The Washington times., 1908-11-28
Divorce Suit Is Climax of
Romance" Opposed by
Both Her Parents.
YOUNG GIRL SEES
LIES SEAMY SIDE
Dragged About Denver in Bohe-
mian" Way Until Father Res
cues Her and Children.

way 70 France-he may be there by
this time-foT the purpose Of seeing Mr..
BTyaR's sOn-in-laW in regard TO a d.
vorce suit about 70 be brought by Ruth
Bryan Leavitt, The object, it is said,
is 10 agree upon a settlement
Mrs Wjuliam Homer Leavitt, who, in
spite Of Ssr hectic married experience.
is stnl a FIJI in experience and years,
has established a residence in Colorado
for the purpose, It is understood, OF
bringing divorce suit under the liberal
laws Of that State. II is not merely
paper residence. Mrs. Leavitt spends
probably two-thirds OF her time In the
State. the remainder being spent with
her parents at Lincoln, Neb.
In Colorado. which is a state where
women vote, Mrs. Leavitt is reasonably
prominent. She IS president Of the prin-
cIpaI woman's Democratic club in Den
yer, and her brillianCy and wit make
her a prominent figure among the
bright women Of that state, though she
has never given the least countenance
to ANYTHING Of the "suffragette" order
The divorce suit which she is about 20
bring. marks the end Of one OF the most
interesting ''ronances' of modern Amer
fcan life A romance in modern
newspaper lexicons, is marriage
where tie girl de6es the wishes OF her
rarents. Ysuth Bryau's marriage cor
responded 10 the definition.
Paints Bryan's OPrtrait.
She was a self-willed, beautiful bril-
liant. and foolish girl Of seventeen An
artist named Leavitt came TO Lincoln
"a nsint her fathers portrait He was
twice her age and more. nearly the age
Of her father. but good looking, clever
and with q sIap-dash way with him
that fascinated the imagination OF the
schoolgirl.
Ruth Bryan was the most popular
and brilliant pupil In the college at Lin
coin. She had a reputation as an after
dinner speaker that would put Simeon
Ford in his palmiest days to shame.
Her essays gave promise OF a striking
future, though her foot was OF the bot
tom rung, the freshman class.
Ieavitt had Travelled over the world.
and brohght to the quiet home in Lin
coin a report Of what was TO be seen
in big towns. It opened a new world
10 Ruth Bryan, and she announced her
determination 20 marry him.
Mr.. Bryan, who, with all his ideGlism,
shrluks from a close application II II,
and is practical enough at heart,
riage and did all he could TO prevent IL,
So did Mrs. Bryan
Ruth Is Self-Wlled.
But Ruth was too seIf-wiIIed to per
nit an interference. She had to wait
for her eighteenth birthday. because
her father and mother had legal con-
troll OF her up to that time. but on that
very day she was married.
Mrs. Bryan absented herself from the
ceremony She would not lend herself
to the horror Of seeing her beloved
daughter marry a man who, in the de-
voted TnothCts view. was unworthy OF
her. Mrs Bryan spent the marriage
day weeping In her room.
Mr.. Bryan manifested more heroism.
He attended the wedding. though every
curious guest marked on his face the
grief Il cost him. He was silent and
inactive. At the close he came and
pressed a formal kiss on his daughter's
brow, and then went disconsoIately out
10 join his grief-stricken wife.
Then the ill-starred married life began.
Ieavitt mad no money, but that was a
defect the Bryaus might have remedicd
but for the ineradicabIe defects OF his
temperament. He had the curse OF the
bohemian idea. He dragged his sweet
young wife through Denver hash houses
WHEN ne ttLGu as Wen nave uLnEG her at
good hotels, AT last her eyes were
opened and she left him
Children in Squalor.
A year ago ". j. Bryan found that
his two grandchildren, Bryan and Ruth,
were living ia squalor In miserable
places in Denver, and he went there and
rescued them and their mother The
outcome was the Colorado residence and
the suit for divorce
Leavitt has been living In Paris all
this time.
Ruth Leavitt IS as sweet a girl as ever
poet celebrated, She Is twenty-four now,
but she does not look a day over sew
enteen, and the presence OF two chill
dren, one OF four aud the other Of three !
seems almost like Joke
her mouth Is a little wide, and that
IS the only defect in her face, but that
mouth Is 50 sweet and sensitive, that IL
seems 10 lend an additional beauty TO
net c51utendnce. her color is delicate
end hna, ana her features lovely. She /
Is 90 quick ana Witty that her clever
ness ls a proyerb west OF the Missouri /
me Republican matIOns of Nebraska /
oeligiaJ &c boom her, even though their
stahChly against her father
Her Beautiful Children.
When you see Ruth Leavitt dancing
down the hill Of Fairview. with the
,
daughter, and the sturdy little man-of- !
Rl-Work. who is her son, each held py
a hand. you are seeing one Of the pref
tiest sights in Nebraska. Her skirts
are not unduly long. her face is alight I
with the JOY of life. and the two chill (
dTen are the most appealing things In
human form that have ever got into I
lie that side of the Mississippi. Grace
Bryan, her sister, is only seventeen. but
much more dignihed and stately. 1t /
would not be hard TO imagine Miss
Grace as the married woman, settled .
and sedate, and Mrs Ieavitt as tie
Biri or seventeen just out of school
Nevertheless, Ruth Issavitt has nm
dergOne a world OF experience in her
troubled married life. and now that shs
is arriving at the end OF il NAV have
reason to- congratulate herself. The ,ii-
vorce suit was contemplated long ago /
and il was decided that IL should De
brought as soon as the campaign was
over, no matter which way the election
turned As long as the campaign was
actually on, Mr.. Bryan could not afford
10 have the suit brought. The residence
in Colorado, however. WAS established