Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-04-12
LITTLE NELLIE GRANT"
Her Daughter Vivian Leaves Social
Gayeties to be by Her Side.

Mrs. Nellie Grant Sartoris, the
daughter of the nation-''Pretty Miss
Nellie" she was called at the white
house when her father was president
has been i'll in New York, and her
beautiful daughter, Vivian Sartoris.
abandoned the gayeties of the Wash
ington season to keep vigil at her
mothers bedside.
All her friends-and they were our
entire nation-were shocked to hear
the report that she was suffering from
cancer and hoped that it might prove
erroneous
No American girl has ever COM
manded SO completely the homage of
the nation as did Nellie Grant in the
days that preceded her unhappy mar
rfage-unhappy, but not unfortunate
since it gave birth to such a witch
ing granddaughter of the nation as
Vivian Sartoris.
In feature and temperament she had
the rare gift of sunshine; and that
was her fathers fond name for her
Little Sunshine"
From all over the world came peo-
pie anxious to shake hands with her
father and tell him what great man
he was. They all saw Nellie, and cap
itulated to her smile. 1t was the same
with the humble folk of Washington,
white and black The presidents
daughter had the same face for all.
Miss Nellie, she jes' thows away
smiles on de Streets" the gatekeeper|
of the white house used to say.
Wedding bells brought sadness to
the white house, and sounded knell
foT' the daughter of Little Sunshine"
Miss Nellie had will of her own
| the iron will of the great soldier, modi-
| fed by her sex, but none the less in
| fexa bic. She fell in love, and not all
the admonitions of father and mother
and friends could bring disenchant
ment.
Algernon Frederick Sartoris was the
son of a well-to-do Englishman, a
country gentleman, who owned prop
erty in Wisconsin. Father and son
came to this country in 1873. Nellie
European tour. They crossed the At
lantic on the same steamer.
It seemed an unaccountable attach
ment, but the presidents daughter fell
in love with the young Englishmau.
Every one else that encountered Sar-
toris disliked and distrusted him.
His own countrymen attached to the
Dy.i+ irL OF n l0fn h q n
no good word for him. Americans
watched his progress in Nellie Grants
affections with a chill at their hearts.
Gen Grant himself suffered from the
cruellest misgivings. He used every
influence short of direct authority tC
dissuade his daughter from the match
Beyond that he would not go. True
Nellie was only nineteen; but he knew
, her spirit and he was determined tC
save her from the gossip that would
have followed her he crossed her will
: There had been no such wedding
9 within the walls of the white house
|, The country talked about nothing else
r Pretty Miss Nellie stood with he
bridegroom in the East Room, undo,
/ bells of white and pink flowers, and al
y the world crowded to the festival.
! That was the end of his happiness
, for the forebodings had been wei
founded. Reports of his daughter
2 unhappiness crossed the ocean at fire
r quent intervals and bowed the oil
man with grief. It was bad enough
: that he should miss her voice, he
h footstep; but that she, his ''Littl
4 Sunshine" should be miserable, and b.
helpless to comfort her-this was tn
= crowning sorrow of his life.
f Her life in England would hav
been tragic indeed if it had depended
e entirely on the man she had married
i But she won friends on all sides, AM
r their kindness alleviated her lot. Tn
v elder Sartoris treated her as a daugh
e ter, and eminent Englishmen united il
paying her homage.
d Among these was the late Sir Freder
|, lex Leighton, president Of the Roya
Academy. He took a profound in
q terest in Mrs. Sartoris and her thre
children, and it was his delight Il
depict on canvas the beautiful face o
Vivian, the elder of the two girls.
The other children are Algernon Ed
Y ward, now twenty-three years of age
a and Rosemary, who has not yet "com
e out" Vivian is twenty-one.
q In mother love Gen. Grants daugh
). ter found an outlet for all the emo
s ton that marriage had crushed within
/, and self-disciplined.
e Sartoris the elder showed his ap