The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-10

in Lincoln knew Of Leavitt's devotion to
Miss Ruth Bryan before her father had
the slightest suspicion Of it. and Lincoln
rather resented Leavitt-s wooing.
AS a matter of fact, any man might
have been pardoned for falling in love
with Mr. Bryans elder daughter Al
though she was then but seventeen, sh=
was passing tall, straight. quite pretty,
athletic. an eut-of-doors girl with a tril-
liant, finely trained mind. She was grad
uated last June from the University of
Nebraska, where she was leader among
her classmates and immensely popu ar.
She won hoaors in economics and soci-
ology. She had been a contributor to The
Comnoner. her fathers newspaper, since
she was fifteen.
The artist Leavitt appeared to Ruth
Bryan. He opened to her. the vista of
world whose borderland she had scarcely
approached, rich. enticirg land, with
wonderful, mysterious possibilities. The
girl OF seventeen fell in love with The lit
tie painter; she loved him with all the
ardor, the enthusiasm, the passion of a
strong nature that is in love for the first
tine.
Mr.. Bryan's first knowledge of it came
when Leayitt asked permission 20 marry
his daughter, and it was the greatest
shock of Mr.. Bryan's life. He tried TO
reason with his daughter. He found that
she whom he had regarded as child had
become a woman. She has the outwardly
calm determination OF a hesdstrong ma
ture, which is one of the fathers charac
teristics. He could no more move his
daughter than politicians have been able
to bend the father to their will.
1t is said in Lincoln that Ruth Bryan
furnished the fighting courage for both
was the will and the courage that finally
overcame ner father.
When pleading failed, when reasoning
was met with the calm declaration that
she loved Leavitt with all her heart and
soul and that he loved her. Mr.. Bryan
asked IL she would wait year. She re-
fused. He then said lie would withhold
his consent. The daughter said she would
wait until she was eighteen, of legal age,
and then she would wed despite her faith
er's wishes. He asked her if she would
he would return by October l, for she
would be married on Oct 3, the day
after her eighteenth birthday
Mr. Bryan was helpless. lie went to
Newport to learn about the man whom
his daughter was to wed, and to see if
sufficient influence could be brought upon
Leavitt to make him postpone the wed
ding for a year. The facts that came to
him did not make him look upon Leavitt
as son-in-law with any greater favor.
But Mr. Bryan was helpless. He was
to acquiesce in the marriage,
for he knew that nothing he COULD do
would prevent it. So preparations were
made at F'airview and the ceremony took
place on October 8.
A few days after the wedding a news
paper article appeared in the Atchison
Globe. 1t was written by Z. w. Howe,
who wrote The Story of n Country
Town." that caused him to be hailed as
the coming great American novelist"
Here are some extracts from the article:
"Atchison is a good town, and rather
good-looking, but it was not evident be-
fore that it was so attractive that bride
and bridegroom would stop off on their
wedding tour TO visit it, but this is what
happened: Wv. II. Leavitt and wife. New
port, was the entry made on the register
at the Bryan yesterday afternoon by q
man who disclosed, when he lifted off his
hat to wipe off his forehead. after the
usual task of writing and wife after his
name that he is getting bald.
He was accompanied by a very young
looking girl. half head taller than he,
5tylishly dressed and rather pretty, and
bearing on her face feature that dis
closed her identity, the Bryan mouth.
She was until Saturday evening Miss
Ruth Bryan, daughter of the 16-to-l
prophet In the evening the bride and
attended the Presbyterian
church. and there was rubbering When
their identity became known. 1.-THE rub
berers in Kansas are almost as bad as
they are IN Nebraska said the bride
good humoredly to the night clerk at the
Byram after she returned from the SER
vice.
Somehow the evident happiness of the
bride and bridegroom did not strike n
responsive chord in the Atchison heart.
There arose the picture OF the wedding at
Lincoln Saturday night which they could
Did story OF wilful so determined to
have her own way that she left home and
stayed around with nelghbors for two
weeks until her parents weakened and
invited her lover 10 come ard stay AZ
their house and become a member Of the
family
when the preacher arose TO perform
he marriage ceremony the mother of ihe
bride left the Toorl, probably because
she felt that she would break down If she
ayed. and the guests saw her no more.
rhe father with two smaller children
stayed the ordeal out. but it was noticed
hat Mt Bryan did not congratulate The
nor shake hands with them
4 few members of the Greek letter soci-
,ty to which the bride has belonged in
Ter college days gave a little wedding
procession and passed things 10 the
guests
After it was all over and there came
he pause when, in the hsppiest of cases.
Z seems like closing down the Cofiln-iid
he bride went upstairs. saw her mother
llone for Il few moments, and then left
he home with the man OF her choice
They walled TO the corner to a street car
md rode 10 a Lincoln hotel. where they
-cmained untii they came 20 Atchison
yesterday.
And by the way. there IS more SYM
,athy for ". j. Bryan today than there
vas at either defeat or his presidential
.fforts'
From Atchison the painter and his girl
ride went TO St Louis. as tEc guests Of
Hiss Joe Atkins. a college friend Of the
after. at the Iindeli hotel Newspaper
reporters who had been scheuning fo~ in
erviews with Leavitt found Leavitt eager
or publicity. lie and his wife posed fer
because they Thought snap