Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-25

know Of IN real life? Per-
haps. Yet they do not do II
always Not love story of them all
Is more tender and attractive, more out
Of the common, than the true romance
Of James ]. Hill and Mary Michigan, his
wife.
/ 1t Is common for biographers OF the
great railroad president to slide over
that romance lightly, revealing only a
glimpse Of it, thinking mayhap 1t VIII
not have a good sound In that high life
which mankind assumes all rich Amerl-
cans aspire to enter, And here the bl-
ographyrs go dead wrong That ro-
nance. Is the bravest, brightest sweet
est episode In the career OF Jim Hill
| II Is more than an episode, II runs
through all the strong steady current
Of his life II have been successful"
he said once IN a public speech 1T Is
because have never had to fight fire
In the rear"
! jim Hill's love tale Is exactly the sort
| OF story that touches and yibrates the
| chord Of romance which lives forever In
] the hearts Of all-old boys and girls as
well as young.
Conceal that story7 Rather exalt It,
| Linger with loving touch on this ro-
nance and lesson IN one, II is a credit
to Mr.. HOS moral nature, and 1t shows
no less than his long headed railroad
/ schemes do his sagacity In building for
the future. And here II Isl
HIN was mud clerk" on the st. Paul
! levee. The mud clerk, In steamboat
/ lingo Is the young man who stands at
| the landings In all weatheIs and checks
off freight passing TO and from steam
ers, lie frequently gets his feet mud
/ dy, Hil's father, up in Canada, was
north Of Ireland man; his mother was
| Dunbar descended from the royal stu
arts OF Scotland. The family In the old
country were, however strong Protest
ants and It was owing to troubles with
their Catholic neighbors at the time of
the Stuart rebellion that the ancestors
Of Hill came to Canada. HIS family
In Canada were Presbyterians, and be
was a Presbyterian I'm the blood. Why
mention this you shall see.
He came to the States because Can
ada was not large enough to hold him.
In 1856 he settled as mud clerk in st.
Paul He settled, but he did not settle
down His knowledge OF steamboat and
freight business enabled him to start
coal and wood carrying enterprise lie
lived meanwhile at house called tile
Merchants hotel, and here he met sweet
Mary Michigan. Some say she was
scrubbIng the front steps the first time
he saw her She was waitress In the
Merchants hotel, womanly dignity and
purity vibrating out from her and In
folding her like a garment. There was
no coarse chatting Of Mary Michigan by
the boarders. They knew better. She
was Irish, Catholic and beautiful, but
that she was a waitress the biographers
slur over. Why should they? The sto-
ny shows what men and women may be
and do In the United States.
Young Hill was powerfully attracted
TO the girl, But he knew already that
he was to be millionaire and a great
man, although he was only a little past
20 and a mud clerk, The maid must be
educated up TO the plane Of King Co
! phetua. Mary Michigan left the dining
/ room Of the hotel and became a student
: in convent school, according to her
faith, though Hlll was a Presbyterian.
She had brilliant acquisitiye mind.
She entered the convent ignorant OF the
/ lore OF books though she had learned
the more important lesson how TO earn
an honest living and preserve her self
respect under trying circumstances.
She came out Of the convent a gra-
clous. accomplished woman, one who
J could hold her own socially with the
J best Beautiful she had been when she
went TO the school. When she came
out, she and Mr.. Hin We're married.
While she was at school Hill was not
, wasting his time. A learned man one
, day went into a bookstore In st, Paul
and saw upon the counter a pile Of
heavy scientific volumes being wrapped
: up for delivery. He picked them up
one after the other, looked al their IT,
ties and asked the dealer who reads
these books?" "A mud clerk on the
levee OF the name OF Jim Hill, replied
the dealer
The young couple began housekeep-
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