Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-06-03
WOULDN'T MARRY ]. G. FAIR.
How the California Senator Got the
Mitten in His Youth.

-A4oeOA LII LIlS
Because he loved so ardenlly for
which reason she thought him too
soft" Miss Lizzie Hardin refused James
G. Fair to marry Thomas Bryan. That
was years and years ago, before the
great bonanza days on the Comstock
lode, when Senator Fair was plain
Jim" Fair and both were young. In
deed, Lizzie was only Is years old and
Jim" had but recently reached his
majority. Mrs. Bryan is widow now
and still lives on the old farm in the
Sonoma valley, California. She was
asked about her acquaintance with Mr..
Fair and how he came to propose mar
riage. She said:
Senator Fairs ranch was near ours
and he lived at my fathers for some
time. He was always as kind as a
brother to my sister and me. In those
days servants were not so easy TO be
had as now and we dla our own work.
He often helped us carry water when
we were washing or scrubbing and
used to sit for hours at time with
.iso wv 'SiiN doAhSihG IL ol1lC, oul
needles and pretending to help, though,
of course, We would have got along
faster if he hadn't been there.
He was very generous, too, and would
offer to buy anything that my father
refused - get us. l always went with
him to dances and parties, which was
often, as there were great many given
thnn Wo had To InnapI
such things for amusement"
"Old settlers here say he wished to
marry your"
Yes, he wanted to marry me-" said
Mrs. Bryan slowly. Il was very young
then-hardly Is when he first proposed
We never quarreled. | thought every
thing of him as a friend-he was SO
way-and | suppose | should have
had him if he hadn't thought so much
of me. The more he showed that he
liked me the less | cared for him
thought he was too SOFT she explained
illustrating the perversity of feminin<
humanity the world over.
Now, Mr.. Bryan never showed that
1t C<tl GU LII llC. lISUCdu, uC Mdo
Indifferent as Mr. Fair was kind and
affectionate, and in fact it was because
he acted so indifferent l made up my
mind | would have him. Well, | got
him." she continued, by way of Co..
paTison.
After Mr.. Fair had left my fathers
house and l had made up my mind
that l could not marry him he came TO-
me three separate times and urged me
to think better of my refusal and
marry him at once.
Il used to feel sorry for him and
make excuses that | was not ready to
be married. He would say:
L don't wont you to get ready;
that calico dress is good enough. Let
me bring the minister right up here
now; I'll buy you everything you need
after we're married
But | was set on having Mr.. Bryan
and while Mr.. Fair was away on a
business trip l married him. AS soon
as he heard OF my marriage he directly
came to see me. He had heard it
while on his way to- Sacramento and
returned at once in great haste. | shall
never forget how much affected he was
when he learned that his fears We're
only too true. He felt very badly and
said that he never expected | would
N AIRY so soon and that he never gave
up hope of winning me himself until
then. | felt sorry when l saw how hard
he took it.
Then he said he would go away and
give himself up to acquiring a fortune,
and at once sold his ranch and went
away"