Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-02-04

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General Washington occupied this
house for his headquarters" General
Washington dined or slept overnight
here while on his way from this or
that place" In one of these houses
his excellency General Washington
danced with Mrs. tGeneraN Greene for
three hours without sitting down" and
afterward he spoke of the exercise as
"a pretty little friSk."
1t was during this period, when Wash
ington found time occasionally to bend
from a strain not less in degree than
that endured nearly century later
by President Lincoln. that a wedding
was about TO be celebrated in one OF
New jerseys aristocratc homes situat-
ed between EliZabethtown, now called
simply Elizabeth and Morristown. The
bride, Anne Church. with whose fam
lily the commander in chief Of the Rev
dictionary army had long been init
mate, positively refused to be married
unless Ibis excellency" could find it
possible 10 be present. He was in win
ter quarters in the Ford mansion at
Morristown. now preserved as a ReVO-
lutionary relic. He had promised to be
present and a day had finally been set
for the wedding.
The groom was Major Varick,
wealthy young man of New York city,
who was at the time serving with his
regiment, but who had received leave
of absence to be married. He arrived
at the residence OF his fiancee the day
before the wedding and found the place
in a state of preparation, which meant
more than Il would now, when the
wherewithai for entertaining can be
placed in the hands of professional pro-
viders. for in those days everything
must be made on the premises. His
bride met him at the door, beamtng
with happiness, especially since she
/ was enabled to announce that his ex-
celancy the general in chief had sent
courier to say that nothing stood in
the way of his being present the next
day and that he would arrive shortly
before the hour fixed for the ceremony.
During the rest OF the day servants
were passing about moving furniture,
placing that contained in the dancing
hall where it would not be in the way.
and getting ready the marriage feast
About 10 o'clock the hum Of prepare
ton Quieted down. and at II the lovers,
who had spent the evening in a wing
of the house where they would not be
annoyed by the noise, separated that
the bride might rest before the exciting
events Of the morrow.
Major NariCk. taking a silver candle
stick in his hand, repaired to his room
He had no sooner entered 1t than he
noticed portrait Of his fiancee hanging
on the wall Whether 1t usually huns
there or had been placed there as one
of the preparatory changes the younl
man did not know. BE this as it may
he certainly welcomed It. He wat
very much in love ana. having pHrteC
with mis- faucee till the next day, wal
especially pleased to have her Likeness
with MIN. Anne was now twenty-five
and the portrait had been painted whei
she was sixteen Narick could not keel
MS eTg5 or me innocent race. 1T
artist had admirably caught the waxeI
complexion Of a young girl, beside
Anne's kindly expression. Indeed, b.
had represented 3 veriJable budding
human flower.
Vsrick addressed and got into bed
but could not bring himself to put on
the light he had left on the dresser
with its curved legs and claw feet, dl
rectiy under the portrait The candl
was fresh one and when he lay dow
had burned but u short while Prop
ped up with pillows, he kept his gaz
fixed upon tie painting while the can
die was slowly being consumed.
Drowsiness gradually stole over him
and with IL remarks bic transforma
tiOn came upon the picture. The in