The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-05
THE ROMANCE
0F.MR. HUGHES

Whatever may nave Deen one
sympathies in the recent contest for
the presidency of the United States,
1t is impossible to repress a feeling
of coincidence for Mrs. Hughes, the
brave little woman who was the mod
est but competent aid Of the Republi-
can candidate on his campaign tours.
When the early. returns all indicated
the election of Mr.. Hughes, Mrs.
Hughes was so elated that she wept
for very joy. It was not OF herself
In the role Of First lady of the land"
that she thought, but Of her husband
and the accomplishment Of his cher
ished ambition.
you are president she cried, and
repeated it over and over again, while
her three daughters Hell
en- and Catharine-were also we'll
nigh hysterical, and her son, Charles
Evans, Jr., was wildly exuberent. That
night Mrs. Hughes and her children
went to bed firm in the conviction that
the husband and father was destined
to occupy the White House. The next
morning the telegraph wires were
clicking different tale, and the GER
tainty of the night before changed to
doubt and misgivings, and gradually
to despair. Mrs. Hughes bore up
bravely under the blow, but the smile
on her face must have belied the ache
in her heart.
It was twenty-eight years ago to-
day, Dec. 5, 1888, that Miss Antoin-
nette Carter, daughter Of Judge Car
ter, one Of the leading lights of the
New York bar, became the bride Of
Charles Evans Hughes, then a poor,
struggling clerk-a "leg lawyer"-in
the office of her fathers firm, Cham
berlain, Carter & Hornblower. Mr..
Hughes, after graduating from the Co
Iumbia Law School in 1884, became a
Tlaw-clerk by day, and at night acted as
tutor to law students, while on Sum-
days he taught class in that Baptist
house Of worship commonly known as
"Rockefeller's church" Incidentally,
it was this same Sunday school class
which Mr. Hughes later turned over to
John d. Rockefeller, Jr.
Mr.. Hughes has confessed that, what
with his duties by day and night and
Sundays, he found little time to WOO
the lady Of his heart-the lovely and
talented Miss Carter. Such leisure
as he had for this purpose was happi-
ly sufficient, for, as aforesaid, on a De-
cember day in 1888 he led the young
woman to the altar.
During the years that followed she
was the true helpmeet and comrade
of Mr.. Hughes, and to her faith and
encouragement he has attributed much
of his success in life. The great test of
her devotion to her husbands interests
came during the presidential campaign
when she accompanied Mr.. Hughes on
his tours, shaking the hands of null
titude of people, holding babies in her
arms, patting children on the head,
and acting rs the guest Of honor at
luncheons innumerable. In every city
she visited rival social leaders con-
spired for the privilege Of entertaining
her, and to accept and reject such invi-
tations without giving offense required
unlimited tact and graciousness.
While on tour Mrs. Hughes was
presented with enough flowers to sink
a ship, and with enough candy to for
ever ruin the strongest digestion. In
fact, it has been estimated that if
Mrs. Hughes and her three daughters
should attempt to eat all the candy
showered upon them, each eating
with eight hours of the twen-
ty-four for sleep, the task would re-
quire not less than thirty seven years.
In the west Mrs. Hughes often re-
ceived oranges, apples or other fruits,
but everywhere candy and flowers
were included among the gifts.