Evening star., 1896-02-22

of the state. He had a plantation Of eleven
hundred acres very near st. Louis, upon
which we lived, and he owned lands in
aerent parts tse Of rha MlsSou This story
farmers daughter. The truth Is that had
spent seven years at Prof? Moreau's school
in ST. Louis, which w as one Of the most
famous finishing schools Of the south and
west 1 was eighteen ye ars old at the
time and had just come home from school.
When Grant Proposed.
'.The story is only correct in that Mr..
Grant proposed to ME the day we attended
wedding together. One tof my friends
was about to be married and the wedding
took place in the morning. Lieut.. Grant
was among the guests invited, and he
came to the plantation to accompany US
to the wedding. He cane to our house on
horseback but before we left for the scene
OF the festivities he asked my brother to
take his horse and to allow him to use the
buggy and drive with me. To this my
brother consented. I remember that the
day was a beautiful one. The sun shone
out in all its splendor, but the roads were
rather heavy from previous rain. It was
some distance from our house to that of my
friend, and in going there we had to
cross a bridge that spanned little river.
When we came to 1t l was surprised and
somewhat alarmed to find that the stream
had risen and that the gulch was filed
with a rushing current, the water reaching
almost to the bridge Lieut.. Grant was
very quiet, and 1t seemed to me that he
was afraid of the bridge. 1t was an old
one, and I was by no means certain that
1t would stand the strain. AS we neared
the bridge asked MI. Grant several times
If he thought it would be dangerous for
us to cross, and 1 told him that I would
rather go back than take any risk. He
assured me. however, that 1t was perfectly
safe, and he said it SO quietly that 1 be-
lieved him. AS we came to the bridge,
however, I said, Now. Mr.. Grant, If any
thing happens, remember. I shall cliug
TO you, no matter what you may say to
the contrary Mr.. Grant simply said all
right. He gave the horse the whip, and we
were oyer the planks in less than "A min
ute shortly after we left the bridge he
threat to cling to him to break the way
That same afternoon he wanted me to set
the day. but to this l would not consent.
told hi n that it would be much nicer TO
but he did not seem to approve of this SEN
t1ment We decided, however, that it was
pest not to say ANYTHING about our en-
gagement that evening. Mr. Grant was
rather afraid to speak to my father, for he
feared that father would refuse He left
the house late in the evening to 20 back
TO his regiment and few days later Cen
eral Taylor sent him to Camp SaIubrity in
Louisiana. Before he went, however, he
wrote to my father, asking his consent to
the marriage. My father was not willing
to give this, and he did not answer the let
ter. He told me that he did rot think 7
ought to marry an army officer. He said
my husband would be away most of the
tlme and that he did not consider the mar
rage a desirable one. He told me that /
was too young and that Lieutenant Grant
was too poor, and that Lieutenant Grant
nadnt anything to give me. then told
iather that l was poor, too, and that /
hadnt anything to give him."
Gen. Grant as IA Lover.
How long was 1t before you saw the gen.
eral again?" l asked
1t was nearly a year." replied Mrs.
Grant. He was back then on leave of ab-
sence, and 1t was at this time that he ask
ed father in person as to the marriage and
got his consent. 1 can remember now lust
how Lieut.. Grant looked as he rode I'D to
our house in his new uniform. 1t was one
Sunday evening, and we We're all sitting
out on the porch Father was going to
Washington the next day. i. was a great
trip to go from St Louis to the east in
those days, and number of our friends.
perhaps twenty of them, from the sur
rounding plantations, had gathered there
10 DID him goodbye. l remember was sit
ting on the porch when Lieut.. Grant came
up gave him my hand aad he shook
hanos with the rest of the party. The
next day, when father went into st. Louis.
Mr Grant went with him, and it was dur
ing this trip that he asked fathers permis-
SION to marry me. My father consented,
put he said that he did not think the we'd
ding ought to take place very soon- Lieut..
Grant offered to resign from the army if
father insisted upon it. This was lust
about the time of the opening Of the Mexi-
can war, and Lieut.. Grant asked my father
II he had any objections to his writing to
me- He said no. and during the next four
years. while Lieut.. Grant was absent in
Mexico, l received letters from him every
ma hoy- 1aft
hundreds of them. Every one OF them is
full of affection, of love and war Some of
them have pressed flowers between the
pages, some were written on the heads of
drums which our troops captured from the
Mexicans, and many of them were sealed
with red waters. l can remember still how
used to watch for the mail, and how /
read my last letter over day after day
Until the next one came"
Grants Poverty.
Mrs. Grant," said I, 'I have often won
dered whether the stories are true as to
the hard times which you and General
Grant are said to have undergone just be-
fore the civil war"
1--WE did not have hard times" replied
Mrs. Grant. "A great many people seem
to want to reduce the general during his
early life to the dregs of poverty in order
that they may exalt him the more by his
rise. IhlS TACT used to annoy him con-
siderably, as 1t rather belittled his rela-
tives. General Grant was never very
poor. His family were what was called
rich generation ago. His father was a
man of considerable means. He had prop
erty in Ohio and the leather store at
Galena-of which SO much has been made
by some-was branch store, which was
afterward moved to Chicago and burned
up In the great Chicago fire. While we
were in Galena we lived very nicely in
deed. We were among the best people of
the town and had all Of the comforts that
one could wish. I see a ridiculous state
mont now going the rounds of the press
IN which Gen Grant is published as having
Deen teamster in Galena, and from it you
would imagine that his business was that
OF coachman or cab driver. I don't know
whence this story comes, but 1 pronounce
1t an entire fabrication, as are also many
other stories now being published. The
truth Is, the only horses that Mr.. Grant
drove while he was in Galena were our
own. We had very nice little wagon,
something like surrey or a park phaeton
and team of good horses. This belonged
to the store, but it was used as carriage
team by us and by Mr.. Grants brother
Mr.. Grant often took myself and the babies
out Of an afternoon for drive.
Grant ON the Farm Near st. Louis.
"And then, again, the stories of Mr..
Grants poverty at ST. Louis" Mrs. Grant
went on. "a great deal has been made of
his having hauled wood from our farm to