miss Dent was
intent on unfolding and explaining the
intricate structure of a rare and beau
tiful flower to young Grant, who was
anXiously peering into the recesses and
marvels OF its structure, the sharp bark
of a dog disturbed their studies. In a
moment a deer bounded lightly past
them, almost directly toward the dog.
The yelping became more rapid as the
deer, with dog in pursuit, flew away
over the country in circle and back
TO the river two miles up stream.
The deer was the mother of a little
spotted fawn only a few days old, and
this cove was evidently her home, for
as the mother had run toward the dog
% attract its intention and induce the
dog to follow her away from the baby
hopping along and hid under a small
bush almost within touch of Grant and
Miss Dent. They talked to il Sympa-
thetically and assured it that the dog
should not injure it if it stayed close To
them. They could have caught it, but
Grant thought it would be cruel to
rob its mother thus Wantonly, and Miss
Dent agreed. He suggested that the
mother would be back again as soon as
she had led the dogs a dance over
the hills, and could then free herself
from their pursuit by taking to the
water. And so it happened. Not long
after, the cunning little mother came
up out of the river, having swami
down stream from where she had left
the dogs, and she came softly walking
up to within a few rods of the place
where the botanists were sitting. She
stood looking at them for some min
utes, then gave a stamp with her foot
and instantly the pretty little fawn
leaped away to its mother, and they
trotted off a few hundred yards and
lay down on the other slope and
watched the botanists and their escort
until the slanting rays of the sun, as il
painted in gold and crimson and purple
the young buds and leaves and flowers
about them, adlnonished them to turn
their faces homeward.
Adventurous horsemen and women dc
sometimes meet with adventures, and
young Grant and Miss Dent did not
wholly escape.
When the water is high in the Mis-
sissippi the current is swift, and il
abraGes the banks quite rapidly where
they are of alluvial soil-it undermines
them-and they frequently cave in
several yards or rods at a time. IN
the early spring, in one of their after
noon explorations, they were riding
along the bank Of the river, passing
from one cove or valley to the mouth
of another. Miss Dent was nearest the
water The land was but few feet
above the surface of the swift-flowing.
turbulent stream. Suddenly Miss
Dents horse began to sink. The earth
had given away under his hind feet
Grants horse was close beside hers
In al instant he saw that her horse
was sinking into the awful ABYSS
Grants cool head and splendid horse
manship here had opportunity to dis
play itself. Quick as a flash he leaned
over, threw his right arm around Miss
Dents waist and drew her TO him as
her morse instantly disappeared in the
seething and murky eddy that a mo-
ment later boiled and surged in angry
Iumult over the place where bank
and horse had vanished from sight
1t was frightful moment
Fortunately the earth parted between
the two animals, leaving Grants horse
on solid ground. Lifting and firmly
holding Miss Dent, and applying the
spur 10 his horse, he was on safe
ground in moment: then he =ensly
lowered her 70 the earth-all this with.