The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-09-16

Calvert his son had chosen
or this union there were twenty -one
children, mary Of whom were born at
Mount Airy. and all Of whom died
young except five. These were Henry
| Edward. the inhcritor of Mount Airy,
who married Elizabeth, the beautiful
daughter Of Major George Biscoe:
| George. who married Rosalr Eugenia
Sleir. and through this marriage ac-
quired the we'll known property near
Washington called "Rivcr,lale"; Flea
nor. wlo became the wife of j Ohm Parke
Crstis, the strpSon OF General Wash
ington: Elizabeth. who married Chares
Stuart. descendant of Robert III of
Scotland; an! Ariana, who. having
cast her affections upon Il suitor unac-
ceptablc to her family. fell into de-
cline and died while in the flower of
her youth and beauty.
During my visits to Mount Airy |
have often sat alone in the great draw
ing-room and, looking at the stately
fulllength portraits of Benedict Calvert
and his wife. tried to imagine the elC-
CANT hos, ,.itality they had dispensed
within those very walls. upon which
hung then as they do to-day portraits
Of the third, fourth and fifth Lords
Baltimore painted 10y the great masters
Of their time. Then turning from their
proud beauty, my gaze has fallen upon
the freshcr loveliness of Nelly Calvert
Gusts, who. radiant in her riding habit,
| looks so spirited. though so young,
and SO lovely, that my eyes return to
her after they have wandered to the
sad, thoughtful face of her eldest
brother, who died when youth in
England, whittier he had gone to learn
the secret of their fathers birth.
Again, when in the spacious chamber
above the drawing room, it has been
| pleasant to remember that in the great
| four poster in the corner the Father of
His Country often slept. and that in
this same room was born to Nelly Cal
| vert her son, George Washington Parke
| Gusts, who, when hardly six months
old, was adopted 10y Washington and
is ever interesting in our history as
''The Child of Mount Vernon" and the
builder of Arlington. Then the sadder
| thought would come that it was here,
too, that Nelly Calvert languishcd for
many dreary months before that rest
| l">Sness, which is one of the saddcst
features of consumption, induced her
to leave the home Ola happy childhood,
girlhood, and witehood, only to die else
| where.
But the old place has brighter men,
| ories-the park gates are wide open,
the close cropped lawn is gay with
| restive children and attentive slaves,
guests are arriving in splendid coaches,
some drawn 10y four, others by six
horses. Wagons follow. filled with
trunks and servants. At the entrance
| of the house the hostess is making her
friends welcome; the purple pavement
upon which they are assembled, over
! hung by the long white gallery, re-
sounds with light footsteps and laugh
ter, and the broad gardens, always the
special pride of the owners Of Mount
Airy, furnish their wealth of color to
complete the scene Then comes eve
ming, when the stately host and hostess
pass with their guests from the great
| drawing room through the long hall
brilliantly lighted by candles in high
silver Stands-which leads across the
front of the house to an opposite wing
where the library, sitting-room and
| dining hal! are situated The hospita-
bic board is spread, the highly polished
mahogany, the shining silver. cut glass,
| anl rare old porcelain proclaim in their
| elegance the exquisite taste OF the fair
m,Strs Ss nf the house. and Tie line of
nero walters who, mar>haIrd by the
digniicd old butler, are offering all
sorts Of tlrlicacics to the company, give
cheer. The rcpast finished, the draw
| ing-room is again the scene of enter
| tainment, and the night closes with the
stately minuet.
The generation passed away, and
| there succeeded rs master of Mount
| Airy Il son worthy Of his honorcd IA
ther, and Il daughter-in-i,w who. though
living in Il more democratic" age. clung
to the principles and tastes ofan earlier
! period. Their children received a care
! iili education and each Of their nine
: ms was provided with 4 profession,
but their love of home was stronger
than ambition, and one by one they re-
turned to it to pass their lives where
they had been begun. Mr.. and Mrs
Calvert were gathered to their fathers
Il few years before the Civil War
| wrought the distressing changes i'm
Southern lie OF which we are witnesses
Now nine thousand acres of the Mount
! Airy estate have passed into stranger
hands, and only about one thousand
acres remain in the possession of Cecc-
| Illus Baltimore Calvert, who is past
ninety-two. and Eleanora CcceliuS Cal
vert, who, though many years his
junior, il" her venerable brother, seems