Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-08-18
A sTATEsMAN's ROMANCE.
He Marries the Owner of Cottage From
Which He Was Once Elected.

"hch ne was Unce EJected.
There is Representative in Congress
from Maryland, one of the most popu-
lar OF the delegation from that State,
who has had romance in his life
which goes far to prove the truth of
the saying that fact is stronger than
fiction. The Representative Is essenti.
ally self made man, says the Wash.
ington Star, and is not ashamed of 1t,
for 1t was not his fault that fortune
imposed upon him the task of carrying
out his golden future. His father died,
and he had devolved upon him the task
OF supporting mother and several
brothers and sisters. Word in the ma
chine shop of his little town grew slack
and he started to Baltimore with a
grave heart and seven cents in his
pocket.
The first night he reached the city he
put in walking the streets. Owing to
his own efforts he finally secured en-
ployment in one of the largest machine
shops Of Baltimore. He sent for his
mother and the children, and prosper.
ed for season. They lived in little
house on small street and were hap
py. Then work grew scarce and the
present Representative lost his place.
The rent was in arrears, and one day
when the young man saw the agent of
the house he was told that unless the
rent was paid by specified time they
would have to go.
"The house belongs to young lady
In the country" the agent said, land
she needs the rent to buy herself
dresses and other things. The income
! from, the house is oil she has for pin
money" -rssy'
The rent could not be paid in full,
nd the family with the mother in the
last stages Of consumption, moved into
another, though they hated to leave.
The Congressman fell in love with
his wife through a photograph which
a friend had, worried the friend into
taking him to the little country town
and introducing him. The engagement
followed, but the family objected to
the match. The only objection they
could offer, for the young man had
never touched drop of liquor, and
was noted for the way in which he trod
the paths Of rectitude, was that he
had worked as machinist and ordi-
nary laborer.
VI knew Of this,' said the Congress.
man to the Star reporter, "and I de-
termined, after we became engaged,
that / should show my intended wife
exactly what / had been, for l had ad-
vanced to higher position then.
took her out driving one evening, aud
arranged so that we should reach the
entrance to the works where I had
been employed at certain time. We
got there about o'clock, when the
men came out, dirty, SCOT blackened
and weary. I told her / had been one
of them only short while before.
! "Afterward drove past the place
where we had been forced to leave on
account of my not being able to pay
the rent. told the whole story of how
the agent had said it belonged to q
young lady in the country, who needed
II for pin money. We stopped at the
little house, and / pointed It out.
There it is, Mary I told her.
turned and looked at her, aud there
were tears in her eyes. She was Sob
ping softly, and thought she had been
touched simply at the story OF my
struggle to support myself and family.
DO you know whose house that
is?' she asked in broken voice. told
her did not.
ut was her own. She was the young
lady Of whom the agent had told me.
and TO whom the rent had to be paid.
1t seemed almost incredible, but 1t was
the truth"