Jefferson's Courtship And Marriage

Amone his asoociates at Williarasburg bar was John Wayles, a lawyur of graat praotioe, who liad un estáte noar by, upon whiüh he livetl, called " Tho Forest." Ho, too, had thrivcn upon tlic decline ot' Virginia ; and ho bad invosted bis foeB in lands and slaves, uiilil, in 1771, ho had a I dozen farms and traots in variousparts of i tho Province, and 400 slavos. At bis home (wiiich was not so f.irfro.m ! Williamsburgthata youngbarristercould j not ride to it ocoasionally with a violin onder bis arui) there lived with Him bis widowed daughter, Martha Skclton, cbildless, a beauty, fond oí' music, and twenty-two. We uil know how delightfully the piano and violin go togetber wben both aio nieely touehed. It was ! the saine with tho spinot and the violin. i JefFerson had improvcd in penon mul in position since he danced with Bolinda in I the; Apollo, scven years before. It was observed of him that lie constantly grew i bettcr-looking as ho advanced in life ; plain in youth, goo'l looking in his primo, handsoine as ar oM man. And he bad Dow advanoed from tho bashi'ul student I to tho eondition oí' a remarkabl; success ful lawyer umi meinber of the Assembly. ■ The woning appears to have boen long. 8he was a widow in 17Ü8, and thcro are slight indioations of a new love in 1770 ; but they wore not marricd till New Ycar's Day, 1772. How fixud bis habit was of recording overy item of expense is ghown by tho page of his pocket diary tor his wedding day. The fees of tbo two clergymen in attendancc, the sums givcn to tho Biusieians and serrante, all are sot down in order quite as usual, ün one of tbo carly days of January, 1772, the newly niarried pair started front " Ihe Forest," whero the ceremony had boon porfornied, for Monticollo, thoir future abodo, more than 100 iüi!i-s distant, in a two horso chaise. As tbo day lengthens the cold strongthcns. In Virginia thero is often no sorious winter till atte"r New Yoar's, whon all at onco it comes rushing down froui tho north in a tempost of wind and snow. ïhore was somo snow on tho ground when they loft tbo bride's homo, and it grew doeper as they wont toward tbo mountains, until it was toodeep for their vobiclo. Xhey were obliged at last to leavo the oarriage and raount tho horses. At suiiMtl on the last day of thoir journey, when thoy were still eigbt millos from Monticollo, the suow was nearly fewo feet deep. A fñeiid's houso gave theui rest for awbile, but they would plod on, and get home that night. Thoy roacbed tho loot of tho mouutain and jjlowed up tho long asoent ana stood, at longth, lato at night, cold and tired, before thoir door. In oíd Virginia, sorvants seldoin lodged in their master's house, but in cabins of thoir owu, to which they returned after their work was done. Ño ligbt salutod tlit! arriving pair. No voico welcomed tbem. No door oponed to receive them. The sorvants had givcn them up long boforo, and bad gono to bed. Worst of all, the fires wore out and tho bouso was cold, dark and dismal. Wbat a welcome to a bride on a cold night in January ! Thoy burst into tbo bouso and floodod it with the warmtb and ligbt of their own unquenchabbj good humor! Who could wisb a botter place for a honcymoon than a snug brick cottage, lifted five hundred and eighty foet above the world, with half adozon countios in sigbt, and tbreo feot of suow blocking out all iutrudors "i -