Show ROMANCE OF MARY BALL II A Virginia Maid Who Gained i a Husband S Hus-band by Her Skill in Nursing Mary Ball who afterward became the mother of Washington was born early in the eighteenth century her parents having emigrated to this country I coun-try from England only a fey years previously Her girlhood was not materially ma-terially different from that of the average I aver-age pioneer child in the wilderness and l spinning and the other arts which she learned were such as were acquired also by her playmates The marriage of Miss Ball to Augustine Washington attracted not a little attention in the countryside for two reasons the age of the bride and the fact that the groom was a widower In those days marriages were usually contracted when the girls were mere children and a bride of 21 was naturally looked upon as an exception to custom The a excepton engagement en-gagement of Mary and Augustine was of short duration and the spring wedding wed-ding which followed was one of the events of the year In Virginia social lfe There was no bridal tour but Instead the young couple journeyed to the estate of the bridegroom which enjoyed the distinction of being the clstndlon I largest plantation In Westmoreland county I is only fair of course to presume that the bride was beautiful but we have also the authority for It of an old letter the writer of which unolc designates her as the comellest maiden maid-en she knows and grows very enthusiastic en-thusiastic in expressions of admiration admira-tion for her flaxen hall blue eyes and cheeks like May blossoms Nor was the love story of the Virginia maiden devoid of the alwaysdesired tinge of romance for tradition has it that the dashing Augustine gained a realization of nor charms as she nursed him back to health after he had been seriously Injured by the upsetting of his carriage before the homo of his future bride The friendship Inaugurated on that interesting in-teresting occasion speedily ripened into mutual love Bereaved of her husband when George was but 1 years of age andwith four younger children to be cared for she discharged the responsibilities l responsi-bilities thus sadly devolved upon her with scrupulous fidelity and firmness Waldon Fawcett in the July Womans Home Companion |