Show n has I AI J Jn j b aY ul uli i t I IfS StiF II uti I Ho How the F Family amily Qua Quarrel rel That eta 1 h hY f Y f 1 f Pe Persisted Through ThIrty Y Years ears l j 1 f 1 of Unrelenting Bitterness Came J Y j ii 1 f y f T To o B Be e S So 0 S Suddenly U dd en I Y an and d v tt 1 1 s J Y 1 j J fi Ended t Happily 1 Jg I Iti i ii i 1 I ti Ms M Mf s f S e- e ev v Sr u M Ml l i- i I s o A A As The former Grace Wilson the much courted New York society belle whom General Cornie Vanderbilt married in spite of the bitter opposition of his father and mother J lIE most famous family quarrel in inthe inA inthe BHE T A the history of American fashion fashionable Y able society has hns come to a dra dra- dra dramatically dramatically mati cally sudden and nd pleasant end Mrs Cornie Cornic Vanderbilt and her daughter Grace arc are sharing for forthe for the first time the stately luxury of The Breakers the dowager Mrs Vander Vander- Vanderbilt's butts butt's magnificent mansion at Newport and this means of course that the senior Mrs Vanderbilt Van Van- Vanderbilt has at last forgiven her her son Cornie for having having hav- hav aing ing married contrary to her own own and her husband's husband's hus- hus husband's bands band's bands band's wishes For thirty years ithe the dowager Mrs Vanderbilt Vanderbilt has grimly grim grim- ly ly followed her dead husbands husband's example y jin in refusing to forgive forgive for- for forI I give her son for his i disobedience and in in relentless bitterness toward the former Grace Wilson the woman woman whose love the young oung man vat val valued val valued more than a great fortune or the good will of his parents t h hAnd And now when 3 General Cornelius i t Vanderbilt is long past mid m middle i d die d l e age when he has a son sont t who vho is already married mar- mar tied ried and a daughter rold old enough to be hism his i im mother m o 0 tn c e r suddenly forgives him everything everything every- every everything thing i thing and holds out the 14 the hand of love to the so long come wife and her Vim r children V The reconciliation was was entirely unexpected unexpected to the smart set ands and even even the forgiven ones Oles Gen Gen- eyal eral Vanderbilt and his family are said to have been surprised surprised sur- sur There was nothing to give the world any warning of the olive branch of peace which the senior Mrs Vanderbilt has waved with such benefi benefi- beneficent beneficent cent results 1 Many different influences are believed to have played a part in making her do what it is believed her stern stem unyielding husband would never have done even though he had lived lived to pass the century mark tier Her advancing age and the numerous sorrows which have recently clouded her life undoubtedly had a great deal to do with the softening of Mrs Vanderbilt's heart and the ending of the long standing stand stand- standing standing ing feud Four sons have been born bom to her One died while a student at Yale Another Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was lost with the Lusitania Death took n a third Reginald only last year while he was still in the prime of life This left General Cornelius Vanderbilt her solo surviving son And the mother made mado less prideful by age and grief finally decided that she could not bear to con con- continue continue continue estranged from this last of her boys during her few remaining years T 7 Then too as she meditated over the careers of her children living and dead she could not help being impressed Impressed with the quite obvious fact that the marriage H f l Syr 1 i i ir A r 1 I r rS S 3 t tI G yf 4 31 1 Y The Breakers the dowager r Mrs MS Vanderbilt's a magnificent Newport Newport mansion mansion where her t a 1 eldest sons son's wife and daughter arel are j l f now welcome for the first time c r w y Rr i br 1 4 r i t f t i Mr and Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt jr jr who are also free freeto freeto freeto to enjoy the stately luxury of grandmas grandma's Newport palace but palace perhaps will not care to do so at atthe atthe atthe the same time she and her husband had fought tooth and nail against had really been a re- re remarkably remarkably re remarkably successful successful love match Cor Cor- Cornelius Cor- Cor Cornelius Cornelius nelius and the wife who was WIlS so distaste distaste- distasteful distasteful distasteful ful to his parents have enjoyed thirty years years year's of felicitous married life life-a life a rec- rec record record rec j i-i-i i tj ord which stands out in marked contrast to those of his brothers Alfred and Reggie both of whom were once di- di divorced divorced di divorced and living with their second wives when they died In the soberness of her er old age the mother was forc forced d to admit that of all her married sons Cornelius was the only one who had never naver made a failure of marriage and had not smirched the fam lam family ily fly escutcheon with the scandal of divorce The charm of young Miss Grace Van Van- Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Vanderbilt and her as yet undecided matri matri- matrimonial matrimonial future are arc other things that are believed to have played a big part in fn leading the dowager Mrs Vanderbilt to bury the hatchet with her son and his hla family Of course Mrs Vanderbilt Vanderbilt has 1 often oUen seen her granddaughter at social affairs and in spite of of of her bitterness toward the girls girl's mother she could not repress a strong admiration for Grac She seemed to lack what the senior Mrs Ml's Vanderbilt regards as the atro atro- atrociously atrociously atrociously bad habits of so many girls of the younger generation It seemed a shame to her that such sucha a charming girl should be still un- un promised un-promised promised in marriage and the grand grand- grandmother grandmother grandmother mother as much interested in match match- matchmaking matchmaking matchmaking making as she was when she tried to direct the course of her ber son Cor Cor- Cornelius Cornelius Cornelius nelius love affairs wished that she might do something to help along the matrimonial prospects of Miss Grace She finally decided that this could best be done only by forgiving her herson herson herson son and inviting her daughter in daughter lawand and her granddaughter to share The Breakers with her this summer Like many other family quarrels the one that that split the Vanderbilt family ostensibly had a very trivial matter for its cause Although it was alwa always s 's sus- sus suspected sus suspected that the had some other reasons for opposing Grace Wilson as the bride of their eldest son they in- in insisted insisted in insisted that it was solely because of the difference of four years in their ages the young woman being the elder The parents professed to believe that this slight seniority on the part of the to be bride to was was sufficient to make her heran heran heran an unsuitable love mate for their eldest son and the prospective head of the family On this account the elder Mr Vanderbilt went to his grave unforgiving unforgiving in ing of f Corn Cornelius lius and his wife persisted for thirty thirty years ears in holding bolding aloof from the offending son and his family One might have e thought though that Grace Wilson would have been just the sort of a young woman tho the Vanderbilt would have been pleased and proud to see their son win for his bride She came of good family was an usually usually good looking young oung woman woman and was more admired and sought after than perhaps any other debutante of her day It was often said that that she might have havethe havethe havethe the pick of the most eligible men in both this country and Europe for a husband Before she became engaged to young oung Cornelius Vanderbilt she was reputed to have had far more suitors than any other daughter of wealth and fashion No titled foreigner it was was claimed ever visited sited this country without being charmed by Grace Wilson and making a try for her heart But in of spite Miss Wilsons Wilson's larity popularity her charm high social position and considerable wealth Cornelius Van Van- Vanderbilt's Van parents did not regard her as asa asa asa a fit mate for him When he persisted in fn marrying marrying her in in spite of their threats of disinheritance and other dire things H M t J Ji V il r 6 IY Y j t f 1 0 4 24 a aR I t I f R 9 fl Rj The Cornie Comie daughter Grace whose charm and unsatisfied mat mat- matrimonial matrimonial matrimonial ambitions are believed to have had hada a great deal to do with bringing about the reconciliation between her parents and her grandmother V r r v The now forgiven General Cor Cor- Cornelius Cornelius Cornelius nelius Vanderbilt who was cutoff cut cutoff cutoff off with only a half million in in his fathers father's will because he married contrary to his parents wishes there was started a quarrel which persisted per per- persisted per persisted until only a few weeks ago The death of the eldest Vanderbilt son William H while a student at Yale left Cornelius the future head of the family and the one who should set the tho pace in making a proper marriage ac- ac according according ac according cording to the Vanderbilt standards When his choice fell on Grace Wilson it met with the bitter opposition of his parents There were weeks of stormy quarreling with the iron wills of the senior pitted against the even stouter determination of their son Finally the parents apparently yielded and the wedding was set for June 11 inthe in inthe the the year 1896 The ceremony was to take place at the brides bride's home Caterers came the huge wedding g cake was all baked and it is estimated that nearly worth of flowers had been strewn about the Wilson mansion when suddenly the announcement came that the ceremony would not take tako place as that scheduled that it had been indefinitely postponed The announced that Comic Cornie was seriously ill with inflammatory inflammatory inflammatory matory rheumatism rhe rheumatism and that this was why the wedding had to be postponed the tye brides bride's family endorsed the truth of this statement and intimated that as soon as the tho young man was able to hobble to the altar the wedding would take place The gossips however insisted that the young man wasn't family illat ill at all It was whispered that his family either cither w was was re- re restraining restraining re restraining straining him from the marriage by force or had succeeded in scaring him out of it with their threats of disinheritance disinheritance disinheritance It turned out that the gossips were wrong just as the they so often are Cor Cor- on ma 10 nelius Vanderbilt who was then twenty twenty- twenty tw years ears old was really ill and he had no intention of giving up the girl he loved no matter what pressure pressure pressure his hia fam fam- family family family ily exerted to have him jilt her and marry some one else The Tho real fight had not begun The opening engagement of it came on July 4 I while the sufferer from rheumatism rheumatism rheumatism was slowly convalescing On that day according to report his father went to his sons son's sick room and stormily re- re resumed resumed re resumed his effort to have the oung oung man abandon his plan to marry Grace Wilson Pale and weak as as he was from pain and high fever the young mans man's strength of will and his devotion to his sweet sweet- sweetheart sweetheart sweetheart heart were quit quits quite unimpaired He re- re refused refused re refused fused to consider what his father sug sug- suggested sug- sug suggested suggested with such positive finality that the old ord gentleman flew into a rage It has always been suspected that this fit of anger was responsible for the stroke of apoplexy which the senior Mr Van Van- Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Vanderbilt suffered a short time afterward That stroke prevented his ever going to his office again and made him an invalid up to the day of his death three years ears later It is supposed it was at this sick room interview that old Cornelius told his son that unless he gave up Gra Grace e Wilson he would lose the inheritance which had been planned for him and ho be hocut cut off with only a paltry million half half But this ultimatum did not have at nil all the effect on the young man that the father hoped it would Young Cornie felt willing to lose many times in order to marry the girl of his choice The postponed wedding took place in without August without a single Vanderbilt in attendance I The bridegroom however did not seem to mind the significant nb ab ab sence of his relative Although still lame from his long illness and realizing that he had lost his rightful share of one of the biggest American fortunes the bridegroom looked radiantly happy and extremely proud of his beautiful bride She and her parents parents had made it clear to the young man that it made no difference dif dif- difference dif difference ference to them if he did not have n a penny From that time on young young Mr Vander Vander- Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Vanderbilt bilt was long known as the pauper mil mil- millionaire mil millionaire He set out to prove that with with- without without without out a fortune to back him he could still make a success of life Taking a job at a month he wore overalls all day and devoted nearly all his evenings to work at his engineering profession His independence and soon won him hundreds of influential and socially prominent friends who were anxious not only to help him financially but to meet him and his bride socially even en though by so 80 doing the they 4 r rL rN L II N Ft p I I f ti l lt i t j r rS S Sn n y y s 's i ic c I II II I I V f 1 tt Ir Th The dowager Mrs Vander Vander- Vanderbilt Vanderbilt bilt whose heart has at l last st softened softened softened toward her son and the law in law daughter whom she so long ignored wrath would stir the of his parents Without Without the backing of an enormous fortune Cornelius Vanderbilt made him him- himself himself him himself self a su successful inventor a distin distin- distinguished distinguished distinguished civil engineer and a famous military man He brought more real distinction to his family than both his brothers put together although they di- di divided di divided vided between them the millions that should have been his When his father died the young man dutifully went to the funeral but his mother and others of the n family nily refused to acknowledge his presence by so o much muchas muchas muchas as a nod They were determined to show him Jim that his defiance of the paren paren- parental parental parental tal will in marr marrying ing Grace Wilson could not be forgiven When the tho old gentleman's will was read it was found that he had been true to his word and had cut off Cornelius with But the vindictive father had not been able to find any way of depriving his son of a trust fund left leU him by his grandfather Of course this was Vas a quite considerable fortune but it was small in comparison with the over bequeathed to Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Later on Cornelius succeeded ded in forcing forc forc- forcing forcing ing from the estate an additional This was accomplished through the generosity of his brothers and not through any relenting of his mother toward him When others of the family married Cornie Comic Vander Vander- Vanderbilt Vanderbilt bilt and his wife were never invited invited to the fashionable weddings held at The Breakers There was never any wel come on the mat for them at this or any of the other Vanderbilt mansions |