Show y 9 o 0 THE LO LOVE IT v E AFFAIRS OF GEORGE washington I 1 by VALERIE HOPE I 1 a dah r effit 0 fht 10 I 1 8 9 by W G Op snail we are so accustomed to pictures ot of george washington in a rigid atti attl tude with sternly compressed lips and generally forbidding express on that we forget he was ever young and a human being of flesh and blood like the rest of us instead of being a cold blooded prig washington was magnetic in per sodality sona lity and a great social favorite he was the finest horseman in vir ginia an exceedingly graceful dancer and a dandy in ruffles gold lace vel vet silk stockings and diamond buckles buckle who caused a flurry in femi nine hearts whenever he appear appeared e d young washington was always fall ing in love and after his engagement to mrs custis was announced his mother wrote to a friend I 1 have had a great deal of trouble with george but it is all over now his first at tack of the heart occurred when he was 15 years old and the object ot of his affections was miss frances alex ander aged 17 whose father s plan tation adjoined mount vernon imagine him pining and sighing and grating his teeth in despair just like any young american lover in these days it is amusing now but at that time it was a very serious matter to george washington not much is I 1 of this courtship and soon after he lost his heart to miss lucy LUC grymes whom he often referred to afterward ns s his lowland beauty about this time washington wrote a letter to N dear sally in which he said I 1 am almost d raged from writing to you as this is my fourth to you since I 1 reed any from yourself I 1 hope you 11 not make the old proverb good out of sight out of mind as its one of the greatest pleasures in living in fairfax in often hearing from you and hope you 11 not deny me I 1 pass the time much more agree bier than what I 1 imagined I 1 should as there s a very agreeable young lady lives in the same house where I 1 re in a soft lulling sleep and gentle repose possess those joys denied by day there Is a letter on record in which washington asked mr fauntleroy permission to make a proposal of mar ariage to his daughter in the hope of a revocation of a former cruel sen tence but the father fathers s reply waa was unfavorable as usual and miss betsy afterwards married thomas adams of williamsburg it Is a tradition ot of that town that after her rejected suit or became famous and visited wll wil Iiams liams burg as the guest of the people she watched the triumphant pageant from a window and when the great hero saw her he waved his sword and saluted her whereupon the lady taint faint ed away on another ot occasion he fell in love with miss mary the ful daughter of a wealthy englishman who lived in a superb mansion on the hudson near west point washing ton promptly proposed but was told that somebody else s coquette was al ready engaged to be married wash ington said afterward that he thought things might have resulted differently if he had waited till the lady was in the mood there was a tragic end ing to this romance years after when the haughty creature who had spurned 0 the hand of the commander of the american forces was arrested as an english spy she was thrown into prison and all of her property was confiscated washington was too wise to turn into a woman hater merely because he had been thrown down three times in iSon he ile knew there were plenty of pretty fish in the aquarium and that it would be only a matter of time when he d make a good catch that time came just two years after he was jilted by miss and it happened in this way col wash ington was on his way to williams burg on official business and while crossing williams ferry was accosted by a hospitable old gentleman who Q 1 r 13 larj VA side miss mary cary that in a great measure meas ire cheats my sorrow and deject edness tho not so as to draw my thoughts aroi your parts I 1 could wish to be with you down there with all my heart but as it Is a thing pa 1 I most I 1 shall rest my self where I 1 am with alth he hopes pes of shortly having some minutes ot of your transact eions so we find the susceptible george interested in three fair damsels at once sally the lowland beauty and miss mary cary which recalls the story of the man who could never shoot a bird because just as he had aimed and was ready to shoot at one bird another bird flew in the way in 1753 lucy grymes the lowland beauty married henry lee and be came the mother of light horse harry the custer of the revolution one of washington s most serious love affairs was with miss mary cary and there Is no doubt that she was in love with him but her father pre vented the marriage by handing out the alaskan negative miss cary afterwards married a young swell edward ambler who died young and his pretty widow was often a guest at mount vernon after washington s marriage the cary romance extended over several years but in the meantime there were others it is consoling to know that NN washington ashington was human enough to oc oe casio nally do something amateurish and the thing he tell fell down on hardest was writing poetry the following was composed when he was a major 0 and about abo ut 20 years old it was ad dressed to miss betsy fauntleroy oh ye gods why should my poor re s heart stand to oppose thy might and power at last surrender to cupids feathered dart and now lays bleed ng every hour for lor her that s Pity less ol 01 my grief and woes and nd will not on me p ty take tak e ile I 1 ie sleep amongst my most anve erate roes and ditl gladness never wish to wake in dew delaud ud ng sleep let my eyelids close T that hat in an enraptured dream I 1 may asked him to rest a while af at his home in the neighborhood the colonel answered that his pressing business would not permit the time but as an inducement the old gentleman mentioned that among the guests at his house was the handsomest young widow in all virginia that changed matters the young colonel smiled hesitated and then well then he decided that he had more time than he had supposed upon reaching the house he was in produced trod to the fascinating widow mrs martha parke custis and we can imagine the coy glances of this enticing young creature for it was a case of love at first sight and in stead of getting away in a few hours as he had intended old bishop the colonel colonels s servant held his horse in readiness for hours and hours but his master come in tact fact his delighted host had little difficulty in persuading him to stay until the next day washington had just returned from a brilliant campaign was gallant and handsome and the clever widow lose any time bringing down her ge A few days later col washington visited mrs custis at her own beautiful home and this time he offered his heart and sword with sue ceab it Is guite quite evident that a propitious reception awaited him tor for on the way to the house he asked a slave it if mrs custis was at home and he said yes sah I 1 reckon you youse se the gen leman what s specter they did not meet again till their marriage six months later at that time martha custis was 27 years old oid just three months younger than her fiance she was short had eyes that snapped her manner was very gay and she was thought by home bome to be the most beautiful woman in america she was the wealthiest woman in the old dominion and t the he mother of tour four children two of whom were living the marriage took place at the home of the bride in january 1759 the exact d date ate is uncertain aV Miti A |