The St. Johns herald., 1896-09-12
BRYAN'S HELPMEET.
SOMETHING or THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WIFE.

is an absolutely new species of woman among those who have stood a chance of ruling ill the executive mansion.
 Briefly, she is pale faced, intellect ual slip of a woman. She has an i'm mense amount of determination and sl- lent aggressiveness. is rather studlous and very reserved. She does not care for fashion or society and pays no attention whatever to either.
 Attention was first drawn to Mrs. Bryan at the time Bryan made his fa- nous tariff speech ill the house. Inside of few hours, in the midst of the adu- lation he was receiving, Bryan gener- ously declared that his wife deserved a share in the praise.
 This is the kind of woman Mrs. Bryan is: For weeks the Bryans had been pre- pairing that speech. The Bryans is said because the husband and wife worked over the speech day and night together. Every preparation for it was made with determined coolness.
 Mrs Bryan afterward told me how they had worked over it, how sentence after sentence had been polished and re- polished and cut until each was gem of its kind. They had already discovered Arlington, the famous cemetery of the soldiers. There they went twice, and among the graves of the great worked over paragraphs that proved especially effective when delivered. Mrs Bryan knew almost every word by heart.
 A week before the big speech was made Bryan had delivered eulogy on dead colleague. Mrs. Bryan, then un- known even to her husbands colleagues, sat in the gallery and carefully noted the volume of tone required by Bryan to fill the hall. Anything more deliber- ate could hardly be conceived. By means of signals the husband on the floor and wife in the gallery communicated, and he increased or lowered his voice at her suggestion until she had satisfied her. self that he had struck the most effec- tive tone.
 When the critical moment arrived, Mrs. Bryan was ill the gallery. She has told me how anxious she was, yet sure that her husband would wake up the house as it hadn't been stirred for months. At first Bryan held low voice. Mrs. Bryan nodded for fuller tones Her eyes never left his face ex- cept to study the effect some sentence might have on the house. From time to time Bryan glanced for encouragement at the pale face of the woman ill the gallery, and when 1t all was over there was one quick glance of intelligence. Both knew that their work had been we'll done, and the woman sank back in her seat almost overcome by the inten- sity of her satisfaction and relief.
 It was few days later that Mir. Bry- an took me into the house gallery to meet his wife, who came over nearly every afternoon to meet him and walk home with him at the close of the ses- sion.
 Mrs. Bryan told me how she and her husband had known each other as young people back in Illinois, where they be- long, when her name was Mary Baird.
 When they were married and went to Nebraska to live and Bryan studied law, she took up the same study with him.
 Then Bryan found himself getting into politics, but Mrs. Byan kept on with her law studies, took her exami nations and was admitted to practice. All this was done that she might work with and help her husband.
 In this connection Mrs. Bryan said: "It amused me after | was graduated to see the women in our town. Of course it was then little unusual for wom- an to be admitted to practice. My friends called in numbers on me, and 1t was queer to see how they maneuvered to approach the subject. About half of them finally got it, but one and all seemed to think that was bigger cu- riosity than a mummy"
 Mrs. Bryan can be sarcastic when sufficiently reused, and at any time will say droll, witty things with only a gleam of a smile ill her dark eyes.
 She is the mother of three children, and is very domestic ill her inclinations When it was discovered that she was lawyer, a congressman who meant to be very agreeable inquired of her with what line of law she was most familiar
 Mrs Bryan's quick answer was:
 Domestic relations, sir.
 If the Bryans should come into the White House many people would recall and contrast the night of their first ap- pearance there with Mrs. Bryan's pros pect of standing at the head of the re- ception line.
 It was just after Bryan speech, when everybody wanted to see him and his lawyer wife. Mrs. Bryan appeared in high necked, long sleeved black cash mere dress, not even fashionably cut or made. Bryan wore his usual Prince Al bert broadcloth coat and possibly white lawn tie The pair stood about and looked lost while people told each other who the transformations, rather old fashioned looking couple were; yet neither was at all embarrassed. Both got more than a little amusement out of watching the crowds. They went out very seldom in Washington, and then only on official occasions. Inever heard of Mrs. Bryan appearing in evening dress during their Washington life. l don't think she ever possessed low cut gown, nor dress with silk Things, and Bryan surely never has owned dress suit. They never attended fashionable dinners and certainly gave none them selves
 The Bryans when in Washington lived i'll small, quiet boarding house on Capitol Hill, three blocks from the cap itol itself. There was real estate office ] i,, a r,art nf fha prOnnd floor During